November 15 is the deadline for applications for funding for independent performing arts from the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media (BKM). In addition to the regular funding for individual artists and collectives, this year's November 15 deadline also marks the deadline for the triennial festival funding for independent performing arts. This is a good opportunity to create more transparency and answer a few questions that we at DfdK have received. How does festival funding for independent performing arts work?
*Festival funding is announced every three years by the Ministry of Culture and Media. The current call for applications refers to the 2027, 2028, and 2029 festival editions, with €125,000 per year for each. A jury decides on the allocation of festival funding from among all applications received.
*The Fringify Festival is partially funded by the grant for the current approval period (2024-2026). In the previous funding periods (2015-2017 / 2018-2020 / 2021-2023), it was the Hauptsache Frei Festival. Partial funding is necessary because all festival directors have always raised third-party funds in order to cover the respective festival expenses.
*The recipient of the grant during the specified periods was/is the Alliance for Festivals of Independent Dance and Theater Artists in Hamburg e.V. (Bündnis für Festivals der Freien Tanz- und Theaterschaffenden Hamburgs e.V.), commonly referred to as the “sponsoring association.” This association was founded solely for the purpose of supporting such a festival. The sponsoring association was/is therefore the selection committee and employer for all respective festival teams during the above-mentioned approval periods. The application process for festival funding for the independent performing arts has always been open and continues to be so – if the jury decides in favor of another application, the festival will also go to another sponsor.
The members of the sponsoring association are currently: DfdK, LICHTHOF Theater, Hamburger Sprechwerk, monsun.theater, KITSZ e.V., VAM Hamburg, AHAP e.V.
The volunteer board currently consists of Andreas Lübbers (formerly Sprechwerk, now WIESE), Julia Hart (for KITSZ e.V.), Amelie Möller (for monsun.theater), and Franziska Jakobi (for DfdK).
November 15 is the deadline for applications for funding for independent performing arts from the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media (BKM). In addition to the regular funding for individual artists and collectives, this year's November 15 deadline also marks the deadline for the triennial festival funding for independent performing arts. This is a good opportunity to create more transparency and answer a few questions that we at DfdK have received. How does festival funding for independent performing arts work?
*Festival funding is announced every three years by the Ministry of Culture and Media. The current call for applications refers to the 2027, 2028, and 2029 festival editions, with €125,000 per year for each. A jury decides on the allocation of festival funding from among all applications received.
*The Fringify Festival is partially funded by the grant for the current approval period (2024-2026). In the previous funding periods (2015-2017 / 2018-2020 / 2021-2023), it was the Hauptsache Frei Festival. Partial funding is necessary because all festival directors have always raised third-party funds in order to cover the respective festival expenses.
*The recipient of the grant during the specified periods was/is the Alliance for Festivals of Independent Dance and Theater Artists in Hamburg e.V. (Bündnis für Festivals der Freien Tanz- und Theaterschaffenden Hamburgs e.V.), commonly referred to as the “sponsoring association.” This association was founded solely for the purpose of supporting such a festival. The sponsoring association was/is therefore the selection committee and employer for all respective festival teams during the above-mentioned approval periods. The application process for festival funding for the independent performing arts has always been open and continues to be so – if the jury decides in favor of another application, the festival will also go to another sponsor.
The members of the sponsoring association are currently: DfdK, LICHTHOF Theater, Hamburger Sprechwerk, monsun.theater, KITSZ e.V., VAM Hamburg, AHAP e.V.
The volunteer board currently consists of Andreas Lübbers (formerly Sprechwerk, now WIESE), Julia Hart (for KITSZ e.V.), Amelie Möller (for monsun.theater), and Franziska Jakobi (for DfdK).
Considerations and plans for the upcoming funding period and the current call for applications for festival funding for the independent performing arts
The current call for proposals and the corresponding new application provided an opportunity to evaluate and re-examine the structures and procedures of the last ten years. To this end, a working group was convened in the summer, bringing together as many voices as possible from different associations and structures within Hamburg's independent performing arts scene to jointly consider future festival structures. In addition to the existing members of the supporting association, other venues, associations, clubs, and festival organizers were also addressed and, as far as schedules allowed, participated in the discussions or exchanges via email. Currently, all the results of these discussions are being compiled into an application that will be submitted on behalf of the supporting association on November 15.
Considerations and plans for the upcoming funding period and the current call for applications for festival funding for the independent performing arts
The current call for proposals and the corresponding new application provided an opportunity to evaluate and re-examine the structures and procedures of the last ten years. To this end, a working group was convened in the summer, bringing together as many voices as possible from different associations and structures within Hamburg's independent performing arts scene to jointly consider future festival structures. In addition to the existing members of the supporting association, other venues, associations, clubs, and festival organizers were also addressed and, as far as schedules allowed, participated in the discussions or exchanges via email. Currently, all the results of these discussions are being compiled into an application that will be submitted on behalf of the supporting association on November 15.
