Public support for culture in Poland is based mainly on financing cultural institutions, grant programmes and project-based support mechanisms implemented by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, local governments and public cultural institutions. In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to the social and economic conditions of artists, creators and cultural workers. Public debate increasingly concerns precarity, unstable employment and the adaptation of social security systems to the realities of artistic work.
In January 2026, the Ministry presented in the Sejm a draft Act on the Social Security of Professional Artists. The proposal focuses on temporary co-financing of social and health insurance contributions for artists with low and irregular income and introduces a formal status of a professional artist. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage’s programmes aim to co-finance project-based cultural activities and are addressed to cultural institutions, non-governmental organisations, film institutions, schools and universities, local government units, business entities, churches and religious associations and their legal entities.
In 2026, the Ministry announced 30 Ministerial Programmes with a total budget of PLN 562 million, which represented an increase compared to the previous year. Recent programmes increasingly support accessibility, digital transformation, local participation, creative industries, international cooperation and sustainability in culture.
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