Arts cuts begin to bite

Just 40% of all the requests for cultural subsidies have been honoured for the coming four-year period and 70 organisations will lose their funding, the performing arts fund announced on Wednesday.


The fund has had its €60m budget cut to €24.5m as part of the government’s plan to cut €200m from cultural subsidies starting in 2013.
Between 2013 and 2016, eighty organisations will receive a subsidy from the fund, down from 118. There were 203 requests sent in asking for a total of €52.5m.
Among those who will receive no subsidy from 2013 are the Amsterdam Dance Event, theatre festival Boulevard, the Paradiso-Melkweg production house and Motel Mozaïque.
‘Never before have cuts to the arts been so abruptly taken,’ the fund said. ‘The damage is enormous.’
The performing arts fund is one of the most important in the Netherlands, but not the only one. The arts council also provides subsidies to cultural organisations and will be apportioning €310m on budget day next year.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation