International exchanges and travel grants

In order to apply for an international exchange, you must have an invitation from the host in the country you will travel to. The invitation must state what you are going to do and when, as well as what the host will provide (in terms of fees, accommodation, premises, etc.).

The forms of this exchange can vary. For example, you can apply for a grant to participate in the installation and opening of an exhibition, a stay related to an international collaborative project or a residency. You can also apply for a grant to participate in an international seminar or conference or to conduct a workshop.

What costs does the grant cover?
You can apply for a grant that typically covers travel and living expenses, and in some cases you can also apply for a grant covering transportation and participation fees. Grants do not include contributions for production costs, own fees or salaries.

If the exchange will take place within the framework of a Swedish institution’s activities, that institution must cover the cost of the exchange.

Mandatory appendices
When you apply for an international exchange, you must attach a copy of the invitation or confirmation.

You can apply for a grant to invite one or more foreign artists to Sweden to share their experiences and knowledge through collaborative work or exchanges. The core here is your exchange from the collaboration, and the exchange should aim to strengthen your artistic development and your international contacts.

The forms of the exchange can vary, from symposia, seminars and workshops to collaborative work in artistic projects.

Institutions and other organisers are not eligible to receive this grant.

What costs does the grant cover?
You can apply for a grant that typically covers the invited guest’s travel and living expenses.

If the exchange will take place within the framework of a Swedish institution’s activities, that institution must cover the cost of the exchange.

Grants do not include contributions for production costs, own fees or salaries.

You can apply for a grant to travel abroad for a short period of time for work or training purposes. No invitation is required. For example, you can apply for a grant for self-initiated residencies, participation in seminars, conferences or festivals, or for attending shorter courses. The stay should promote your artistic development or job opportunities.

What costs does the grant cover?
You can apply for a grant that typically covers travel and living expenses, and in some cases you can also apply for a grant covering participation fees.

Grants do not include contributions for production costs, own fees or salaries.

You must be a professional artist in the field of visual arts or design.

You have an artistic practice in, for example, the visual arts, photography, design, crafts, illustration, textile art or architecture.

To be considered a professional artist, you must earn a living entirely or partly from your artistic activities and regularly present your art to an audience or in an artistic context.

You must be a resident in Sweden or practice most of your art here.

You can be a foreign citizen and apply for our stipends and grants, but you must be a resident in Sweden or primarily practice your art here. If you are a Swedish citizen but live abroad, you must be able to demonstrate that most of your artistic activity takes place in Sweden.

You must not be a student for more than 50 per cent of your time when an award decision is made.

This means being enrolled in any type of studies, from undergraduate studies to doctoral studies and post-graduate education. You can be studying when you submit your application, but when a decision is made you cannot be enrolled for more than 50 per cent for a course or programme.

You must not owe any unpaid Swedish taxes or fees to the Swedish Enforcement Authority or be declared bankrupt.

This means that you cannot owe a debt on your Swedish tax account that has been passed on to the enforcement authority. This does not apply to other types of debts or charges from public organisations or private companies.

You must not have received de minimis aid exceeding a total of 300,000 euros during the last three-year period.

Stipends and grants from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee are subject to the provisions of the European Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2031 on state funding, also known as de minimis aid.

The application is open all year round, but we make decisions four times a year. See the application deadlines.

You apply by logging in to “My pages”.

In order to submit an application, you need to answer all the questions marked as mandatory in the form and attach work samples and the requested appendices.

You can be awarded a grant retroactively, provided that your application is submitted before the exchange/trip takes place.

If your application is rejected, you can submit a new application, but only if major circumstances surrounding the exchange changed after the first decision was made.

Applications must be submitted by 14.00 CET on the application deadline.

Work samples are mandatory
Choose current work samples that are representative of your artistry, preferably from the last two years. Keep in mind that it can be a good idea to choose both close-ups of your works and images that show how your works are presented in context.

When you upload your files with the application, you can specify the title, year, technique, size and description for each file.

Number of files: 5-10

Fileformat and size: jpg (2 MB), mp3 (20 MB), mp4 and mov (50 MB)

Can I submit my application on paper?
We recommend using our e-service to submit your application. It makes it easier for you to ensure that your application was registered and it allows you to follow your case via “My pages”.

Application on paper

There is no fixed or maximum amount, but the types of costs you can seek funding for are limited. Under the information about the different types of grants, you can see what applies. You describe the expected costs during your trip/exchange under each budget item in the application. Note that we ask for estimates of actual costs for accommodation and living expenses, not foreign per diems or similar.

The Swedish Arts Grants Committee does not award grants of less than SEK 5,000.

If there are several of you who are going to participate in the same exchange, you must each submit an application. Each application will be assessed individually.

The Swedish Arts Grants Committee does not prioritise grants for stays in countries or regions where the Ministry for Foreign Affairs advises against travel.

When we receive your application, we verify that you meet all the formal requirements. Members of the international panel of the Visual Artists’ Fund will then read your application. The members are practising artists or experts in the field of art. At least three people read each application. The decision is made by the Visual Artists’ Fund.

If a member has a conflict of interest in relation to an applicant, that member is forbidden from participating in the review process or award decision for that application.

How is your decision made?
We select grant recipients based on the quality of artistic activities and the applicant’s financial need. This means that we assess the quality of the work samples and reference material that you submit. At the same time, we make an assessment of your financial need. This can mean, for example, that we do not prioritise an applicant who has a high income or has recently received other grants or stipends.

In our selection, we aim to distribute the grants to artists in different parts of the country and across a variety of artistic expressions.

The grant amount is deposited into the private account stated in your application within six weeks of the award decision being announced.

Grants are exempt from tax.

If the trip or exchange changes significantly from what you stated in your application or if it is cancelled for any reason, you must contact the Swedish Arts Grants Committee immediately. Note that changes must be approved before your trip or exchange, or otherwise you might have to pay back the grant amount in full or in part.

Changes in purpose are not approved.

If you have applied for and been awarded a grant for the same purpose as this grant from another funding source, you must inform us of the amount by which the grant should be reduced. If your costs are covered by other funding sources, we have the right to withdraw the grant amount in full or in part.

Within one month after the end of your exchange or trip, you must submit a written report to the Swedish Arts Grants Committee explaining how you used the grant amount, using a downloadable form for this purpose.

If you do not use up the entire grant amount, you might have to pay back part of it.

If you fail to submit a report, we can demand repayment, which can affect your chances of receiving funding from us in the future.

If you are awarded a grant for international exchanges and travel, you must state in all communications about your residency that it was carried out with the support of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee. Please use the wording “with support from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee”.

Use the Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s logo in the appropriate contexts.

How to use our logo