The Workspace Programme of the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe is the funding programme for providing and securing space for people working in the arts and culture in the state of Berlin.
Kultur Räume Berlin, represented by Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH, allocates funded spaces for the artistic work of Berlin's independent scene within the framework of the Workspace Programme (ARP).  
The Workspace Programme funds spaces for artistic work (i.e. dance spaces, project spaces, studios, music rehearsal spaces, writing offices and so on). Through the funding, artists from Berlin's independent scene are offered working spaces at subsidised rents that are far below the usual market prices.  
Please note: The Workspace Programme only funds spaces for rehearsals and production, not art and cultural projects and events. Information on funding for art and culture projects can be found at:  

• https://www.berlin.de/sen/kultur/foerderung/
• https://www.kulturprojekte.berlin/
• https://www.kreativkultur.berlin/de/forderfinder

How does the funding work?

The rent is subsidised within the framework of the Workspace Programme, i.e. it is offset by subsidies from the State of Berlin, so that the monthly rent to be paid by the artist is 4.09, 5.00 or €6.50/m² warm, depending on the discipline (plus a monthly flat rate for electricity).
The premises may only be used as rehearsal and production space and may not be used for workshops, castings, classes, counselling services or other commercial or profit-oriented events or activities.

I already have an artistic workspace, can it be funded?

At present, it is generally not possible to include existing working, rehearsal and project spaces in the Workspace Programme.

The offer is exclusively aimed at professional, freelance artists who are currently residing in Berlin (Anmeldung).
If you would like to apply as a group that works together and has been in existence for at least one year, submit a joint application. It is important that one person is named as the contact person.

Art discipline specific criteria:

• Performing arts

Individual artists, groups, ensembles and collectives from the field of performing arts. Depending on the call for applications, applications from several individuals and/or groups who have joined forces to use the space together are also welcome.  

• Literature

Authors, literary translators, editors, groups of authors and collectives as well as independent publishing projects.
Independent publishers or other publishing projects may not have more than 3 employees and their annual turnover may not exceed 100,000 euros. Proof of this must be provided.  

• Music

Musicians, groups or ensembles and composers of all genres.  

• Dance

Individual artists, groups, ensembles and collectives from the field of dance. Depending on the call for applications, applications from several individuals and/or groups that have joined forces to share a space are also welcome.  

• Project spaces

Artistic project spaces as free, self-initiated places of presentation and production, as well as project initiatives without a spatial location from the field of visual arts.
Applications are open to artistic project spaces and initiatives that have their own publicly accessible programme and whose production, presentation and research are defined by the visual arts.
Legal entities and natural persons (individuals, associations, collectives, etc.) are eligible to apply.   What is meant by artistic professionalism?
As an allocation criterion, "artistic professionalism" means that applicants can demonstrate the completion of a degree or training program in an artistic field, or possess many years of experience.

What is meant by artistic professionalism?

As an allocation criterion, "artistic professionalism" means that applicants can demonstrate the completion of a degree or training program in an artistic field, or possess many years of experience.Sichern

You apply online via our web portal. Once you have found a suitable call for applications or spaces, you have two options:  

• register for a viewing appointment
• apply

First, you will be asked to register on the portal. Registration and use of the portal are free of charge. With your login, you will always have access to your application documents and can view the status of the application process.
To apply for a space, please complete the online form. The application can be saved temporarily at any time. In your application, you may have the option to apply for several spaces at the same time and indicate a prioritisation of the spaces for this purpose.
When your application is complete, click on "Send application". Please note the application deadline.

In your application you will present your artistic activity, e.g. via links to your website, details of previous public performances, prizes and/or scholarships. You will also be asked to submit the following documents:    

• Documentation/portfolio
• If applicable, association statutes/self-conception PDF file
• De-minimis declaration PDF form in the exposé of the advertisement for download.

Wheny applying for a project space, the following documents must also be submitted:  

• Presentation of the content-related space concept (outlining exhibitions/events incl. participation of third parties)// Description of the planned project.

