Attracting alternative financing sources (sponsors, supporters, etc.) and implementing up-to-date marketing to improve the system of paid cultural services are key components of the state’s strategy for diversifying funding sources for cultural activities and policies.
One of the priority areas is attracting additional financial resources for repairing and restoring monuments in a state of emergency, as well as implementing the Public-Private Partnership model to carry out the planned works. For instance, the State Service for the Protection, Development, and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, cooperates with relevant private sector representatives in various directions. Necessary measures are being taken to involve the private sector in restoring monuments in different regions of the country. Thus, the historical monument, “Seminary Building,” located in the Gazakh district, was repaired and restored at the expense of “PMD Projects” LLC, and the Gazakh Centre of ADA University’s activities were organised there.
To take advantage of the opportunities for public-private partnership in the field of protection, restoration and effective use of our cultural heritage after restoration and to hold joint discussions with entrepreneurs, the State Service has initiated cooperation with the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and initially, information on 52 monuments was provided.
Currently, necessary work is being carried out to restore some monuments with the financial support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency Baku Program Coordination Office, the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the Public Union of Turkish and Azerbaijani Businessmen and Industrialists, and the Karabakh Revival Fund. Private sector representatives have already submitted official applications, or letters of intent, to the State Service to restore certain monuments.
Another direction in this sphere is cooperation with individuals and legal entities that own or use monuments. In 2023-2024, 290 protection agreements were concluded with individuals and legal entities that own or use monuments in the Republic’s territory. Additionally, 46 projects regarding the repair and restoration of monuments in private ownership, at their owners’ expense, were received from their users.
Many activities in the arts and culture, including festivals, concerts, and fairs, both international and local, attract a significant share of sponsorship from the private sector. Furthermore, funds, banks, and other financial institutions operating in the country provide considerable subsidies to assist and promote the mobility of artists and artworks. However, private funding statistics are unavailable as studies, surveys, and similar research on private funding for culture have not yet been conducted.
Paid cultural services, namely the sums earned by cultural organisations, e.g., fees charged for paid cultural services provided by museums, exhibition halls, and libraries, are another means by which public cultural institutions can self-finance, and this method is becoming increasingly important. The state cultural institutions, which are subordinated to the Ministry of Culture, provided paid cultural services for AZN 4.252 million in 2024, two and a half times more than in 2022 (AZN 1.686 million). Traditionally, the leading providers of paid cultural services have been museums, educational institutions, cultural centers, and clubs. However, these sums are still insignificant, accounting for less than 1% of public expenditure on culture, the arts, and monument conservation.
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