7. Financing and support
Poland
Last update: July, 2026
Public expenditure on culture and the protection of national heritage, including expenditure from the state budget and local government budgets, increased significantly in 2024. After excluding subsidies and grants transferred from the state budget to local governments, as well as transfers between local government units, total expenditure reached PLN 21.43 billion, representing an increase of 20.1% compared to 2023, when expenditure amounted to PLN 17.85 billion. Public expenditure on culture accounted for 0.59% of GDP in 2024, compared to 0.52% in the previous year.
Table 6: Public expenditure on culture per capita by the level of governance in EUR, 2024
|
Year |
State* |
Local authorities |
Total public expenditure per capita |
Average exchange rate** |
|
2024 |
45.35 EUR |
100.33 EUR |
145.68 EUR |
1 EUR = 4.3065 PLN |
Source: Own calculations based on data provided by Central Statistical Office
Notes:
* State expenditure refers to the funding provided by central government; local authorities expenditure refers to the funding provided by local and regional governments; public expenditure refers to the total amount of both, state and local governments expenditure.
** Given by the National Bank of Poland.
Last update: July, 2026
In 2024, public expenditure on culture and national heritage at both state and local government levels amounted to 21 430.1 million PLN (4 976.2 million EUR). Local government units remained the main source of public cultural financing, accounting jointly for 67.9% of total expenditure, while the state budget accounted for 32.1%.
Table 7: Total cultural expenditure by level of government, in million PLN and EUR, and % share of total, 2024
|
Level of government |
Total cultural expenditure in 2024 (mln PLN) |
in mln EUR* |
% share of total |
|
State |
6 883.2 |
1 598.3 |
32.1% |
|
Voivodeships |
3 098.5 |
719.5 |
14.5% |
|
Municipal (gminy) |
7 055.2 |
1 638.3 |
32.9% |
|
District (poviats) |
261.8 |
60.8 |
1.2% |
|
Metropolises (cities with poviat status) |
4 131.3 |
959.3 |
19.3% |
|
Total |
21 430.1 |
4 976.2 |
100% |
*calculation based on EUR exchange rate by NBP (National Bank of Poland) for 2024. 1 EUR = 4.3065 PLN
Sources: Kultura w 2019 roku.
Kultura i dziedzictwo narodowe w 2024 r.
Among local government units, the largest share of expenditure was generated by municipalities (gminy), which accounted for 32.9% of total public cultural expenditure, followed by cities with poviat status (19.3%) and voivodeships (14.5%). Poviats represented the smallest share of public expenditure on culture and national heritage (1.2%).
Last update: July, 2026
According to the Central Statistical Office, in 2019 the largest part of the expenditure of the state budget was allocated to the operation of museums (32.6%) and has increased as compared to the previous year. The expenditure allocated to the centres of culture and art has dropped from 11,5% in 2018 to 10,3% in 2019.
In 2024, the largest share of state budget expenditure was allocated to radio and television activities (32.1%), followed by museums (22.2%) and other cultural activities (27.2%). Compared to 2019, the share of expenditure on museums decreased substantially from 32.6% to 22.2%, while spending on radio and television activities increased sharply from 1.4% to 32.1%. Expenditure on theatres, archives and protection of historical monuments also increased in absolute terms.
