artlink

What artlink does

artlink is a Swiss non-profit cultural organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Bern (Im Progr, Atelier 156, Waisenhausplatz 30). It connects culture, art, and people in Switzerland and across continents by promoting artists from Africa, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, and Eastern Europe in Switzerland, and operates a portfolio of programs including the South Culture Fund (a grant scheme administered on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation / SDC), Here ! Am (support for cultural practitioners with refugee and migration experience), Weiter Schreiben Schweiz (literary program pairing exiled authors with Swiss literary institutions), Global Sounds from Switzerland (curated Swissmusic – Global & Folk playlist of 80–100 tracks with Pro Helvetia and Fondation SUISA), artlinkDEBATES (a new discussion series launching December 2025), and the artlink Directory / Turntables (an online directory platform where artists create profiles). The organization has approximately 11 staff (8 core plus 3 extended) and is led by Director Rahel Leupin, supported by a board including former Pro Helvetia, Schlachthaus Theater Bern, INES, and Helvetas executives.

The underlying technology footprint is modest: the artlink website and Directory are built with third-party tooling (Weglot for machine translation, Craft CMS, Google Analytics, Buzzsprout for podcasts, plus YouTube and Vimeo for media), and no proprietary AI/ML systems are disclosed. Distribution occurs directly through artlink's own programs, the South Culture Fund's online application portal (suedkulturfonds.ch), and a broad partner network spanning all 23 Swiss cantons, multiple Swiss cities, Pro Helvetia, Fondation SUISA, four Swiss universities of arts (ZHdK, HKB, HSLU, FHNW), the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), Amnesty International, and foundations including Binding, Christoph Merian, Ernst Göhner, Landis & Gyr, Migros Kulturprozent, Oertli, Stiftung Mercator, S.T. Johnson, and Schäppi-Jecklin. Marketing is conducted via the website, Mailchimp newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, and multilingual press releases (DE/FR/IT) covered by Swiss media including SRF.

The business model is non-commercial grantmaking and program delivery: revenue (which is not publicly disclosed) is sourced from individual donations and contributions, foundation grants, and institutional funding from public bodies including the SDC mandate for the South Culture Fund, Pro Helvetia, cantons, and cities. Customer segments served are primarily international artists from ODA-eligible regions, migrant and refugee artists based in Switzerland, exiled authors, and Swiss cultural venues/partners seeking international artistic perspectives. Pricing is N/A: programs are free for participants and supported by grants/donations. Recent public signals (press releases dated 08.08.2024 and 06.02.2025) indicate that artlink is operating in a contracting federal funding environment, defending its core SDC-backed mandate while continuing to launch new product lines.

Name

artlink

Legal name

artlink

Website

https://artlink.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

artlink is a Swiss non-profit cultural organization founded in 1984 in Bern that promotes artists from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe in Switzerland through grantmaking (South Culture Fund, managed for SDC), residency and mentorship programs (Here ! Am, Weiter Schreiben Schweiz), an online artist directory, and curated cultural programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Exchange Services

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Cultural exchange programs
• Artist grant funding
• International arts promotion
• Transcultural dialogue
• Cultural directory platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: artlink develops, runs and sustains its initiatives and projects with contributions and donations from individuals, companies, associations, foundations and institutions.
2. Foundation and Institutional Grants: Funding from foundations and public institutions including Pro Helvetia, DEZA (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), cantons, cities, and various Swiss foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

artlink connects artists and cultural practitioners from Africa, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, and Eastern Europe with the Swiss cultural market. It runs grant programs (South Culture Fund on behalf of SDC), direct artist support programs (Here ! Am for practitioners with refugee/migration experience, Weiter Schreiben Schweiz for exiled authors), an online directory platform (artlink Directory/Turntables), music promotion (Global Sounds from Switzerland), and public discussions (artlinkDEBATES). All programs are delivered free of charge to participating artists.

