Germany announces €1bn culture energy fund

The German federal government has earmarked one billion euros to help cultural institutions and organisers with increased energy bills caused by the war in Ukraine.

The Culture Energy Fund (Kulturfonds Energie) will proportionately subsidise “additional energy costs” for eligible recipients between January 1 2023 (retrospectively) to April 30 2024.

Private and public cultural institutions will be invited to apply for aid, as well as cultural event organisers “if they hold ticket-financed cultural events in closed rooms that are not themselves eligible as cultural institutions”.

The fund is a “ray of hope for the cultural sector in the crisis”

The registration platform required for applications is projected to be available from mid-February, with the first tranche of aid totalling €375m.

“The energy crisis is threatening the existence of many cultural institutions and cultural event organisers,” says minister of state for culture Claudia Roth. “With the Kulturfonds Energie they can now get the support they urgently need to continue to provide such diverse and rich cultural offerings in our country.”

Olaf Zimmermann, managing director of the German cultural council, called the fund a “ray of hope for the cultural sector in the crisis”, which also shows “how important it is for the various actors, federal, state and civil society, to work together in the cultural sector”.

The fund has been under negotiation since the autumn and was finally approved on Wednesday (25 January).

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