Depending on the call for applications and the object, we offer either digital viewing appointments or on-site viewing appointments. However, registration is always required. You can register for a viewing appointment on the web portal.

After you have submitted your application, you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt by e-mail with information on how to proceed.   I did not receive a confirmation e-mail Please check your spam folder. If you have not received an e-mail confirmation after a few minutes, please e-mail us at vergabe@kulturraeume.berlin or call us at: 030 3030 444-60. (monday-friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

What are the selection criteria?

For each discipline, a discipline-specific, independent jury decides who will be awarded the spaces. The jury decides according to certain criteria, which may vary depending on the call for applications and the discipline. The award criteria are communicated with the call for proposals.
These criteria for the allocation of artistic workspace are focused on  

• artistic professionalism
• Residence in Berlin (in the case of groups, the majority of the group must reside in Berlin)
• Presentation of the artistic activity or project
• Urgency of a working space/place due to work experience and future demand

How long does before a decision is made?

The decision on the awarding of artistic workspaces is made by the jury in a meeting. The meeting usually takes place 2-3 weeks after the application deadline. 

The spaces in the Workspace Programme (ARP) are allocated by independent, sector-specific advisory boards. The members are predominantly members of Berlin's professional independent art scene and have specialised knowledge of the respective sector and its regional and international artistic developments. The composition of the advisory board is determined in consultation with the organisations representing the interests of Berlin's independent art scene and the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. The following interest groups can currently submit proposals: Interessengemeinschaft Jazz Berlin e.V. (IG Jazz Berlin), initiative neue musik berlin e.V. (inm), Vereinigung Alte Musik Berlin e.V. (VAM Berlin), Zeitgenössisches Musiktheater Berlin e.V. (ZMB e.V.), Landesverband freie darstellende Künste Berlin e.V(LAFT Berlin ), Netzwerk freie Literaturszene Berlin e.V. (NFLB e.V.), Netzwerk freier Berliner Projekträume und -initiativen e.V., Zeitgenössischer Tanz Berlin e.V. (ZTB) as well as Musicboard Berlin and Music Pool Berlin.  

Advisory Board members are generally appointed for a period of two years (subsequent appointments are possible). They consist of at least three voting members and up to three representatives. Representatives will be appointed whenever the full member of the advisory board is unable to participate in the allocation process. Otherwise the same rules apply. The current composition of the advisory boards is as follows:

Please note that contacting members of the advisory board may result in being disqualified from submitting an application.

Performing Arts and Dance

The Advisory Board is composed as follows:

• 3 members for the performing arts
• 3 members for dance
• 1 interdisciplinary member

An alternate has also been appointed for each area to stand in should the regular member be unable to attend. The Advisory Board has a quorum when five voting members are present. Result Dance:

• Akiles
• Lina Gomez
• Jasna Layes Vinovrski
• Ludger Orlok

Result Performing Arts:

• Emma Laule
• Daniel Schrader
• Katharina von Wilcke
• Sasha Schlegel

Result Interdisciplinary:

• Raphael Moussa Hillebrand
• Ana Kavalis

Literature

•    Josephine Apraku
•    Dilek Güngör
•    Tim Holland
•    Stefanie Hirsbrunner 
•    Emma C. Lawson 
•    Miriam Rainer  

Music

• Alte Musik: Yeauntae Jung, Miako Klein, Ildiko Ludwig, 
• Neue Musik: Martin Lorenz, Elsa M'Bala aka A.M.E.T, Theo Nabicht
• Jazz: Felix Henkelhausen, Lucy Liebe, Jacobien Vlasmann 
• Pop: Patric Catani, Andrea Götzke, Mareike Hube
• Musiktheater: Matthias Schönijahn, n.n., n.n

Project spaces

• Aouefa Amoussouvi
• Chan Sook Choi 
• Stephan Koal 
• Teena Lange 
• Anna-Lena Wenzel 
• Anastasia Marukhina
• Gosia Lehmann

Information about the results of the call

After the selection process has been completed, all applicants will receive an e-mail informing them of the result of their application.

