ARKO Opens Applications for 2026 Arts Promotion Fund Support Programs

A Budget of 61.3 Billion Won Allocated
Support for 26 Open Call Projects

The Arts Council Korea (ARKO) announced on September 24 that it will accept applications for the 2026 Arts Promotion Fund support programs until the end of October. Applications for international exchange programs will be accepted until October 21, while major programs such as Creative Incubator and Creative Entities will be open for applications until October 30.

ARKO explained that, in consideration of field demands and the Chuseok holiday schedule in October, the application period has been extended from 24 days to 38 days. The organization also stated that it will discover new programs and expand multi-year support to enable artists to continue their creative activities.

In 2025, ARKO will allocate a budget of 61.3 billion won to support 26 open call projects. Through phased support (preliminary-entry-creation/presentation-stabilization/foundation-international exchange), the council aims to provide balanced and sustainable assistance across the entire arts ecosystem.

To strengthen the capabilities of emerging artists and provide opportunities for field entry, the following will be implemented: ▲Field-linked support for art colleges, ▲Support for field presentations by art organizations. To foster future leaders in the arts and culture sector, the following initiatives will be promoted: ▲Support for youth artists’ advancement, ▲Support for youth jobs in the arts sector (support for cultural arts trainees).

Through ▲Creative Incubator and ▲Arts Support for Children and Youth, ARKO will continue to support project-based creative activities for artists and art organizations. ▲Support for the Korea Performing Arts Festival will expand opportunities for outstanding performing arts to be showcased and increase public access to performing arts. ▲The Creative Entities program aims to provide stable creative activities and establish a mid- to long-term foundation to enhance the self-sufficiency of art organizations.

To respond to the global interest in K-culture and support artists’ overseas expansion and international exchange, the following initiatives will be promoted: ▲Support for participation in overseas residencies, ▲Support for international collaboration, ▲Support for overseas expansion linked to ARKO programs, and ▲Support for strengthening inbound international cooperation.

ARKO also announced that some programs, such as ▲Literary Writer Fellowship to support outstanding literary writers and ▲Regional Arts Advancement Support for follow-up support of excellent basic arts works in local areas, will be conducted through separate open calls.

In 2026, ARKO will launch ▲Support for the Creation of Full-Length Novels to expand the globally recognized trend of Korean literature and newly support the creation of full-length novels by highly skilled writers. A new budget of 600 million won will be allocated for this initiative. In addition, the scale of support for ▲Performing Arts Venue Rental Fee Assistance and ▲Literary Creation Studio Use Assistance, which have consistently addressed the need to reduce initial creative costs and meet field demands, will be significantly expanded. The budget for Performing Arts Venue Rental Fee Assistance will increase from 2.52 billion won this year to 5.17 billion won next year, and the budget for Literary Creation Studio Use Assistance will rise from 540 million won to 900 million won.

Furthermore, the budget for ▲Strengthening Inbound International Cooperation will increase significantly from 100 million won this year to 1 billion won next year, thereby expanding the range of eligible recipients. Through this, ARKO plans to support the operation of creative exchange spaces such as inbound residencies and collaborations with overseas creators conducted in Korea. The organization also aims to create venues for knowledge and experience sharing to respond to and lead international cultural and artistic discourse.

ARKO announced that, to reduce the administrative burden on artists and allow them to focus more on creative activities, it will abolish the mandatory self-funding ratio requirement for the 2026 Arts Promotion Fund subsidy programs. Additionally, the obligation to register and execute self-funding through the e-Nara Help system has also been removed.

To improve accessibility and convenience for artists seeking information on support applications, program briefings will be provided through online video guides. One-on-one consultations, which previously required visiting the event venue until last year, will now be conducted online by prior appointment. FAQ briefings focusing on key questions and answers will also be held online by program. In addition, a mobile chatbot will be operated via ARKO’s KakaoTalk account to provide 24-hour personalized guidance services.

Applications for the Arts Promotion Fund support programs must be submitted through the National Culture and Arts Support System, and program-specific guide videos can be viewed on the ARKO YouTube channel. For detailed information regarding the open calls, please refer to the Artnuri and ARKO official websites.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.