Swiss Cultural Fund UK launches new Major Grant

The Swiss Cultural Fund UK (SCF) has launched a new grant category – the Major Grant – reaffirming its mission to support Swiss artistic talent in the UK.

The Major Grant, worth between £10,000 and £15,000, is designed to support cultural institutions with ambitious projects that prominently feature Swiss or Switzerland-based artists in the UK.

Applications are open until 10 May 2026, with funding decisions to be made at the end of June. To be eligible, the institution will be required to secure matching funds from other sources.

Since its foundation as a privately financed charity in 1990, the SCF has stood at a distinctive crossroads between Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Directed by a Board of cultural experts and operated by the Culture Section of the Embassy of Switzerland in the United Kingdom, the SCF is dedicated to supporting the most promising Swiss-British artistic collaborations. The SCF’s commitment has always centered on nurturing new talent while ensuring strong visibility for Switzerland’s vibrant artistic landscape.

The Major Grant completes the SCF’s existing funding opportunities. Open to grassroot and large-scale institutional projects alike, the expanded grant programme reinforces the SCF’s mission to support creativity and foster international collaboration.

SCF Funding Opportunities

Standard Grant – Up to £3,000 per project

With three open calls per year, this grant category will continue to provide essential complementary funding to help ideas reach their full potential. It enables Swiss and Switzerland-based artists and cultural practitioners to present their work, expand networks, and gain visibility within the UK cultural landscape. This funding often acts as a springboard for emerging artists.

Application deadlines: 15 February, 10 May, 11 October 2026
Funding Decisions: within a month of the respective deadline

Major Grant – £10,000 to £15,000

The Major Grant will award one grant per year to an established cultural institution programming in the UK. Eligibility requires the institution to secure matching funds from other sources. The grant provides £10,000 to £15,000 to offer a unique platform to Swiss artistic talents; and, to British organisations, the opportunity to strengthen their relationships with the Swiss artistic scene.

Application deadline: 10 May 2026
Funding Decision: end of June

Learn more about our funding opportunities

Published 27.01.2026

35th Anniversary of the Swiss Cultural Fund UK

The Swiss Cultural Fund UK (SCF) supports Swiss cultural interventions across all artistic disciplines to British audiences since 1990. The SCF’s commitment to nurturing talent has led to the creation of new work, the engagement of diverse audiences, the strengthening of partnerships between Swiss and British institutions, and the establishment of lasting careers for many Swiss creatives, ensuring that Swiss culture remains a visible part of the UK’s diverse cultural landscape.

The charity’s anniversary provided a unique opportunity to reflect on 35 years of cultural engagement. As we look ahead, the SCF's mission remains resolute: to continue to nurture a vibrant community of artists, institutions and patrons. Thank you to all who have been contributing to cultural exchanges between Switzerland and the UK since 1990. Then, as now, culture proves to be an exceptional bridge builder.

The evening was the work of many: Paulina Lenoir at the moderation, Jasmina Serag as our DJ, with contributions from artists Nicole Bachmann, Francesca Baglione, Marc Bauer, Hélène Binet, Blomfelt & Narby, Julian Charrière, Nicolas Feldmeyer, Fabienne Hess, Deborah Joyce Holman, Livia Lauber, Noha Mokhtar, Nicolas Party, Reto Pulfer, Silvan Schmid, Kosta Andrea Sekulic and Lukas Truniger.

Artists supported by the SCF shared their insights.

“The SCF support enabled me to realise an ambitious project for the Whitstable Biennale, which was a performance with four performers on the foreshore. Working outdoors required me to engage directly with questions of access, precarity and environmental change. Conditions that shape both the site and the people who inhabit it. The work became a way to think about bodies in relation to unstable ground, borders and about how performance can respond to changing ecological and social conditions. I knew it would be a project I would remember when it became clear that the environment was not simply a backdrop, but an active participant in the work’s unfolding.” – Nicole Bachmann

“It was tremendously exciting to see a UK audience engage with a live art work about a Swiss adolescence – demonstrating the universality of the theme (memory and the senses).” – Francesca Baglione aka Miss High Leg Kick

“The SCF supported a Frieze project in 2017. Being part of the fair and receiving so many feedbacks from the visitors was a great experience. I also initiated a series of workshops on the theme of Identity with an educational charity. Working with young people is always unexpected and very fulfilling.” – Marc Bauer

“Having both grown up in Switzerland, before living in London for close to 10 years, we’ve seen how inspiring getting to evolve in both places was artistically and creatively.” – Blomfelt & Narby

“I have always felt that photographing architecture is like playing a piece of music. To celebrate my exhibition Light Lines at the Royal Academy, I dreamed of uniting architecture and music in a single moment of resonance. I knew the beautiful Hawksmoor church in the heart of London, St George’s, Bloomsbury and discovered the brilliant young Swiss cellist, Cecilia Bignall. With the generous support of the Swiss Cultural Fund UK, this dialogue between sound and structure became possible. Thank you SCF, this was a perfect contribution.” – Hélène Binet

“The SCF’s support enabled me to realize my first solo institutional exhibition in London, For They That Sow the Wind, at the Parasol Unit in 2016. This show allowed my work to engage directly with a critical international audience. It was only my second institutional solo exhibition, and for me, it immediately felt like a significant milestone.” – Julian Charrière

“The SCF supported me to create an experimental exhibition of my work during the pandemic when opportunities to share work were scarce. Observing passers-by stop and see the exhibition in these times was brilliant.” – Fabienne Hess

“The support from Swiss Cultural Fund UK enabled me to realise my first publication, which expands on two of my recent artist films. The project facilitated me to critically engage with writers, scholars and curators through commissioned texts and an interview, as well as develop my first artist book with independent publisher Book Works with whom I worked closely and extensively to translate core concerns of the films into a book.” – Deborah-Joyce Holman

“The SCF's support helped me fund a large part of my exhibition Stories & Objects and gave me the opportunity to create and produce new work for the occasion. Opportunities like this push you to reflect on your work and process, and they allow the practice to grow.” – Livia Lauber

“Meeting Eddie Prévost opened a new approach to musical improvisation, and through the current trio, rooted in a jazz reference, my personal relationship to jazz has been profoundly reshaped.” – Silvan Schmid

“When my work got recognised after dozens of projects, after years of quiet developments, from one of the most influential mime festivals in the UK and internationally – the SCF backing was a sign from home saying we are with you.” – Kosta Andrea Sekulic

“My participation in Sonica Glasgow along with my fellow Swiss artists had a high degree of inclusiveness and involvement of the audience. I engaged in many interesting conversations with visitors, who offered me different perspectives on various aspects of my work.” – Lukas Truniger

Published 05.12.2025