Would you like to apply for a subsidy for Social initiatives Transatlantic Slavery Past for the Caribbean part of the Kingdom? On this page, you can read how it works, what documents you need, and where you can submit your application.
Step 1: Register
Before you submit an application, you must register as an applicant. This is possible from 1 July 2025. To do this you go to Subsidy Portal of Implementation of Policy. You must be authorised to sign in order to submit the application. If you are not independently authorised (administratively), or if someone else, e.g. a subsidy adviser, is submitting the application on your behalf, authorisation is required.
If you do not have an account yet then you first create an account.
If you already have an account, you can log in and go to the ‘My schemes’ tab. Here, add the registration for the SUMS-NL scheme.
After the registration on the subsidy portal of Implementation of Policy, you can submit an application. Your login name and password will give you direct access to the subsidy application form.
In the Manual Subsidy Portal Implementation of Policy you can find an introduction to the subsidy portal. The manual contains screen prints with short explanations.
Step 2: Collect or prepare the mandatory documents
Prior to submitting your application, you can gather and complete the relevant appendix (appendices). On the website of Implementation of Policy, you can find an overview of the appendices, namely:
- format activities plan (categories 2, 3, 4)
- format budget (categories 2, 3, 4)
- proof of bank account number and account holder (categories 1, 2, 3, 4)
- where applicable, an authorisation form (categories 1, 2, 3, 4)
The formats will be made available as soon as possible.
In the activities plan, you specify exactly what you are going to do with your project, what objectives and results you want to achieve, and what output (products) this will generate. You must also indicate the timeline (planning) within which this will take place and, if necessary, specify a phasing structure. You can do this by filling in the form.
In the budget format, you indicate the project costs for each (sub)activity. Subsidy-eligible costs include the wage costs of employees working for your organisation, volunteer allowances and external costs, i.e. costs charged by third parties for the performance of the subsidy-eligible activities.
If you are applying for a subsidy for the professionalisation (category 1) of legal entities operating in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom and working for the objectives of the scheme, information about your project activities and costs will already be requested from you in the application form. All you need to do is add proof of the account holder of the bank account and, if applicable, an authorisation.
Step 3: Apply
An application can be submitted during the application period via the Subsidy Portal of Implementation of Policy. You complete the online application form (e-form) in the portal. Make sure you completed all the necessary documents.
Application periods
There are two application periods per category. You can only submit a subsidy application during these periods.
All times are local to the Netherlands and follow the applicable time zone:
-
CET (Central European Time) from late October to late March
-
CEST (Central European Summer Time) from late March to late October
|
Category |
Period I |
Period II |
|
Category 1 |
11 August 2025 9:00 a.m. CEST until |
2 November 2026 9:00 a.m. CET until |
|
Category 2 |
1 December 2025 09:00 a.m. CET until |
10 January 2028 9:00 a.m. CET until |
|
Category 3 |
1 April 2026 9:00 a.m. CEST until |
1 June 2027 9:00 a.m. CEST until |
|
Category 4 |
1 April 2026 9:00 a.m. CEST until |
1 April 2027 9:00 a.m. CEST until |
Attention: the overview above is subject to change, the application periods can be modified due to circumstances. Consult the subsidy scheme for the latest overview.
Step 4: Assessment and process
If, after the application period has closed, it becomes apparent that more subsidy has been applied for than is available in the budget (subsidy cap), the civil-law notary will first draw lots to determine the order in which applications are going to be processed. In order of receipt of applications or as determined by the drawing of lots, Implementation of Policy assesses whether the subsidy application submitted meets the conditions imposed. Both completeness and content will be assessed.
Completeness
Only subsidy applications that contain the requested information and documents will be considered to be complete. If any appendices are missing, we will inform the applicant(s) and they will have two weeks to complete the application. Incomplete applications will be placed at the end of the processing queue once they have been completed. This may affect the allocation of a subsidy. So make sure your application is complete when you submit it.
Content
The subsidy application is assessed on its content in accordance with the rules set out in the BZK Subsidies Framework Decree and the subsidy scheme. Implementation of Policy assesses whether the activities and costs are eligible for subsidy. Implementation of Policy can ask additional questions. The assessment by Implementation of Policy does not concern quality and does not change your position in the processing order. If Implementation of Policy concludes that an application for category 3 or 4 does not fit in with the objectives set out in article 2 of the subsidy scheme then the Advisory Committee* is requested to issue an opinion. This also has no influence on your position in the processing order.
Timeline
After the application period closes, an assessment and decision-making process of approximately 13 weeks commences. Within this period, a decision is made on whether the application is approved or rejected. If additional information is requested during the assessment then the deadline is suspended. For applications in categories 3 and 4, if the Advisory Committee is consulted, the decision-making process may take up to 22 weeks. Implementation of Policy strives to assess applications as quickly as possible.
It is important that you take these deadlines into account when preparing your activities plan and budget. The implementation of the project may not start earlier than 13 weeks after the closing date of the application period. For categories 3 and 4, the deadline for a decision on the allocation of a subsidy, and therefore the start date, may be up to 22 weeks after the closing of the application period.
Step 5: Start project implementation
Has the subsidy been allocated? You are then expected to commence the implementation of your project activities within three months of the date of the allocation decision.
*Advisory Committee: an external party that is asked to provide an independent and impartial opinion on projects in categories 3 and 4 that initially appear to be insufficiently aligned with the objectives of the scheme. It advises the Minister BZK on whether or not to allocate the subsidy.