Table 8: The structure of state budget expenditure on culture and protection of national heritage, in million PLN and EUR and %, 2024 and 2019
|
|
State budget on culture in 2024 |
State budget on culture in 2019 |
||||
|
Field / Domain |
in mln PLN |
in mln EUR* |
% share of total |
In mln PLN |
In mln EUR* |
% share of total |
|
Museums |
1 528.1 |
354.8 |
22.2% |
775.9 |
180.5 |
32.6% |
|
Centres of Culture and Art |
344.2 |
79.9 |
5.0% |
245.2 |
57.0 |
10.3% |
|
Protection of Historical Monuments |
247.8 |
57.5 |
3.6% |
192.8 |
44.8 |
8.1% |
|
Theatres |
357.9 |
83.1 |
5.2% |
202.3 |
47.1 |
8.5% |
|
Archives |
323.5 |
75.1 |
4.7% |
202.3 |
47.1 |
8.5% |
|
Libraries |
— |
— |
— |
111.9 |
26.0 |
4.7% |
|
Philharmonics, orchestras and choirs |
— |
— |
— |
90.4 |
21.0 |
3.8% |
|
Radio and Television activities |
2 209.5 |
513.1 |
32.1% |
33.3 |
7.8 |
1.4% |
|
Others |
1 872.2 |
434.7 |
27.2% |
526.0 |
122.4 |
22.1% |
|
TOTAL |
6 883.2 |
1 598.3 |
100% |
2 380.2 |
553.7 |
100% |
*calculation based on EUR exchange rate by NBP (National Bank of Poland), annual average:
2024: 1 EUR = 4.3065 PLN; 2019: 1 EUR = 4.2988 PLN.
Sources: Kultura w 2019 roku. and Kultura i dziedzictwo narodowe w 2024 r.
At the local government level, the largest share of expenditure in 2024 continued to be allocated to cultural centres and establishments (31.2%), followed by libraries (15.8%), museums (11.7%) and protection of historical monuments (11.7%). Compared to 2019, the share of expenditure devoted to protection of historical monuments increased significantly, from 5.9% to 11.7%, while the share allocated to libraries slightly decreased from 17.2% to 15.8%.
Overall, local government expenditure remained concentrated on cultural participation infrastructure such as cultural centres, libraries and local cultural institutions, while state expenditure became increasingly focused on media activities, museums and heritage protection.
Table 9: The structure of local government units expenditure on culture and protection of national heritage (2024-2019)
|
|
Total cultural expenditure in 2024 |
Total cultural expenditure in 2019 |
||||
|
Field / Domain |
In mln PLN) |
In mln EUR* |
% share of total |
In mln PLN) |
In mln EUR* |
% share of total |
|
Cultural centres and establishments |
4 538.6 |
1 053.9 |
31.2% |
2 965.4 |
689.8 |
31.8% |
|
Libraries |
2 298.4 |
533.7 |
15.8% |
1 603.9 |
373.1 |
17.2% |
|
Museums |
1 702.0 |
395.2 |
11.7% |
1 081.7 |
251.6 |
11.6% |
|
Theatres |
1 309.2 |
304.0 |
9.0% |
885.9 |
206.1 |
9.5% |
|
Protection of Historical Monuments |
1 702.0 |
395.2 |
11.7% |
550.2 |
128.0 |
5.9% |
|
Centres of Culture and Art |
436.4 |
101.3 |
3.0% |
307.7 |
71.6 |
3.3% |
|
Philharmonics, orchestras and choirs |
436.4 |
101.3 |
3.0% |
307.7 |
71.6 |
3.3% |
|
Others |
2 123.8 |
493.2 |
14.6% |
1 622.7 |
377.5 |
17.4% |
|
TOTAL |
14 546.9 |
3 377.9 |
100% |
9 325.2 |
2 169.3 |
100% |
*calculation based on EUR exchange rate by NBP (National Bank of Poland), annual average:
2024: 1 EUR = 4.3065 PLN; 2019: 1 EUR = 4.2988 PLN.
Sources: Kultura w 2019 roku. and Kultura i dziedzictwo narodowe w 2024 r.
Last update: July, 2026
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.
Last update: July, 2026
At the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, there is the Commission for Retirement Provision for Artists, whose task is to recognise the activity as creative or artistic and to set the date of its commencement, based on documents confirming the duration and nature of the activity.