Here is a brief overview of the innovations that were developed jointly during this process:
*In future, the festival management will only be advertised and appointed after the application has been approved. Previously, the advertisement always appeared before the application was submitted, which was then carried out jointly by the sponsoring association and the future festival team, resulting in a great deal of planning uncertainty for future festival managers.
*The application therefore consists much more of a functioning structure and less of a very concrete artistic concept. This structure includes a festival mission statement and important personnel/activity profiles to ensure the stability and continuity of the festival in the long term. At the same time, there is enough leeway to ensure sufficient artistic dynamism.
*The supporting association will be restructured and its membership renewed: In the future, it will be a much broader association of institutions from Hamburg's independent performing arts scene (venues, associations, interest groups), thus forming a democratic body representing as many individual actors as possible.
*Each future member of the supporting association will appoint a person to serve on the festival board of trustees. The festival board of trustees appoints the festival management and, together with them, decides on the festival program—this is to ensure that the independent performing arts scene is represented as broadly as possible.
*In future, the board of the supporting association will moderate and coordinate rather than decide – decision-making power will be distributed much more broadly. Together with the membership, the board will ensure that the supporting association remains dynamic, open and transparent to developments in the scene.
Thanks to the broad base of the supporting association and the future festival curatorium, a jointly developed mission statement, and joint discussions in the working group in the run-up to the festival, we hope to gain strong support within the scene and a justified sense of a “festival for everyone.” To make this happen, we need your help: If you know of any independent performing arts institutions or are active in one that should be involved in the festival, please get in touch before the application deadline on November 15 (see below for a list of all organizations involved so far).
Your contact person for this is Franziska Jakobi: franziska@dfdk-vorstand.de
Note: The concept is currently still being coordinated and fine-tuned, so this text is also a snapshot of the current planning status at the beginning of November 2025. Assuming the application is approved, concrete planning and casting for the 2027-2029 festival editions will begin in February 2026.
Previously involved in the thought process and/or informed about it (July to November 2025): DfdK (executive board, advisory board, networking office (Netzwerkbüro), LICHTHOF Theater, monsun.theater, Sprechwerk, StimmeX, Wiese, Kampnagel, Haus Flachsland - Hamburger Puppentheater, We Present, Hajusom, Klabauter-Theater, Probebühne im Gängeviertel, K3, Fringify, Fluctoplasma, FESTIVALFRIENDS. In Represented on executive boards and advisory boards: KITSZ e.V., BUZZ Bundesverband zeitgenössischer Zirkus.
In addition, an application consultation took place at the Behörde für Kultur und Medien instead.
Here is a brief overview of the innovations that were developed jointly during this process:
*In future, the festival management will only be advertised and appointed after the application has been approved. Previously, the advertisement always appeared before the application was submitted, which was then carried out jointly by the sponsoring association and the future festival team, resulting in a great deal of planning uncertainty for future festival managers.
*The application therefore consists much more of a functioning structure and less of a very concrete artistic concept. This structure includes a festival mission statement and important personnel/activity profiles to ensure the stability and continuity of the festival in the long term. At the same time, there is enough leeway to ensure sufficient artistic dynamism.
*The supporting association will be restructured and its membership renewed: In the future, it will be a much broader association of institutions from Hamburg's independent performing arts scene (venues, associations, interest groups), thus forming a democratic body representing as many individual actors as possible.
*Each future member of the supporting association will appoint a person to serve on the festival board of trustees. The festival board of trustees appoints the festival management and, together with them, decides on the festival program—this is to ensure that the independent performing arts scene is represented as broadly as possible.
*In future, the board of the supporting association will moderate and coordinate rather than decide – decision-making power will be distributed much more broadly. Together with the membership, the board will ensure that the supporting association remains dynamic, open and transparent to developments in the scene.
Thanks to the broad base of the supporting association and the future festival curatorium, a jointly developed mission statement, and joint discussions in the working group in the run-up to the festival, we hope to gain strong support within the scene and a justified sense of a “festival for everyone.” To make this happen, we need your help: If you know of any independent performing arts institutions or are active in one that should be involved in the festival, please get in touch before the application deadline on November 15 (see below for a list of all organizations involved so far).
Your contact person for this is Franziska Jakobi: franziska@dfdk-vorstand.de
Note: The concept is currently still being coordinated and fine-tuned, so this text is also a snapshot of the current planning status at the beginning of November 2025. Assuming the application is approved, concrete planning and casting for the 2027-2029 festival editions will begin in February 2026.
Previously involved in the thought process and/or informed about it (July to November 2025): DfdK (executive board, advisory board, networking office (Netzwerkbüro), LICHTHOF Theater, monsun.theater, Sprechwerk, StimmeX, Wiese, Kampnagel, Haus Flachsland - Hamburger Puppentheater, We Present, Hajusom, Klabauter-Theater, Probebühne im Gängeviertel, K3, Fringify, Fluctoplasma, FESTIVALFRIENDS. In Represented on executive boards and advisory boards: KITSZ e.V., BUZZ Bundesverband zeitgenössischer Zirkus.
In addition, an application consultation took place at the Behörde für Kultur und Medien instead.