Product overview

artlink is a non-profit Swiss cultural organization (established 1984) that connects culture, art and people by promoting artists from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe in Switzerland. The organization operates a portfolio of programs including the South Culture Fund (grant funding), Here ! Am (artist support for migration/refugee experience), the artlink Directory/Turntables (online artist directory platform), Weiter Schreiben Schweiz (literary program), Global Sounds from Switzerland (music promotion), and artlinkDEBATES (discussion series). These offerings work together to provide funding, networking, professional development, and platform access for international artists seeking to establish themselves in Switzerland's cultural landscape.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• South Culture Fund: Grant scheme managed by artlink on behalf of SDC, facilitating access to Swiss cultural market for artists from Africa, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, and Eastern Europe.
• Swissmusic – Global & Folk
• Weiter Schreiben Schweiz
• Here ! Am
• Here We Are
• artlink Directory
• artlink DEBATES

Products and services

• artlink Directory / Turntables
• South Culture Fund
• Here ! Am
• Weiter Schreiben Schweiz (Écrire Encore Suisse / Scrivere Ancora Svizzera)
• Global Sounds from Switzerland (Swissmusic – Global & Folk Playlist)
• artlinkDEBATES

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 years of international cultural exchange operations since 1984
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

35 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Here We Are pilot project (2021-2024) was initiated by artlink in cooperation with Zurich University of the Arts, focusing on participatory research with artists who have recently immigrated to Switzerland.
• Worldwide Music Expo (WOMEX)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021The Swissmusic – Global & Folk playlist was launched at WOMEX in Porto 2021 and is presented to international music promoters at music fairs including WOMEX and Jazzahead.
• Pro Helvetia (Swiss Arts Council)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerartlink collaborates with Pro Helvetia on multiple programs including the Global Sounds from Switzerland project (Swissmusic – Global & Folk playlist) and the COINCIDENCIA South America programme. Pro Helvetia is a key strategic partner in promoting Swiss arts internationally and supporting transcultural exchanges.
• Fondation SUISAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFondation SUISA partners with artlink and Pro Helvetia on the Global Sounds from Switzerland project, supporting the international promotion of Swiss musicians with diverse cultural backgrounds.
• DEZA (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation / SDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerartlink manages the South Culture Fund on behalf of SDC/DEZA, which facilitates access to the Swiss cultural market for artists from Africa, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, and Eastern Europe.
• Binding StiftungsupportingOthersBinding Stiftung is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• Christoph Merian StiftungsupportingOthersChristoph Merian Stiftung is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• Ernst Göhner StiftungsupportingOthersErnst Göhner Stiftung is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• Landis & Gyr StiftungsupportingOthersLandis & Gyr Stiftung is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• Migros KulturprozentsupportingOthersMigros Kulturprozent is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• Oertli-StiftungsupportingOthersOertli-Stiftung is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• Pro HelvetiasupportingOthersStiftung Mercator is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• S.T. Johnson StiftungsupportingOthersS.T. Johnson Stiftung is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• Schäppi-Jecklin StiftungsupportingOthersSchäppi-Jecklin Stiftung is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• Stiftung MercatorsupportingOthersStiftung Mercator is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• Swisslos and Swisslos BSsupportingOthersSwisslos and Swisslos BS are listed as supporting partners on the Support Us page.
• SUISAsupportingOthersSUISA is listed as a supporting partner on the Support Us page.
• All Swiss Cantons (AG, AI, AR, BE, BL, BS, FR, GL, GR, LU, NE, NW, OW, SG, SH, SO, SZ, TG, UR, VD, VS, ZG, ZH)supportingOthers23 Swiss cantons are listed as supporting partners on the Support Us page, demonstrating broad governmental support for artlink's mission.
• Swiss Cities (Bern, Schaffhausen, Zürich)supportingOthersThree Swiss cities (Bern, Schaffhausen, Zürich) are listed as supporting partners on the Support Us page.
• Amnesty InternationalsupportingOthersAmnesty International is listed as a current partnership on the Support Us page.
• Burger-gemeinde BernsupportingOthersBurger-gemeinde Bern is listed as a current partnership on the Support Us page.
• ÉDHÉAsupportingOthersÉDHÉA is listed as a current partnership on the Support Us page.
• FHNW (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland)supportingOthersFHNW is listed as a current partnership on the Support Us page.
• HKB (Bern University of the Arts)supportingOthersHKB is listed as a current partnership on the Support Us page.
• HSLU (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts)supportingOthersHSLU is listed as a current partnership on the Support Us page.
• ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts)supportingOthersZHdK is listed as a current partnership on the Support Us page.
• MovetiasupportingOthersMovetia is listed as a current partnership on the Support Us page.
• SEM (State Secretariat for Migration)supportingOthersSEM supports the Here! Am project through the Federal Integration Credit. SEM is listed as a current partnership on the Support Us page.
• South Culture Fund (Süd kuiturfonds)coreOthersartlink manages the South Culture Fund (Süd kuiturfonds) on behalf of SDC. The South Culture Fund supports artists from eligible countries in Africa, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, and Eastern Europe.
• far° NyonsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partnerfar° Nyon is a live arts festival and residency host that partners with Here! Am to offer residencies for cultural practitioners with migration or refugee experience in Switzerland.
• PROZESS BernsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPROZESS Bern is a cultural venue offering residency space for contemporary art with a focus on research and production, partnering with Here! Am for artist residencies.
• Kulturbüro St. GallensupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerKulturbüro St. Gallen cooperates with artlink on workshops about funding opportunities in Switzerland for cultural practitioners with migration experience.
• IG Kultur LuzernsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIG Kultur Luzern cooperates with artlink on workshops about cultural funding in Central Switzerland for artists with migration background.
• Various Swiss Literary InstitutionssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeiter Schreiben Schweiz connects exiled authors with Swiss literary institutions and key cultural players, enabling access to Swiss literary networks through author pairings and public readings.
• SRF (Swiss Radio and Television)minorOthersSRF 10 vor10 covered the Weiter Schreiben Schweiz project in a November 2023 segment. Swiss radio stations have partnered on airtime! broadcast programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• British Council: The UK's international cultural relations organization performs an analogous role to artlink at much larger scale — facilitating cultural exchange, artist mobility, and grants between the UK and global counterparts. artlink's Strategic Programme Consultant (Malaya Del Rosario) previously worked at the British Council.
• Alliance Française: A global network promoting French language and culture through grants, residencies, and programs worldwide — a structural and operational peer to artlink in delivering cross-cultural exchange at scale.
• Institut Français: France's international cultural network promotes French culture and supports artistic exchange globally, including through grants and residencies — directly comparable in mission and program structure to artlink.
• Goethe-Institut: Germany's worldwide cultural institute promotes German language and cultural exchange, with a comparable mandate of connecting artists, supporting residencies, and running grant programs across many countries — a structural peer to artlink's model.

