The Lithuanian Council for Culture presented the news and changes of the 2025 funding competitions in a remote seminar. During it, the director of administration Rūta Stepanovaitė discussed the updated three-year funding programs – "Amateur Art Events" and "Art for human well-being". Organizations can submit applications for both programmes until 9 September 2024 (inclusive) in the Electronic Cultural and Arts Project Management Information System (LKT IS) of the Lithuanian Council for Culture. We plan to publish the results by the end of this year.
"Amateur art events" – to promote the continuity of traditions and creativity
The previous program" "Strategic financing of amateur art events" has been updated. It has now become a program called "Amateur Art Events". Although the programme is no longer part of the strategic funding cycle, its structure has remained the same – selected events can be funded for 3 years (2025-2027), including preparation and implementation. They must be organized in Lithuania and implemented at least three times during 2014-2024. Up to 210 thousand are allocated for the program. Euro.
The program "Amateur Art Events" aims to maintain the traditions of amateur art genres or contribute to their development, to promote creativity and fostering of art traditions throughout Lithuania, to provide opportunities for residents to get involved in various artistic activities, to strengthen cultural identity, especially in ethnographic or other regions, and to help maintain the traditions of song and dance festivals.
Together with the application, organizations must submit a plan of activities for the event for 2025-2027, in which they present all activities related to the event for each year and a detailed calendar for 2025. The application estimate submitted must also indicate the costs for 2025.
Initiatives that will be selected for 2025 will be able to count on further funding if they submit applications every year. Further tenders will be announced only to those organizations that will be on the main list. R. Stepanovaitė emphasized at the seminar that the program is extremely competitive, since applications are submitted by already established organizations that organize events that are popular with the public.
"Art for human well-being" seeks to increase the accessibility of culture
The program "Art for human well-being" is launching a new phase of project funding for the period for 2025-2027. Its aim is to promote the accessibility of culture and art to socially and culturally excluded groups in society in order to achieve a positive impact of art on a person's personal well-being and health. R. Stepanovaitė emphasized that the program is not focused on art therapy, during which art is used only as a creative method of expression to achieve medical goals (for example, for the treatment of mental, emotional, organic disorders and the improvement of the condition).
Together with the application, organizations must submit a three-year activity plan, a calendar of activities for 2025 and a plan for the inclusion of the target audience. The application estimate submitted must also indicate the costs for 2025. It is no longer necessary to submit an annex to the application entitled "Methodology for assessing the impact of a project on the well-being and health of a person".
In 2025, the estimated total amount of funding is up to 220 thousand. Euro. The initiatives that will be selected for 2025 will be able to count on further funding, and tenders will be announced only for those organizations that will be on the main list. R. Stepanovaitė emphasized that only those initiatives that actively involve the chosen audience, taking into account their needs and capabilities, will be funded.