Culture subsidies

The City of Graz regards cultural, artistic, and scientific achievements as essential contributions to social life. Depending on the availability of resources, the city supports artists, institutions or special projects by distributing subsidies and funds.

In addition to well-known fields of cultural production, the Department of Cultural Affairs also supports interdisciplinary art projects as well as other projects which do not fall into traditional categories.

The budget for subsidies is laid down in the annual municipal budget. The general city council decides on the budget for cultural affairs based on material and information presented by the Department of Cultural Affairs.

The guideline for the allocation of subsidies is based on the decree passed by the city council on December 9, 1993:

Guideline for subsidies (in German)

These guidelines are based on the city's declaration "to (financially) support projects of public interest, depending on the availability of funds."

Subsidies can only be granted based on a written application. The following application form has to be handed in to the city counsellor and to the Department of Cultural Affairs (i.e. city department 16).

Application form (in German)

In general, an affiliation with Graz, which either lies in the personality of the applicant or in the nature of the project, is an important advantage in the application process.

By providing financial support for art-house cinemas, a high standard of films is maintained and the smaller inner-city cinemas are able to compete against the big multiplexes.

You can find further details concerning funding for the specific fields in the submenu.