A group of art associations in Portugal has proposed updating the funding levels for the 2023-2026 cycle. In a letter to the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Plateia – Professional Association of Performing Arts, Performart – Association for the Performing Arts in Portugal, Rede – Association for Contemporary Dance, and A Descampado – Companies, Spaces, and Territories suggested that these levels be revised according to indicators from the National Statistics Institute and the Public Finance Council’s estimates, recommending an increase of 10.6%.
The support model implemented in 2021 includes the possibility of renewing the four-year support under the Sustained Support Program. This measure is relevant to entities funded during the 2023-2026 cycle, and the Directorate-General for the Arts (DGArtes) recently published the list of the first entities receiving renewed support for 2027-2030.
The associations argue that updating the funding is “essential to ensure funded structures can handle rising costs and continue their activities with dignity.” They further recommend that these updates impact the reference levels for subsequent sustained support contests, promoting fairness among existing and new applicants, as well as project support.
In mid-October, DGArtes began notifying artistic entities that applied for support renewal between July 2 and July 30 of this year, confirming approval of their requests. This process, which extends support for four more years without reapplication, aims to enhance activity planning stability, bolster entity structure, and strengthen mutual recognition of the role of arts support in regional development.
The renewal option encompasses 135 artistic entities, including Cross-Disciplinary Arts, Circus and Street Arts (creation), Dance (creation), Music and Opera (creation), Visual Arts (creation and programming), Theatre (creation), and Programming (performing arts, street arts, and cross-disciplinary arts).
During a parliamentary hearing on the State Budget for 2026, Secretary of State for Culture Alberto Santos indicated that of the 135 entities, “131 requested renewal, with six anticipated not to be renewed due to insufficient evaluation scores.”
Santos announced that “an excess is expected, which will allow for a new call for applications at the beginning of the year with the remaining funds.” By mid-October, DGArtes had notified 66 entities, including Alkantara – Associação Cultural, Associação Zé dos Bois, c.e.m. – centro em movimento, Circolando, Círculo de Artes Plásticas de Coimbra, Companhia de Dança Contemporânea de Évora, Companhia de Dança de Almada, Companhia Olga Roriz, Comuna, Orquestra Clássica do Centro, PedeXumbo, Quadrivium – Associação Artística, Teatro Estúdio Fonte Nova, and the Lisbon Triennale of Architecture.
