Fair working conditions are widely embraced as an ideal in the cultural sector, but translating that ideal into concrete funding applications proved to be a barrier for many organizations. Together with Kunsten '92, Platform ACCT, the national culture funds (Mondriaanfonds, Fonds Podiumkunsten, NL Filmfonds, het Letterenfonds, Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie, Stimuleringsfonds voor de Creatieve Industrie), het Cultuurfonds, Fonds21, and the VSB fonds, we developed the Fair Practice Guide: a practical tool that supports both applicants and assessors in genuinely embedding fair practice into their plans and applications.
The Fair Practice Code enjoys broad support in the cultural sector. Yet our research, which we have been conducting together with Platform ACCT and Kunsten '92 since 2022, showed that embracing the principles and actually applying them in practice are two very different things. Applicants often did not know how to translate fair practice into a concrete application. They were afraid of asking for too much, or doubted whether funds would understand why their budget looked different. The funds, in turn, pointed to the code with the call to "apply and explain," but offered little guidance on what that actually meant in practice. Moreover, applicants tended to focus mainly on fair pay, while fair practice covers much more ground. The inspiration to explore other aspects was often missing.
What applicants needed was not another obligation, but a helping hand. Something tangible that helped them make the translation from values to reality. We also saw a strong need for inspiration from other organizations in the cultural sector: when you see how comparable organizations are working toward fairer practices, the step feels smaller for yourself as well. On the fund side, fund staff also needed to be well prepared to recognize and assess fair applications.
On behalf of Kunsten '92 and Platform ACCT, and together with the six national culture funds and three private funds, we developed the Fair Practice Guide: a website that offers applicants concrete guidance on how to incorporate fair practice into their plans and budgets. The guide brings together the positions of the participating funds, provides an overview of recommended tools and guidelines, and offers inspiration from fifteen organizations across different disciplines and of varying sizes, all sharing their path toward fair practice. In addition, the funds jointly introduce a new standard: a separate fair practice column or explanation within applications, making the crucial context behind amounts explicit. Alongside the guide, we developed a tutorial for fund staff, so they too are familiar with the code and the new guide before they begin assessing applications.
The guide is live and already being used by the first applicants. Together with the funds, we are now exploring how the guide can be further developed for the upcoming multi-year funding rounds. The ambition is clear: fairer applications, better understanding on both sides of the table, and a cultural sector in which fair practice is no longer just an intention but a shared reality. https://www.fairpracticegids.nl/
