Additional €300,000 in cultural funding from Brussels-City

Brussels-City has allocated an extra €300,000 in funding to culture in the wake of the Flemish government’s budget cuts. Flanders’ regional government announced last month that it was cutting funding of cultural institutions by 3% and of cultural projects by 60%.

Both sets of cuts affect Brussels: concert hall Ancienne Belgique and KVS theatre, for instance, will have to do with less. But the biggest concern is for the project subsidies. These are grants given to specific projects or to individuals, often to create their first work or to launch a tour.

Brussels-City has launched Kangouroe BXL, a call for projects that require funding. Between 16 December and 20 February, young artists can submit proposals for funding of their projects, which should have a multi-lingual and/or Brussels character.

‘A clear signal’

“We want to embrace starting projects from their infancy all the way to their completion,” said mayor Philippe Close (PS), culture city councillor Delphine Houba (PS) and councillor of Dutch-language concerns Ans Persoons (One.Brussels) in a joint statement. “We want to send a clear signal that the City of Brussels sees cultural creation as a springboard to personal development and social cohesion.”

While Kangouroe BXL will hand out €200,000 to artists, an additional €100,000 will go to a handful of Dutch-language cultural centres, like Beursschouwburg, Globe Aroma and Bronks. This will be in addition to the €300,000 spread among them that they normally receive annually from Brussels-City.

Brussels-City provides funding of €1 million a year to KVS, which will not change. The Flemish theatre can also apply for additional project funding.

Photo, from left: Delphine Houba, Philippe Close and Ans Persoons