The Fund to Support Artistic Creation is generated mostly by income from the sale of artworks for which copyright has expired (the so called "dead hand" funds). According to the regulation of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from 24th February 2003, producers and editors are obliged to pay 5% of the gross income from the sale of the above mentioned artworks. The Fund supports artists in three ways: scholarships (six and twelve months), subsidies for publishing and one-off grants. In accordance with the decision of 17 May 2010, the Ministry of Culture will also provide social assistance from the Fund to creators with artistic achievements. This is a one-off allowance, granted on the basis of application, for the artists in a difficult social or health situation.
Last update: July, 2026
Fellowships and scholarships
Thesaurus Poloniae is a three-month fellowship programme of the Ministry of Culture, implemented by the International Cultural Centre in Cracow. It is addressed to individuals who carry out research on culture, history or the multicultural heritage of Poland, both past and present, and broadly understood Central Europe. Both individuals who deal with the management and preservation of cultural heritage in practical terms and those who carry out theoretical research in the area of heritage, history, sociology, ethnography and anthropology are invited to participate in the programme. The programme continues to support both experienced researchers and early-career scholars working in the fields of heritage, history, anthropology, sociology and cultural studies.
Creative scholarships and scholarships in the field of dissemination of culture, founded by the Minister of Culture, are awarded to people involved in artistic creativity, cultural education, dissemination of culture and heritage protection. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage also provides scholarships for students of artistic schools and universities as well as international scholarships implemented within bilateral cultural cooperation programmes. Recent scholarship programmes increasingly support interdisciplinary projects, digital culture, accessibility, international mobility and projects related to new technologies and sustainability.
Awards
The annual Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage has been awarded since 1997 to artists, creators and other people working in the field of culture for all their activities or for outstanding achievements in a given year in the field they represent. This prestigious distinction allows the Minister of Culture and National Heritage to highlight the most important trends and phenomena that appear in Polish culture by honouring the people who create and represent them.
The Culture Medal – Gloria Artis is awarded to those who are outstanding in the field of artistic creativity, cultural activity and protection of culture and national heritage.
The Oskar Kolberg Award is awarded yearly in recognition of life-long activity or for outstanding achievements in the field of folk culture, including individual creativity (fine arts, folk literature, music, dance), folk music groups, research activity, documentation, animation and dissemination of folk culture.
Last update: July, 2026
Artists' unions have the legal status of associations, which means they have the right to conduct their own economic activities. Many unions use this right to run their own galleries. In recent years, professional associations increasingly participate in public consultations concerning copyright, artificial intelligence, artists’ social security and cultural policy reforms. The draft Act on the Social Security of Professional Artists presented in the Sejm in 2026 foresees the participation of representative artistic organisations in procedures related to confirming professional status.
Last update: July, 2026
Cultural institutions in Poland still rely mainly on public funding provided by the state budget and local governments. According to various analyses, public expenditure on culture in Poland has remained at approximately 0.6–0.8% of GDP for many years. Private funding comes primarily from:
- corporate sponsorship,
- private foundations,
- patronage,
- crowdfunding,
- platforms such as Patronite.
A 2017 report by ZIPSEE and Patronite indicates that crowdfunding and online patronage are becoming increasingly important sources of support for creators, especially digital and internet-based artists. Thanks to these forms of funding, artists can receive regular financial contributions directly from their audiences.
When discussing specific examples of private cultural funding in Poland, the following are often mentioned:
- Patronite — community-based support for creators,
- Bank Millennium — a long-term sponsor of music and artistic events,
- ING Bank Śląski — funding artistic projects and cooperating with museums,
- Fundacja Orange — supporting cultural and digital education projects,
- TVN Foundation — supporting socio-cultural initiatives,
- sponsorship of major festivals such as Open'er Festival and OFF Festival by commercial brands.
Researchers such as Dorota Ilczuk and Marek Krajewski emphasize, however, that the tradition of private patronage in Poland is weaker than in Western Europe or the United States. As a result, culture in Poland remains highly dependent on the state and local governments.