Framer Framed

What Framer Framed does

Framer Framed (legal entity Stichting Framer Framed) is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art institution founded in 2010, operating two locations — Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71 in Amsterdam-Oost and, since January 2026, Zuideinde 369 in Amsterdam-Noord (succeeding the closed Werkplaats Molenwijk site). Programming is offered free of charge and centers on exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives, artist residencies, podcasts, and a digital archive, with curatorial focus on decolonization, social justice, ecology, and digital autonomy. The institution's audience spans a general contemporary art public, neighborhood residents (notably the former Molenwijk community in Amsterdam-Noord), activist and climate-justice networks, and civil society organizations interested in open-source infrastructure.

The underlying technology stack is unusual for a cultural institution: since 2014 Framer Framed has built and operated its own digital autonomy infrastructure, running self-hosted NextCloud (document storage, calendars, video, messaging), Matomo analytics, a Stalwart mail server (since 2024), and Mastodon and Pixelfed instances on the Fediverse, as alternatives to Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WhatsApp, Google Analytics, X/Twitter, and Instagram. It has also developed a digital archive and publication tool in collaboration with Archival Consciousness. This infrastructure is operationalized through the SIDN Fonds-backed 'Weg van big tech' project (in consortium with IVIR, Bits of Freedom, Greenhost, and The Good Cloud) and the PublicSpaces coalition, which Framer Framed joined in August 2025.

The business model is that of a publicly subsidized non-profit foundation. Primary funding flows from the Dutch Ministry of Education (Ministerie van Onderwijs), Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst (AFK), Stadsdeel Oost, and Stadsdeel Noord, supplemented by a 'Word Framer Framed Vriend' membership program, a publication webshop, and space rentals. There are no equity investors, no venture funding, no disclosed revenue, and no commercial product. Distribution is hybrid: physical exhibition venues with free admission, plus a multi-channel digital footprint spanning Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Spotify podcast, and self-hosted Mastodon/Pixelfed.

Name

Framer Framed

Legal name

Stichting Framer Framed

Website

https://framerframed.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Framer Framed is an Amsterdam-based non-profit contemporary art institution offering free exhibitions, public programs, residencies, and a digital archive on social justice and digital autonomy, funded primarily by Dutch and Amsterdam municipal cultural subsidies and serving a general art public, neighborhood communities, and activist audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Framer Framed is a Dutch non-profit art foundation that operates a contemporary art institution in Amsterdam delivering free exhibitions, public programs, and educational activities centered on social justice, decolonization, and digital autonomy. Its core deliverables are curated exhibitions, an evolving multilingual digital archive of past programs, a public podcast ("Subject: Subject"), artist residencies, and neighborhood-embedded community work in Amsterdam-Oost (notably Molenwijk), complemented by venue rental and an in-house webshop selling publications and merchandise.

Product overview

Framer Framed is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art institution offering free admission, providing a unified platform of exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives, artist residencies, publications, and digital archives. Core offerings include exhibition programming (exhibitions on contemporary art, social practice, and political themes), a podcast series, a digital archive with associated publication tool developed with Archival Consciousness, community and learning programs, artist residencies, space rental, and an online shop. The institution operates at Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71 in Amsterdam-Oost and maintains Framer Framed Noord at Zuideinde 369, having previously operated Werkplaats Molenwijk from 2018 to 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Werkplaats Molenwijk: Neighborhood project space in Amsterdam-Noord, open from 2018-2025, for and by local residents interested in art, culture, heritage and society.
• Framer Framed Noord