My/our application was successful, what happens now?

If the jury selected your application for an artistic workspace, you will be asked to upload proof of Berlin residency to the application portal in the short term. If you are applying as a group, the majority of the group must submit proof of Berlin residency. As valid proof, you can upload a copy of your registration certificate or, for example, a scan of the Berlin address in your identity card in your application account.

My/our application was unsucccessful, what now?

If your application was unsuccessful, you can participate again in the next suitable call. If you have any questions about the procedure or how to apply, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We offer free individual consultation by phone or zoom:
Book a consultation

Tenancy Agreement (Mietvertrag)

If you are awarded a space in the Workspace Programme, you sign a fixed-term sublease agreement with a real estate service provider who administers the agreement and is the contact person for all matters relating to the agreement.
The tenancy agreements are usually concluded for four years or, in the case of project spaces, five years.
After confirmation, the real estate service provider will contact the selected applicants.

On subletting

Subletting is only possible with the prior written consent of Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH and the real estate service provider. If you would like to sublet your space, please contact Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH directly.

On extensions/reivew of the funding eligibility

Depending on the call for applications, it may be necessary to review the fulfilment of the funding criteria after 1.5-2 years. This ensures that the funded space is being used for its intended purpose.  
The review is carried out by submitting appropriate proof (short documentation of artistic professionalism as a PDF file and declaration that the residence continues to be in Berlin).  If the review shows that you still meet the eligibility criteria, you can use the space for the remaining years of the period of use.   Unfortunately, an extension beyond this is not possible.

My tenancy agreement is expiring, can I reapply?

Yes, you are welcome to reapply, even if you have had a funded workspace in the past.
When the end of your rental period is approaching, you will receive a notification by e-mail from Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH so that you can prepare for the handover. You will receive all further information about the handover from the real estate service provider.
Unfortunately, the fixed-term rental agreement cannot be extended, but the space must be offered in a new call for applications again.   If you are still interested in the space, you can reapply for the space in the new call for applications.

Public funding should be open to everyone. But artists often face barriers when they apply for funding or take part in funding programmes. Many programmes or projects have very high entry requirements. For example, artists need a lot of work experience or must already have contacts with other cultural venues. Also, artists often have no way to report what barriers they face. So, the barriers remain and artists who are interested lose the motivation to apply.

With fairSpace – Chancengleichheit Raum geben, we support professional artists who so far have had little access to subsidised workspaces. This includes artists whose perspectives have rarely been visible in the arts sector. It also includes artists who are disadvantaged by social and institutional structures.

fairSpace wants to create equal opportunities for everyone, remove barriers and prevent discrimination. The project also wants to strengthen diversity in the arts sector. The name of the project deliberately sets a high standard. It stands for a goal: all artists should have the same chance of getting a subsidised workspace. With the project fairSpace, we want to try out new ways in our Workspace Programme to reach this goal.

The Workspace Programme is a funding programme of the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. It secures spaces for culture in Berlin and makes them available to artists and other cultural workers. It funds workspaces such as dance studios, project spaces, artists’ studios, music rehearsal spaces and writing offices.

Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH allocates these spaces to professional artists from Berlin’s independent arts scene. This is part of the Workspace Programme. We advertise the available spaces on the Kultur Räume Berlin platform. Artists and cultural workers pay rent for the rooms, but the rent is subsidised and much cheaper than usual. The State of Berlin has set the funding rules for the Workspace Programme. At the moment, the reduced rent is 5 euros per square metre. For visual arts, it is 4.09 euros or 6.50 euros.

Important: New funding rules will probably come into effect on 1 January 2027. This may change the rent listed here. However, the Berlin Senate will continue to subsidise the rent, and it should stay affordable. Under the new rules, the rent can be adjusted to your income. We do not yet know exactly how the new rules will affect you.

