Support for artistic projects is provided at all stages of the creation of a work of art – from research (residence), to the creation and presentation of the work (exhibitions and performances), to its documentation (catalogues and books) and reflection upon the work (both periodic and non-periodic journals and publications). Analyses have shown that among all these stages, presentations receive the greatest volume of support.
Applicants for grants, either from the Ministry of Culture or from a lower level of the public administration, have to be, with some exceptions, legal entities, i.e. organisations established in accordance with Czech law, or individuals with permanent or temporary residence in the Czech Republic.
In specific cases, a foreign applicant may be entitled to receive a subsidy. Such cases include the provision of government grants for the support of translations of Czech literature to foreign languages, residency stays and curatorial trips (Czech Centres). As a similar example at the municipal level we can give Prague - City of Literature, a residency programme coordinated by the Municipal Library in Prague in connection with the UNESCO Creative City of Literature title awarded to Prague.
In the area of audio-visual arts, film production incentives have been used as a very strong tool of promotion of Czech culture (as well as of the entire Czech Republic) since 2010. Under this system, 20 percent of eligible costs are returned to foreign producers after film shoots in the Czech Republic.