Regional players

• Swisscontact: Switzerland's other major development cooperation foundation, focused on economic development. While not arts-focused, it shares the Swiss institutional DNA (Bern-based, SDC-linked) and provides useful comparability for funding scale and donor patterns.

Direct peers

• Helvetas: A major Swiss development cooperation organization where artlink board member Dorothea Wawrinka worked for a decade on international cooperation funding mechanisms. Helvetas is a peer in the Swiss-funded international cooperation ecosystem, though focused more broadly than culture.
• IETM: An international network for contemporary performing arts, supporting artists' mobility, exchange, and advocacy in Europe and beyond — overlapping with artlink's performing arts and cultural-exchange mandate.
• Pro Helvetia: The Swiss Arts Council is artlink's closest peer: a publicly funded Swiss foundation supporting Swiss arts internationally and cultural exchange, with which artlink co-runs programs (Global Sounds, COINCIDENCIA) and from which several artlink board members and senior staff have come.
• Res Artis: An international network of arts residencies that supports artist mobility and exchange across continents — directly comparable to artlink's Here! Am residency program and broader artist-mobility mandate.
• CEC ArtsLink: An international arts organization supporting artist exchange and residencies between the US and participating countries, with a comparable model of grant-administering, residency-hosting, and cross-border artist support.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/artlink.ch
• Instagraminstagram.com/artlink.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artlinkch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about artlink