The objective of the Visual and Applied Art Endowment is to promote, preserve and popularize Estonian professional art. For that purpose, creative people, search and experiment-oriented creation, and undertakings that are focused on the promotion of art and art culture, international communication, preservation of artistic heritage, and restoration are supported and recognized, including:

• participation of Estonian artists and art researchers in important professional events outside of Estonia;
• important international art projects and festivals in Estonia;
• self-improvement abroad (including study travel, working at artist-in-residence places, residency, research work at archives or museums etc.);
• the activity of artists and art researchers with creative grants;
• inviting internationally acknowledged specialists to Estonia;
• compilation and publication of art publications that have a lasting value (in general);
• continued building of the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia, the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design and Tartu Art Museum based on the suggestions of the museums` purchase committees;
• preservation and restoration of art heritage;
• partly master`s and doctoral studies in higher schools abroad.

The Visual and Applied Art Endowment supports promotion of Estonian art culture, creative people and professional art events. For that purpose, supports, grants and awards are distributed.

The project support is used to support primarily art events for which applications can be submitted four times a year. One condition for being a successful applicant is cost-sharing and/or co-financing of at least 10% of the total amount of the project`s costs (except for acquisitions for the museums` collections). In addition, the Endowment distributes the operational support for associations and institutions that focus on promotion of art culture. The deadline for the latter is once a year, 20 November.

The life`s work support is distributed to meritorious persons of the area on a quarterly regular basis with a fixed 1,200 euros.

The Visual and Applied Art Endowment supports the activity and self-improvement of creative people of the area by awarding creative grant. 12 6-month creative grants worth 6,000 euros each are distributed twice a year: with deadline for submission of applications is 20 February and 20 August.

The Endowment supports master`s and doctoral studies in higher schools abroad with the one-year study grant, which is up to 5,000 euros. The deadline for submission of applications is 20 August.

The Visual and Applied Art Endowment acknowledges the activity of creative people by giving awards. Every year the Endowment gives one grand award of 8,000 euros, a life`s work award 12,000 euros and the Visual and Applied Art Endowment`s annual awards 6,000 euros each.