moNOkultur has published an open letter to the Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) and his deputy Mona Neubaur (Die Grünen) together with local initiatives from the independent scene throughout NRW. The letter draws attention to the lack of calls for proposals for multi-year funding programmes and the late or non-approval of funding in other areas. The state government is called upon to develop solutions immediately and to communicate transparently and on an equal footing with the independent cultural scene.
You can find the open letter in full length here or on the moNOkultur website.
Demands:
01 Early authorisation of all commitment appropriations and structural funding to enable binding planning
02 Early and binding approval notices for project funding
03 Maintenance and immediate announcement of multi-year funding programmes for groups and ensembles such as top-level and excellence funding, conceptual funding and ensemble funding
04 Regular, open and clear communication at eye level between the Ministry of Culture and Science and the stakeholders
05 Involvement of professional associations in the restructuring of funding programmes so that this is done sensibly and without the loss of funding substance
06 An approach for the 2026 (and subsequent) cultural budget that supports the implementation of multi-year programmes and the implementation of the Fair Pay Directive
07 Secure framework conditions for the remaining years of the legislature and a financial promise that can be kept
Excerpts from the open letter:
“We, an association of various municipal networks of the independent cultural scene in NRW, are writing to you together. We are deeply concerned about the future of independent culture in our state. We urge the state government to immediately develop and implement viable and concrete solutions.”
“These demands are essential for the preservation of the independent cultural scene in NRW. Especially in times when the far right is gaining strength in Germany, the contribution of culture to strengthening democracy is indispensable. We need spaces for discourse, critical debate, democratic processes and cultural education. Independent culture in particular has the potential to reach and actively involve diverse communities. Our society simply cannot afford to cut back on culture.”
