The Saxony-Anhalt Arts Foundation has announced funding for 34 artists and cultural projects across the German state, distributing a total of €329,372.60 (approximately $330,000) in grants and scholarships. The foundation's board of directors approved the funding decisions on November 28, 2025, following a competitive application process that received 130 submissions during the first half of 2025.
The selection criteria for funding support focused on three key factors: the originality of proposed projects, their feasibility for successful implementation, and their potential benefit to Saxony-Anhalt's broader cultural landscape. The Arts Foundation annually offers various scholarships and funding opportunities designed to provide targeted and sustainable support for arts and culture throughout the region.
Rainer Robra, State Minister for Culture and Chairman of the Foundation's Board, praised the quality and diversity of this year's applications. "Saxony-Anhalt is home to many remarkable artists," Robra stated. "Through its various programs and scholarships, the Saxony-Anhalt Arts Foundation has successfully supported these individuals for many years, from young talents to experienced artists. Among other initiatives, we support catalog raisonné projects. The diversity and quality of the projects and proposals are convincing and demonstrate the creative-artistic potential of our state."
Among the notable recipients, Emanuel Schulze impressed the selection committee with his project proposal and work samples, including his 2018 piece "transire," earning him a prestigious residency scholarship in Iceland. The foundation's funding is made possible through a grant agreement that includes support from the Kloster Berge Foundation, among other partners.
The awarded projects span multiple artistic disciplines, including visual and applied arts, publications, performing arts, film, and music. In the visual arts category, significant grants were awarded to the atelier savvy GbR for an Artist-in-Residence textile art project in Halle, Michael Brendel for his "alphabeten" exhibition, and the Freundeskreis bernburger kunsthalle for their "Paradies Eulenspiegel" exhibition. Several publication grants were also distributed, including support for Julia Fenske's artist catalog "Die Letzten ihrer Art. Über das Taxifahren" (The Last of Their Kind: About Taxi Driving) and Gerald Große's illustrated book about Halle (Saale).
Performing arts recipients included the Magdeburg City Puppet Theater for their project "Und dann und wann ein weißer Elefant" (And Now and Then a White Elephant) as part of the International Figure Theater Festival Blickwechsel 2026, and filmmaker Natalia Wilk received funding for her film project "Badekultur" (Bathing Culture). The Orchestra of the Medical Faculty received support for a composition commission for their anniversary concert by Ludger Vollmer.
Work scholarships were awarded to thirteen artists across various disciplines, including media art recipients Ayla Güney and Conny Klar, photographers Yvonne Held, visual artists José Madrigal Despaigne, Jonas Immanuel Mosbacher, Korvin Reich, Annegret Riebesel, and Michael Wernitz, designers Svenja-Rita Münster and Jonas Otto, interdisciplinary artist Lisa S. Sperrle, musician Constanze Trieder, and visual artist Lisa Wörfel. Additionally, Sarah Deibele and Emanuel Schulze received International Work Scholarships for Iceland 2025.
The foundation also supported exhibition and gallery initiatives, including Ties Ten Bosch's Wartenburg Landscape Biennial 2026, Matthias Riediger's Kunsthalle Naumburg Gallery for Contemporary Art, and Stephan Rosentreter's Lithoversum project focusing on lithographic work. Art fair promotion funding was awarded to Friederike von Hellermann for Codex 2026.
Applications for the next funding period, beginning in early 2027, can be submitted through the foundation's online application portal until June 8, 2026. Complete information about all funding programs is available on the Arts Foundation's official website, providing detailed guidelines for prospective applicants across all artistic disciplines.
