Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa

The Senate Department for Culture and Europe is the highest state authority in Berlin responsible for cultural policy and promotion. With an annual budget of approximately 600 million euros (as of 2020), it largely secures the institutional funding of over 70 permanently supported cultural institutions. About 5% of the budget is allocated to individual and project funding, including the Capital Cultural Fund. Funding is provided as grants or subsidies based on the state budget regulations. The Senate Department adheres to the principles of economy, efficiency, transparency, equal treatment, and subsidiarity, whereby public funds are used only as a supplement to private commitment.

Our mission is the promotion, preservation, and development of Berlin's diverse cultural landscape. We strive for an inclusive, accessible cultural offering for all population groups. Through transparent procedures, independent committees, and comprehensible decision criteria, we ensure fair allocation of funds that strengthens artistic quality, social relevance, and sustainable conditions. With our funding instruments, we support both local projects and the international visibility of Berlin's culture.

Non-profit projects and institutions without profit motives in almost all artistic disciplines (visual arts, performing arts, film, literature, media art, music, inter- and transdisciplinary formats as well as contemporary history) are funded. Individual and project funding is aimed at artists, independent groups, and organizations that realize innovative cultural initiatives in Berlin and develop national as well as international impact. Commercial providers and economically oriented projects are excluded from funding and are referred to economic development.