Grant & Open Call Applications
Good work doesn’t get through on its own. It gets through on a good application.
The jury doesn’t see your studio. It doesn’t see the years you put into a single body of work, or how your program actually runs across a year. It sees a document, and on the strength of that document it decides on a sum of money that can change your year.
Preparing an application takes familiarity with how these calls are assessed, the ability to translate work or programming into language an institution recognizes, and time you would rather spend elsewhere. It is also the one part of the process nobody funds.
We have been doing it for years. Here are the numbers.
Results
July 2025 – July 2026
Over that period, 14 of 20 decided applications were accepted. Applications still awaiting a result are excluded from the calculation rather than counted as losses, and the total covers only awards with a confirmed figure, so the real sum is higher.
The figures span local, national, and international calls, both for exhibitions and for funding.
An award at the 61st Zagreb Salon
We prepared the application and wrote the descriptions of the works for Vedran Ružić. The piece was selected for one of Croatia’s most established juried exhibitions, and went on to receive one of three equal awards.
€9,000 for a single project
The largest sum secured through one application, for a documentary film funded from public sources.
What we do
We prepare applications for open calls and funding competitions on behalf of visual artists, galleries, and non-profit arts organizations.
We work across local and national calls, both exhibition and funding, as well as international open calls and residencies, where we prepare the application in English. We can write the whole application, one part of it, help you find project partners, or build the budget.
Ongoing collaboration
Most missed calls are not missed because the application was weak. They are missed because the deadline passed and nobody noticed.
That is the difference a one-off service cannot cover. When you come to us for a single application, you have already found the call yourself, already noticed the deadline yourself, and you get in touch as early as you managed to. With ongoing collaboration we track what opens, filter what is worth your time, and come to you first.
Ongoing collaboration covers:
- tracking and filtering the calls that are relevant to you, deadlines included, all year round
- preparing applications throughout the year, without negotiating each one separately
- consultation on exhibition and programming strategy
- artist statements and texts for new bodies of work or new programming
- building your portfolio or program materials and keeping them current
From €150 a month, depending on scope.
What sets the figure: how many applications a year, whether the portfolio has to be built from scratch or only maintained, whether the work is bilingual, and whether we manage the project once funding comes through. We agree the scope up front and write it down, so it does not drift.
For comparison, at the level of four funding applications a year plus a portfolio built from scratch, one-off pricing comes to €2,300. Ongoing collaboration at that scope is around €1,800 a year, with the portfolio and its updates included, and with the deadline tracking no one-off arrangement can provide.
Ongoing clients are scheduled first. One-off applications are taken on as capacity allows. In September and March, that is the difference between an application that gets submitted and one that does not.
Places are limited, because this is continuous work rather than a package of services.
One-off applications
If you are applying once, or you do not yet know how often you will be applying, the prices are below. We publish them so you can work out what makes sense for you before you even get in touch.
Portfolio and program materials
A portfolio is not a line item on one application. You build it once and use it for years, on every call that follows and in conversation with galleries, institutions, and collectors. So we treat it as a separate item.
It includes an artist statement, a CV with a complete list of solo and group exhibitions, descriptions of two or three series or selected works, selection and preparation of images, a designed PDF ready to send, and an editable version you can keep adding to yourself.
| Services | Price |
|---|---|
| Portfolio, early career (up to 10 exhibitions) | from €400 |
| Portfolio, established artist (10 or more exhibitions) | from €600 |
| Annual portfolio update | from €100 |
| Adapting an existing portfolio to a specific call | from €80 |
| Usluge | Cijena |
|---|---|
| Kratki projektni opis ili kustoski tekst (do 1 kartice) | 120 € |
| Kustoski koncept, cjeloviti | od 250 € |
| Životopis i biografija, po umjetniku | 50 € |
| Odabir i priprema vizualnog materijala | 80 € |
| Izrada troškovnika projekta | 60 € |
| Ispunjavanje obrasca i predaja prijave | 50 € |
| Prijevod na engleski jezik | 20 € po kartici teksta* |
| Hitna izrada (rok kraći od 5 radnih dana) | +40% |
| Services | Price |
|---|---|
| Portfolio, early career (up to 10 exhibitions) | from €400 |
| Portfolio, established artist (10 or more exhibitions) | from €600 |
| Annual portfolio update | from €100 |
| Adapting an existing portfolio to a specific call | from €80 |
| Column 1 Value 5 | Column 2 Value 5 |
| Column 1 Value 6 | Column 2 Value 6 |
| Column 1 Value 7 | Column 2 Value 7 |
| Column 1 Value 8 | Column 2 Value 8 |
Portfolios can be paid in three installments. Work begins on the first. Included in ongoing collaboration.
