Funding - Culture

As a supplement to the very comprehensive direct responsibilities of provinces, communities, and other legal entities (including private ones) within the respective provincial borders, the Federal Government also provides support to cultural events in the provinces when doing so benefits the state as a whole. The Division thus funds regional museums, folkloric and cultural activities, and public libraries throughout Austria.

In recent years numerous measures have been implemented in the scope of these grants in order to improve the transparency, effectiveness, and goal orientation thereof. For example, the funding of museums was restructured and a museum advisory committee was created. The repositioning of grants handling enabled the implementation of a set of measures for securing and strengthening the quality of public libraries. Examples of such measures include procuring more funding for libraries, Austria-wide target standards, and the cooperation with the library association as the service center for the public library system. In the folk culture field, along with reliable basic funding for the active governance associations and the funding of bilateral and international contacts, and in particular with the restructured incentive funding, provinces and communities are also being stimulated to co-finance innovative projects.

More information is provided in German:

• Public libraries - Öffentliches Büchereiwesen
• Folk culture - Volkskultur
• Funding programmes for museums - Museen
• Austrian Museum Award - Österreichischer Museumspreis