Lithuania 6.4

According to the data of Register of NGOs, there have 2 225 NGOs in Lithuania in 2025. 451 NGOs develop activities in the fields of democracy and citizenship, and 1168 have been working in the fields of culture and leisure (these two categories may overlap). Policy of NGO is coordinated by the Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labour according to the Law on the Development of Nongovernmental Organisation (2013) (last edition in 2025). The activities of NGOs are partially funded through tenders of the Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labour.

In Lithuania, participation in culture and civic activism is also promoted by cultural centres. According to the Lithuanian National Cultural Centre, in 2024, there were 146 cultural centres and 462 of their branches and subdivisions that are located in urban and rural territories of Lithuania, with 2 461 amateur art groups, 705 studios and clubs that have in total 42 988 participants. Children’s and youth groups (up to age 19) comprise 30 % of all amateur arts groups, and young participants comprise about 34 % of all participants.

Table 36: Number of cultural centres, amateur arts groups and participants in 2015–2024

Sources: Official Statistics Portal and Lithuanian National Cultural Centre

The activity of state and municipal cultural centres is regulated by the Law on Centres of Culture (2004) (last edition in 2024). The Law distinguishes between state, municipal and other centres. State centres for culture have the legal form of a budget or public institution and are founded by the Ministry of Culture. Municipal centres for culture have the legal form of a budget or public institution and are founded by the municipalities. Other centres for culture are established by private persons or social organisations and can have various legal forms. The name of each cultural centre, regardless of its legal form, must include the words “centre for culture”. According to the law, a legal person seeking recognition as a cultural centre must perform at least two of the following functions: to create conditions for dissemination of ethnic culture; organise activities of artistic collectives of amateurs, workshops, and hobby groups; take care of preparation of artistic collectives of amateurs and their participation in song festivals, local, regional, national and international events; organise recreational, educational and other events; organise commemoration of national holidays, remembrance days, calendar feast days; take care of employment, artistic education of children and youth; organise events popularising ethnic culture, amateur art, to meet other cultural needs of the community; create conditions for dissemination of professional art; and satisfy the sociocultural needs of population.

State and municipal culture centres are financed from the state and municipal budgets, respectively. Other culture centres are financed from their own funds. Culture centres may receive budget appropriations by participating, in accordance with the procedures laid down in legal acts, in competitions announced by the Ministry of Culture, counties, or municipal councils for the implementation of cultural activity programmes financed from the state or municipal budgets. The Ministry and municipalities may also provide additional budget funding for culture centres’ activities related to the organisation of state events.

The main political body shaping the policy of cultural centres is the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry founds, reorganises and liquidates cultural institutions providing methodological assistance to cultural and art workers of culture centres, helping to implement qualification improvement programmes for cultural workers; establishes a strategy of the development of culture centres; finances their cultural programmes and projects, which are important for the Lithuanian culture; draws up drafts of legal acts regulating activities of culture centres and approves them in the prescribed manner; approves a list of positions of cultural and art workers of culture centres; approves forms of statistical reports; organises qualification improvement of workers of culture centres; approves regulations of assessment of cultural and art workers of state and municipal culture centres, and supervises the assessment; approves criteria of granting of categories to centres for culture and lays down a procedure of accreditation of culture centres, etc.

The Council of the Centres for Culture is an advisory body under the Ministry of Culture, which carries out the expert and consultant functions when resolving the issues concerning the shaping and implementation of a policy of Lithuanian centres for culture. The Council of Centres for Culture comprises 11 members. 8 members are appointed and recalled by the Association of Lithuanian Culture Centres and 3 members by the Ministry of Culture.

The Lithuanian National Cultural Centre is a state budgetary institution promoting cultural and creative expressions of the society, the development of ethnic culture and amateur art. It operates under the Ministry of Culture of Lithuania. The Centre plays an important role within the national cultural institution system, helping society and individuals acknowledge and preserve their cultural identity and representing Lithuanian ethnic and amateur culture abroad. This role is primarily realised through numerous events the Centre organizes, such as Lithuanian Song Celebration (inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity), international folk festivals Baltica and Griežynė, Baltic student song celebration Gaudeamus, Lithuanian national costume exhibitions and presentations, ethnic craft symposiums and seminars, folklore, children and adult choir festivals, folk dance competitions, wind orchestra championships, children and youth theatre festivals, folk art exhibitions.

The Association of Lithuanian Culture Centres (ALCC) unites 96% of all Lithuanian culture centres. Its aim is to represent the interests of centres for culture and to ensure that their activities are accessible in Lithuania and abroad. ALCC is a member of the European Network for Cultural Centres. It also delegates 8 members to the Council of Cultural Centres under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. Members of ALCC take part in working groups, expert groups, funding programmes of the Seimas, the Government, the Ministry of Culture, and prepare projects of various normative acts.  Members of ALCC are members of committees of the Lithuanian Association of Municipalities and take part in the election of the Lithuanian Council for Culture.

To encourage creativity among cultural centres and recognise the best achievements and work of cultural centres, the Ministry of Culture established three Prizes for the Best Cultural Centres of the Year. These prizes are awarded for active, creative and innovative activities over the past five years in fostering ethnic culture and amateur art, creating artistic programmes, expanding educational and recreational activities, meeting the cultural needs of the community and organising the spread of professional art.

In 2005, the Ministry of Culture established the Prize for Active, Creative Activities at Cultural Centres. The goal of the prize is to encourage professional activities among arts and culture employees at cultural centres and to recognise their best achievements and work. Heads of cultural centres and arts and culture employees who work at cultural centres can be nominated for the prize.