News

Government budget proposal cuts Taike's appropriations

The Finnish Government has submitted its proposal for the 2025 Budget to Parliament. Appropriations for discretionary government grants awarded by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) will be cut by approximately EUR 1.9 million. In addition, the previously budgeted EUR 3 million for the performing arts related to the reform of government transfers is no longer included in the State Budget. In total, Taike’s appropriations will be approximately EUR 4.9 million less than in 2024.
Published

SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEWS 26.9.2024 (originally published 25.9.2024):

There has been some uncertainty in the public sphere regarding the budget cuts to the arts and culture. For the sake of clarity, the appropriations administered by the Ministry of Education and Culture, which covers government transfers and subsidies for the performing arts and museums, will be cut by EUR 10.9 million. These appropriations have included EUR 3 million as a temporary reserve for the expansion of the government transfer system. Taike has awarded this in the form of operational subsidies to free communities in the performing arts to allow new actors the opportunity to access government transfers. Decisions on government transfers will be made during October.

SUPPLEMENT ENDS

Based on the Government proposal, appropriations for the arts will be cut by approximately EUR 3 million and appropriations for culture by approximately EUR 2 million compared to 2024.

Appropriations for the performing arts related to the reform of government transfers, which are not included in the new budget proposal, have been awarded in the form of operational subsidies to approximately 30 free communities in the fields of dance art, theatre, circus art and music. In addition, new government grant applicants are being transferred to Taike.

The cuts to discretionary government grants do not apply to statutory discretionary appropriations: state artist grants, public display grants for visual artists, library grants for writers and translators, and supplementary artist pensions. Regarding artist grants and supplementary artist pensions, the Government’s budget proposal has taken into account index adjustments.

The cuts to appropriations apply to those discretionary government grants that are not statutory. These include operational subsidies and special subsidies for art communities, project grants for artists and working groups, regional grants, and community subsidies that support festivals, cultural wellbeing and inclusion, cultural magazines and online publications, children's and youth culture, and cultural diversity and combating racism.

In 2024, approximately EUR 27.7 million was awarded in the form of government grants that are now subject to budget cuts. These grants supported a total of 521 art communities and 972 artists and working groups. Next year, these appropriations are subject to cuts amounting to approximately 18 percent.
In addition, Taike has already decided that for 2025, no government grant appropriations will be reserved for the costs of art projects based on “Percent for Art” principle. However, the call for applications that opens in October 2024 will be organised as usual in order to distribute the appropriations for 2024, which can be used during the period 2024−2026.

As a result of the cuts in appropriations, Taike is making changes to its discretionary government grants in autumn 2024. Taike’s aim is to target the cuts in such a way that the opportunity to produce professional art is retained and the renewal of art is possible.

The situation regarding 2025 will be clarified towards the end of this year. Further information about appropriations for specific artforms and forms of support will be published before the end of the year.
The proposed budget for Taike’s operational costs is EUR 349,000 less than in 2024.

Application periods and info briefings this autumn

Calls for applications for communities open on 1 October 2024. Calls for applications for artists and working groups open on 1 November 2024.

Taike is organising the following online info briefings about this autumn’s calls for applications:

  • 1 October, 12noon–1pm: Subsidies for communities 1
  •  2 October, 2pm–3pm: Subsidies for communities 2
  • 22 October, 3pm–4:30pm: Info briefing in English (in cooperation with Globe Art Point)
  •  5 November, 10pm–11pm: Project grants 

Detailed information about these info briefings can be found on the Taike website.

Further information:

Kaisa Rönkkö, Director, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, [email protected], t. +358 295 330 874

This article was updated on 26 September  2024 with a supplement. In addition, the lead was changed as follows: In total, the cuts affecting Taike’s applicants amount to EUR 4.9 million -> In total, Taike’s appropriations will be approximately EUR 4.9 million less than in 2024.