The Workspace Programme supports professional artists from Berlin’s independent arts scene. But what exactly does ‘professional’ mean?
In Germany, the word ‘artist’ is not protected by law. In principle, anyone can call themselves an artist. For the Workspace Programme, this is not enough. What matters is this: you work as an artist or want to start working as an artist, and your work is visible and/or accessible to others. There are many ways to show us this. After all, there is more than one ‘right’ career path.

Usually, one of the following points applies:

• You have artistic training (for example, a degree, vocational training or further training). Or you taught yourself and are already visibly working in the cultural sector.
• You are a member of the Künstlersozialkasse (KSK), the social insurance fund for artists. Or you work as a self-employed artist on a long-term basis. You earn at least 3,900 euros a year before tax.
• You are registered with the tax office as a freelance artist.
• You are active as an artist, for example through exhibitions, performances, concerts or readings. Or you already have a portfolio or a catalogue of your work.
• Other people have already noticed your artistic work – for example through a press article, a review, a grant or a prize.

Not sure if your artistic work so far counts? Book a consultation. We will look at it together.

Accessibility means that all people can access all areas of life independently – whatever their abilities. By inclusion, we mean the right to take part in society on an equal basis.

Without a suitable workplace, many artists cannot work professionally. That is why actions for more accessibility and inclusion play an important role in the Workspace Programme. With the project fairSpace, we want to open up existing structures in the Workspace Programme and remove barriers. But we are only at the very beginning.

The project is based on the German Basic Law (Article 3(3)) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Both protect everyone’s right to live a self-determined life. We also follow the Berlin State Equal Rights Act for People with Disabilities (LGBG) and the Berlin State Anti-Discrimination Act (LADG). The LGBG sets out equal rights for disabled people and the removal of barriers in Berlin. The LADG protects people from being disadvantaged by public institutions because of certain characteristics, such as gender or disability.

With fairSpace – Chancengleichheit Raum geben, we create access specifically for artists with disabilities, for artists with chronic illnesses, and for artists who face discrimination based on any of the characteristics protected by the LADG.

• Here you can find the LADG as published in the official law gazette (as of 2020), a version in German Easy Language (Leichte Sprache), and further information and materials: Berlin State Anti-Discrimination Act (LADG) – Berlin.de
• Here you can find the Berlin State Equal Rights Act for People with Disabilities (LGBG), a version in German Easy Language (Leichte Sprache), and further information about disability policy in Berlin: Berlin State Equal Rights Act (LGBG) – Berlin.de

To create equal opportunities, the project uses two main measures:

• Reserved spaces: At selected sites, we reserve some spaces specifically for artists who face disadvantages and barriers.
• Additional selection criteria: Besides the general selection criteria of the Workspace Programme, we take into account whether artists face barriers. For example, some artists have less access to networks. Some may not have proof of a traditional career path. Or they have individual needs because of disability or experiences of discrimination.

The two measures work together. Under Section 5(2) of the LADG, such ‘positive measures’ are expressly allowed by law. They do not disadvantage the other applicants.

The LADG protects people in Berlin from discrimination by public institutions of the State of Berlin – including in funding programmes such as the Workspace Programme. Our project takes up the core aims of the LADG. The LADG names these protected characteristics:

• Gender
• Ethnic origin
• Racist and antisemitic labelling
• Religion and belief
• Disability
• Chronic illness
• Age
• Language
• Sexual and gender identity
• Social status

The LADG is an important legal basis for the project. It shows which characteristics often lead to disadvantage and are therefore protected. This helps us design the selection criteria and the reserved rooms so that they take these protected characteristics into account.

No. Under Section 5(2) of the LADG, such ‘positive measures’ are expressly allowed by law. They make up for existing disadvantages and create equal opportunities.

An independent advisory board decides who gets a workspace. The jury is made up of experts from the relevant art sector. It uses the usual selection criteria of the Workspace Programme, such as professional artistic work, originality or living in Berlin. It also takes into account the individual barriers that applicants can describe in their positioning statement.

