In 2006, the Prince Claus Fund spent € 4,100,000 on culture and development projects. The Fund received 588 applications and requests; it honoured 110 activities, presented 11 Awards and undertook four CER actions. The Fund rejected 446 activities because these projects did not comply with its objectives, their quality was of an insufficient standard or they lacked innovation. The Fund was also compelled to reject activities that did not arrive on time or because the applications’ budget had already been used up. 32 applications were withdrawn. The Fund has noticed that the number of interesting applications exceeds what its organisation can currently deal with, given the present level of staffing and resources. This will be a point of particular interest for the policy of the coming years.
2006 was a year of political turbulence in many parts of the world. The Fund has
been made well aware of this fact by cultural productions that fight oppression
and radicalisation, and artists who highlight human rights and equality. This year’s
Principal Award was granted to the Iranian designer Reza Abedini. In his work,
he shows that wonderful designs and cultural productions are being made in Iran,
which draw on the long and impressive tradition of the Persian Empire.
Looking back over the past year, the Board is satisfied with the results, both
financial and otherwise, along with the successful anniversary activities, the
reorganisation, the evaluation’s implementation and the importance of the projects
that the Fund has supported.
The Board would like to express its gratitude
to the Fund’s Director and its staff members for their extraordinary efforts
on behalf of both the anniversary celebrations and the Sahel Opera while
simultaneously dealing with their normal daily workload. It is also grateful to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Postcode Lottery for their constant
support and involvement.
The Board is now looking forward to a fruitful new year at a new location, the
highpoints of which will be the African and European premieres of the Sahel Opera.
Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You,
Chairman of the Board
