Performing Arts Program

Pro Helvetia

Relevent Country: Switzerland

Pro Helvetia is now accepting applications for the Performing Arts Program to promote the contemporary professional performing arts in Switzerland with a view to ensuring their diversity as well as their national and international reach.

Pro Helvetia defines performing artists as both natural and legal persons who are artistically active in art forms such as dance, theatre, music theatre, contemporary circus or performances in public spaces. The field includes individual artists, companies and institutional ensembles.

It supports the creation of new productions, as well as the dissemination of Swiss performing arts outside Switzerland and cultural exchange within Switzerland.

Pro Helvetia only supports projects of cross-regional or international significance and supplements the promotional activities of Switzerland’s cantons and cities.

Types of Grants

  • Production Grants: Pro Helvetia supports new productions (including digital and hybrid productions) by independent companies and artists from Switzerland. To be eligible for funding, applicants must provide evidence that their production can be performed several times at least at one cross-regionally recognised venue in Switzerland. The assessment process prioritises projects according to their artistic relevance, the number and quality of co-producers and performance dates, and touring potential.
  • Research Grants: Pro Helvetia supports thematic and artistic research by independent companies and artists from Switzerland. To be eligible for support, the companies and artists must have been professionally active cross-regionally and/or internationally for several years and regularly receive grants for tours from Pro Helvetia.

Funding Information

  • Funding requests over CHF 50’000

Eligibility Criteria

  • Pro Helvetia promotes the contemporary professional performing arts in Switzerland with a view to ensuring their diversity as well as their national and international reach. It supports the creation of new productions, as well as the dissemination of Swiss performing arts outside Switzerland, international cultural exchange and exchange between Switzerland’s various linguistic regions. As a national foundation, Pro Helvetia only supports projects of cross-regional or international significance and supplements the promotional activities of Switzerland’s cantons and cities.
  • To be eligible for support, projects must:
  • have a clear connection to Switzerland
  • be of nationwide importance
  • be adequately co-funded by other public or private funders (including event organisers)

Source: https://prohelvetia.ch/en/guidelines-performing-arts/