Individual services
| Services | Price |
|---|---|
| Short project description or curatorial text (up to 1 page) | €120 |
| Full curatorial concept | from €250 |
| CV and biography, per artist | €50 |
| Selection and preparation of visual material | €80 |
| Project budget | €60 |
| Completing and submitting the application form | €50 |
| Translation into English | €20 per standard page |
| Rush work (deadline under 5 working days) | +40% |
* A standard page is 1,500 characters including spaces..
Packages
Packages cost less than the sum of the individual services.
Short project description, biography, selection of works, submission.
€200
Full curatorial concept, biographies for all exhibitors, selection of works, submission.
€450
Full curatorial concept, rationale, budget, portfolio adaptation, submission.
from €450
Full preparation including translation into English.
from €700
Paying on results
For calls that award money, there is a second option: a lower base fee plus a percentage of whatever you are awarded.
The base fee is paid up front and covers the work on the application. The percentage is only payable if the application succeeds, out of the funds you have just received.
A worked example: €250 up front plus 15% of the award. On a €1,500 artist fee, that is €475 in total. On a €5,000 production grant, €1,000.
You pay the second part only once there is something to pay it from.
What we need from you
- images of your work at high resolution. If you don’t have them, we can help organize a photoshoot
- your own exhibition or programming history. If that list has to be reconstructed from archives, catalogs, and old invitations, we bill it separately and agree it in advance
- payment, or the first installment, and your materials before work starts
Project management
We also run the projects themselves: planning, deadlines, budget tracking, coordinating collaborators, and reporting back to whoever funded the work. We work in dedicated project management software and lean organizationally on established methodologies.
If you have been awarded funding and now need someone to carry the project through and account for it properly, get in touch.
We’ve worked with…
Get in touch
Tell us how many times a year you apply, and to what kind of calls. That alone usually settles whether piecemeal or ongoing work makes more sense, and we will come back with a proposed scope and a firm price, no obligation.
And if you are not sure which calls are worth your time in the first place, that is exactly the conversation worth having.
Who we are
Our team consists of passionate, engaged, and versatile experts in arts and culture, with experience managing various projects for clients of different profiles and needs.
We’ve worked with non-profits in the culture sector, helped organize scientific conferences, and managed day-to-day operations for clients working in fields ranging from sports to digital marketing and web development.
If you’re searching for someone who will craft a personalized project management plan utilizing multidisciplinary and current techniques, you’ve come to the right place.
Why DLightful Services stands out
We believe in the power of creativity to transform lives and communities, and we channel that belief into every project we undertake.
We’re a team of organized, creative intellectuals who can give you the best of both worlds—a systematic approach to project management that also leaves room for thinking outside the box.
Here’s what makes us different:
FAQs
The cost of project management services can vary depending on factors such as the complexity and scope of the project, the level of expertise required, and the duration of the engagement. Contact us to get a tailored quote based on your specific needs and requirements.
Project management services can benefit individuals or companies by ensuring projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the desired quality standards. They help streamline processes, improve productivity, minimise risks, and enhance overall project efficiency and success.
A good project manager possesses strong leadership skills, effective communication abilities, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to manage time and resources efficiently. They should also be adaptable, organized, and able to motivate their team members to achieve project objectives.
Project managers oversee the planning, execution, and completion of projects. They define project goals, allocate resources, manage budgets, communicate with stakeholders, and ensure that tasks are completed according to schedule and quality standards.
Project management is crucial in ensuring projects are completed efficiently, within budget, and on time. It helps in organizing tasks, managing resources effectively, and mitigating risks, ultimately leading to successful project outcomes.