Gwaertler Grant

The Gwaertler Grant supports artistic work that is in meaningful dialogue with the context in which it is made. Over the years, we have funded Swiss and international practitioners across all artistic disciplines. Their experimental, interdisciplinary, and process-based projects have engaged deeply with the social, cultural, and ecological conditions of their time.

Our grants assist artists in the early stages of their projects — the phase when ideas are still forming, when research needs to happen, when connections need to be made, and when experimentation is essential. We believe this phase is crucial. It is often under-resourced, yet it is where the foundations of meaningful artistic work are laid. The grant therefore supports a wide range of activities: archival research, connecting with people from other disciplines, active fieldwork, cross-cultural collaboration, conducting interviews, taking courses, organising workshops, experimenting with techniques, learning from practitioners in other fields, and more.

The Gwaertler Grant operates through nomination rather than open application. In each cycle, the foundation invites a small group of practitioners — artists, researchers, educators, and past grantees — to serve as nominators. These are people embedded in specific artistic communities and contexts, whose knowledge of local working conditions we trust.

Submitted projects are reviewed by the foundation’s team and a small selection committee. Criteria include the project’s stage of development, the necessity of support at this particular moment, its resonance within its context, and the degree to which the work falls outside conventional funding structures, among other considerations.

In 2026, each round focuses on a specific field: Moving Image Arts (spring — completed), Sound Arts & Experimental Music (summer), and Interdisciplinary & Cross-Media Practice (autumn).

Successful recipients are announced throughout the year. Grants are awarded exclusively through nomination — we do not accept direct applications.