FONDATION SUISA ⎜ FUNDING REGULATIONS

Version as of 13.12.2022

Contents:
1. Purpose of the Foundation
2. Music-making
3. Funding focus
4. Assessment by a committee of experts
5. Supported project forms
6. Prerequisites for funding
7. Submission of applications
8. Communication obligation
9. Implementation and conclusion
10. Correspondence

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1. Purpose of the Foundation

“The purpose of the Foundation is to promote contemporary Swiss and Liechtenstein music making in all genres. It does not pursue either profit-making or self-help objectives.” (Article 4 of the foundation charter)

2. Music making

The term “today’s music making” as defined by FONDATION SUISA means the creation and/or dissemination of a Swiss and/or Liechtenstein musical repertoire (composition and/or creation of public access) with reference to the present day. 

3. Funding focus

The funding focus is on the authors of today’s musical works and the performance/application of their repertoires.

4. Assessment by a committee of experts

Each application received is examined by a committee appointed by the Board of Trustees and assessed according to the criteria listed below.

5. Supported project forms

5.1. Composition commissions

• Applications can only be submitted by clients. Composers and publishers cannot apply for support for themselves.
• Pure arrangement works without a personal touch, such as orchestration, instrumentalisation, etc. are not taken into account.

5.2. Promotion and dissemination

Activities to promote and disseminate Swiss and Liechtenstein music-making:

• Activities must be accessible and/or aim at reaching new audiences or expanding existing audiences.
• Activities must have a supra-regional appeal or be presented supra-regionally.

6. Prerequisites for funding

6.1. Basic criteria

Funding is limited to activities relating to today’s music-making in Switzerland and/or the Principality of Liechtenstein.

CRITERIA
(at least one point must apply): 

• The authors are Swiss or Liechtenstein citizens (or)
• The authors have their principal residence and artistic working environment in one of these two countries (or)
• The authors are SUISA members (or)
• The authors have a recognizable influence on music life in Switzerland and/or the Principality of Liechtenstein (or)
• The authors are appreciated in Swiss/Liechtenstein music life (as authors of musical works) (or)
• The authors foster an extremely intensive working relationship with Swiss and/or Liechtenstein musicians.

6.2. Formal criteria

• Application dossiers must be submitted at least three months before the start of the project.
• The project authors and participating artists can only be awarded one support contribution per year. At least 12 months must elapse between two projects (reference date: start of the project).
• Applications for financing cannot be submitted retroactively.

6.3. Financial and business criteria

• The financing plans must show appropriate compensation for the authors and artists involved, payment of copyrights and any evidence of pension and insurance requirements.
• Activities must be based on viable financial and organisational planning.
• FONDATION SUISA provides additional support, i.e. other sources of funding must be declared using a financing plan.
• Activities without adequate own funds from revenue etc. are not supported. This includes in particular concerts without an entry fee (“free concerts”), free online distribution, etc.

6.4. Exclusion criteria

No funding/financing is provided for activities in the form of:

• Structural funding, investments in infrastructure
• Blank/season programmes from event organisers
• Seminars, congresses, forums, conferences
• Training financing and grants, training activities
• Instrument purchases
• Studio recordings (image or sound) without compositional aspects as well as the realisation and reproduction thereof (audio and visual media)
• Visual implementations for advertising and promotional purposes
• “Sociocultural events”; activities in which music plays only a complementary role
• Printed matter; printed matter of non-musical works, critical or work reports on works, textbooks, facsimile editions 
• Arrangement work without a personal touch such as orchestration or instrumentation
• Library work
• Archiving, cataloguing of unpublished works 
• Sponsorship, PR projects
• Competitions and third-party prize money
• Donations to organisations and individuals
• Fundraising appeals/fundraising/benefit events
• Contributions to general living or operating costs 
• “Music and health,” therapeutic and medical services 
• Retroactive financing applications

6.5. Exceptions

The responsible committee may decide on exceptions to these regulations in justified individual cases.

7. Submission of applications

• The application documents must be documented in accordance with the information in the online forms.
• Project dossiers can only be submitted online.

8. Communication obligation

In their publications (posters, concert programmes, sheet music, musical works, film credits, etc.) applicants who receive financial support must
either
● point out that their project was realised with financial support from FONDATION SUISA
and/or
● show the FONDATION SUISA logo.

9. Delivery and conclusion

• Decisions are made on the basis of the submitted dossiers. A support contribution can only be transferred if the project has been delivered in accordance with this information. FONDATION SUISA must be notified of any changes in good time.
• Payment of the support contributions shall be made after submission of the following supporting documents:
  • Financial statements
  • Final report
  • Bank or PostFinance account details
  • Copies of communication material documents
  • For composition commissions or film music compositions: a copy of the score or a recording, as well as proof of payment of the composer’s fees
• The approved support contributions are only paid once the project has been completed and the supporting documents have been reviewed.
• All documents relevant to the application are archived by the Foundation.

10. Correspondence

The decisions of the foundation committees are final and may not be contested. No correspondence will be entered into concerning the decisions.