For this "NEUSTART KULTUR", a total of around one billion euros more will be made available for the cultural sector from the culture budget for 2020 and 2021.
"With an additional one billion euros, we are supporting the relaunch of cultural life in Germany and setting the course for the future," said Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters. "I am proud to say that this is pretty much half of our annual budget, which has in any case grown strongly in recent years. We will support cinemas and music clubs, memorials and museums, theaters and festivals, and many other cultural institutions in reopening their doors as soon as possible after the Corona recess. For us, preserving and safeguarding Germany's cultural infrastructure is key to restoring job opportunities for artists and creative professionals nationwide."
The program is essentially divided into four parts:
1. pandemic-related investments in cultural institutions to preserve and strengthen Germany's nationally significant cultural landscape.
This component, which is funded with up to 250 million euros, is about making cultural institutions fit for reopening. Regardless of whether they are cultural centers or music clubs, theaters or cinemas, trade fairs or literary houses: They all have to implement hygiene concepts and clearance rules. These include online ticketing systems, modernization of ventilation systems, different visitor guidance and seating. The money will primarily benefit facilities whose regular operations are not predominantly financed by the public purse.
2. maintenance and strengthening of cultural infrastructure and emergency aid
At the heart of NEUSTART KULTUR are the many small and medium-sized cultural venues and projects that are financed primarily by the private sector. They have lost income, but still have to pay staff to work on new programs. The BKM aid is intended to help creative artists get out of short-time work and pursue their artistic work.
We also want to open up opportunities to award new contracts to freelancers and solo self-employed people. A total of up to 450 million euros is available for this largest component of the program.
The funds are divided up by sector:
For music, i.e. live music venues, festivals, event organizers and promoters, the BKM is giving 150 million euros.
For theater and dance, 150 million euros are also available. This applies to private theaters, festivals, promoters and intermediaries.
The film sector will be helped with 120 million euros. This will be used primarily to support cinemas and finance additional needs in film production and distribution.
30 million is earmarked for other areas such as galleries, socio-cultural centers and the book and publishing scene.
3. promotion of alternative, including digital, offerings.
Up to 150 million euros will be made available for this purpose.
The allocation of funds for individual projects is also to be made against the background of industry-specific expertise by the Federal Cultural Funds. In addition, the BKM's digitization offensive will be stepped up. This includes "Museum 4.0" as well as many new formats and projects that serve mediation, networking and understanding in the cultural sector.
Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters: "At least this crisis had one positive aspect: "Quite a few institutions and artists have successfully found alternative and digital ways to their audiences. From living room concerts to digital concert halls, from author readings with online chat to virtual museum tours - alternative, often digital offerings have received a boost in the crisis. We want to use and strengthen the tailwind. At this point, the cultural sector has the chance to come out of the crisis stronger than we went in!"
4 Pandemic-related additional needs of cultural institutions and projects regularly funded by the federal government
Up to 100 million euros will be made available to these institutions to compensate for corona-related revenue shortfalls and additional expenditures that cannot be covered elsewhere. In the case of facilities and projects carried out jointly with the states or municipalities, the federal government will provide its share of the cofinancing.
The package also includes federal aid of EUR 20 million for private radio broadcasters. These have been hit hard by the slump in advertising revenues and continue to face high personnel costs in view of the public's enormous need for information.
Together with the numerous other measures already initiated from the BKM budget, this means that more than one billion euros from the culture budget alone will be used to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic for culture. Among other things, 20 million euros have now been made available for a conversion program, 15 million euros for a future cinema program, 15 million euros for investments in national cultural institutions in Germany and 5.4 million euros for the German orchestra landscape.
Grütters pointed out that, together with the federal government's other aid packages, support for creative artists and the cultural sector should have totaled several billion euros. For example, in order to safeguard individual living conditions, access to basic benefits has been significantly expanded. The Economics Minister's 50-billion-euro program for the self-employed has helped thousands of people to pay the rent for their movie theater, music club, bookstore, studio or gallery. The voucher solution for cultural organizers also formed an important bridge, he said. Small and medium-sized enterprises were also supported by rapid liquidity assistance, with the introduction of KfW fast loans with 100 percent exemption from liability by the federal government. Many artists in employment benefited significantly from the regulations governing short-time working allowances.
"We want to save our unique cultural landscape and give artists a perspective," Grütters said. "To do this, we are setting the course for the future. With NEUSTART KULTUR, in combination with other aid packages from the German government, we are making a contribution that is unparalleled internationally."