These selection criteria are especially important:

• Professional artistic work: You work professionally as an artist.
• Residence in Berlin: You reside in Berlin. For groups, the majority of members must be residents in Berlin.
• Description of your artistic work or project: What do you want to work on? What is special about your work?
• The reason why you urgently need a workspace, based on your work experience and perspective: You explain why you need the workspace right now. Why is the space important for your career at this point? How does it help you make your perspective visible in the arts sector?

The exact selection criteria can be slightly different for each call for applications. You can find the criteria in each call on the web portal.

What exactly is a ‘positioning statement’?

fairSpace wants to support artists who are disadvantaged and face barriers. That is why we ask you for a positioning statement. This means that you briefly describe in the application form the barriers you face when you apply for or use a space.

Why do I have to describe my barriers, and who reads this?

Your information is important for two things:

• It shows whether you belong to the target group of the project fairSpace.
• The advisory board reads the positioning statement. It takes the barriers you describe into account when it allocates the spaces.

The application form has two text fields for the positioning statement: field A and field B. What is the difference between the two fields?

• Field A (short text, maximum 300 characters including spaces): Here you summarize your barriers in 1–3 sentences. This text gives the jury a short overview.
• Field B (longer text, maximum 1,500 characters including spaces): Here you can describe your needs and barriers in detail. The panel should understand why you need the subsidised workspace. Here are some questions to help write this text: What specific barriers make it harder for you to get a rehearsal space (for example, barriers in buildings, or digital, structural or social barriers)? Why do the usual spaces available not meet your needs? How would the rehearsal space in this call improve your situation?

Do I need to submit medical evidence, doctor’s certificates or diagnoses?

No. Please do not upload medical or official documents such as diagnoses, a disability ID card (Schwerbehindertenausweis) or medical letters. You also do not need to share very private experiences. A short, clear description of your situation is enough.

Note: We still need some official documents, such as proof of income or your certificate of registration (Meldebescheinigung). If we offer you a space, you will need to upload these to the web portal. We will send you a separate email about this.

What counts more in the application: artistic quality or the positioning statement?

First, the advisory board assesses the artistic quality of your work. To do this, it reads the documents and the portfolio you submitted. It also takes your positioning statement into account. This is about the barriers you face when you look for or use a workspace. This way, we make sure that the jury looks at artistic quality and barriers separately.

All applicants should have a fair chance. That is why the advisory board takes into account the protected characteristics in the Berlin State Anti-Discrimination Act (LADG).

We know that many artists need subsidised spaces and that there are not enough rooms. Unfortunately, this also means that we cannot offer subsidised spaces to all applicants. The jury has to choose from a very large number of very good applications. A rejection only reflects the limited number of available spaces. So we want to encourage you, even if rejected, please do not give up. Keep an eye on our news calls for applications and apply for other spaces in the future. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed.  

We treat your application as strictly confidential. Only these people read it: the office of Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH, a representative of the independent arts scene who sits on the panel (Raumbüro), and the members of the independent advisory board. We process your data in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We only use your data to check whether you are eligible to apply and to assess your application. We do not pass your data on to anyone else.  Further information can be found in our privacy policy.

Accessibility is more than barrier-free access to the spaces. We also want the application process and all communication about the project fairSpace to be as accessible as possible.

In practice, this means:

• We offer an online information event about the project. At the event, we answer questions about the call for applications and the application process. The event is in spoken German. It will be interpreted into German Sign Language (DGS).
• We offer on-site viewings. This way, you can look at the workspaces in advance and check how accessible they are.
• If you have questions or need support, for example with filling in the application, you can book a personal appointment at any time: Consultation – Kultur Räume Berlin

We know that access needs are very different, and we cannot always foresee every barrier. So please contact us early if you need support. We will find a solution together.

Email us at: fairspace@kulturraum.berlin

Or give us a call. You can reach us on Tuesdays from 10 AM to 1 PM and on Thursdays from 1 PM to 3 PM by calling 0176 17870315 (from outside Germany: +49 176 17870315).