Products and services

• Contemporary Exhibition Programming Curated temporary exhibitions presented free to the public at the Framer Framed venue in Amsterdam, organized around social justice, decolonization, and digital autonomy themes, with accompanying public talks and program events.
• Podcast "Subject: Subject" Framer Framed's ongoing public podcast series extending its exhibition programming into audio format, distributed via podcast platforms and accompanied by Federation-based online channels.
• Digital Archive of Past Programs A free, publicly accessible online archive of Framer Framed's past exhibitions, publications, podcasts, and public programs, allowing audiences to revisit completed work.
• Artist Residency and Community Programs (Molenwijk) Long-running neighborhood-embedded artist residencies and community programs in Molenwijk (Amsterdam-Oost), including a public gallery, mural and public-space work such as the De Nieuwe Meent project, and ongoing local collaborations.
• Venue and Space Rental Rental of the Framer Framed venue at Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71, Amsterdam for partner-led events, screenings, talks, and gatherings related to the institution's mission.
• Webshop of Publications and Merchandise Online retail of Framer Framed's own publications, prints, and merchandise, supporting institutional programming and outreach.
• "Weg van big tech" — Digital Autonomy Program A mission-aligned program of public-facing guidance, tools, and advisory work supporting civil society and cultural organizations in migrating away from mainstream commercial platforms toward open, federated, and privacy-respecting digital infrastructure.
• Institutional News and Online Articles Published online articles, interviews, and editorial contributions on contemporary art and social-justice topics, distributed via the Framer Framed website and its federated social channels.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PublicSpacescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 August 2025Network of public organizations (public broadcasters, heritage institutions, festivals, libraries, museums, and educational institutions) working together to develop technology solutions that center public values. Framer Framed joined as the newest partner in August 2025, contributing to digital autonomy for civil society.
• Instituut voor Informatierecht (IVIR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute for Information Law at the University of Amsterdam. Part of the consortium for the 'Weg van big tech' project helping civil society organizations transition to digital autonomy.
• Bits of FreedomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch digital rights organization. Part of the consortium for the 'Weg van big tech' project. Published step-by-step guides to support the transition away from Big Tech.
• GreenhostminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable hosting provider. Part of the consortium for the 'Weg van big tech' project providing sustainable digital infrastructure alternatives.
• The Good CloudminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCloud service provider focused on ethical digital infrastructure. Part of the consortium for the 'Weg van big tech' project.
• Sonic ActscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary art and science organization based in Amsterdam. Collaborated on the exhibition 'Between Fires: Irradiated Imaginations and Anti-Nuclear Solidarities' and related public programming.
• MOKERcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of presentation and development institutions in Amsterdam within visual arts and creative industry (including digital culture, design, and architecture). Framer Framed is a member advocating for the sector's sustainable integration in the city.
• De AppelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmsterdam arts institution. Co-organizer of the open call for a mural at de Nieuwe Meent, together with Framer Framed and If I Can't Dance.
• If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your RevolutionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmsterdam arts organization. Co-organizer of the open call for a mural at de Nieuwe Meent, together with Framer Framed and De Appel.
• CICC (Court for Intergenerational Climate Crimes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject co-founded by Jonas Staal and Radha D'Souza. Framer Framed co-produced 'CICC: Extinction Wars' at the 2023 Gwangju Biennale Netherlands Pavilion, addressing climate crimes committed by Korean state and corporate actors including Hanwha.
• De Nieuwe MeentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing cooperative in Amsterdam-Oost, one of Amsterdam's first new-style housing cooperatives. Framer Framed is involved in organizing a mural project at their new location.
• Gwangju BiennalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational biennial art exhibition in South Korea. Framer Framed co-produced the Netherlands Pavilion at the 2023 Gwangju Biennale featuring the CICC: Extinction Wars exhibition.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• MU Hybrid Art House: Eindhoven-based art institution at the intersection of art, technology, and design with a focus on hybrid exhibitions and digital culture. Comparable to Framer Framed's art-and-technology focus, though smaller in scale.
• Sonic Acts: Amsterdam-based interdisciplinary organization exploring art, technology, and science through biennial festivals and exhibitions (including co-organized 'Between Fires' with Framer Framed). Comparable as an art-and-tech peer and documented partner.
• IMPAKT Centre for Media Culture: Utrecht-based center for media culture presenting exhibitions, screenings, and critical programs on digital culture, technology, and society. Comparable to Framer Framed on the digital autonomy and art-technology intersection.

Broad incumbents

• Rijksmuseum: Amsterdam's national art and history museum, one of the largest in the Netherlands. Comparable as a major Amsterdam cultural institution, but operates at massive scale with a broader art-historical scope rather than contemporary social practice focus.
• Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: Amsterdam's major contemporary and modern art museum with a much larger collection, audience, and operational footprint. Comparable as a contemporary art institution in the same city, but operates at significantly greater scale and broader thematic scope.

Direct peers

• ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe: German center for art and media technology that combines contemporary art exhibitions with digital culture, media art, and critical engagement with technology. Direct comparable to Framer Framed on the art-and-technology / digital autonomy axis.
• Kunstinstituut Melly: Rotterdam-based contemporary art institution (formerly Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art) focused on critical practice, exhibitions, and public programming with a research-led curatorial approach. Highly comparable in mission and operational model to Framer Framed.
• Van Abbemuseum: Eindhoven-based modern and contemporary art museum known for socially engaged collecting, exhibitions, and public programs addressing decolonization and social justice themes. Highly aligned with Framer Framed's thematic and programmatic focus.
• De Appel: Amsterdam-based contemporary arts institution with a curatorial and critical-practice focus. Direct comparable as a peer Amsterdam arts institution with similar exhibition, public program, and artist-residency model (also a documented Framer Framed co-organizer on the de Nieuwe Meent mural open call).

Regional players

• Foam Amsterdam: Amsterdam photography museum with curated exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives. Comparable as a contemporary visual arts institution in Amsterdam, but with a narrower (photography) medium focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/FramerFramed
• Facebookfacebook.com/FramerFramed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/framer-framed
• Instagraminstagram.com/framerframed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Framer Framed