The Netherlands of Arts Funding

Dutch government spending on the arts is impressive. “The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science’s staggering $21 billion budget is the largest of any Dutch government agency. Adjusted to population size, it’s roughly equivalent to the military budget of the United States. The culture ministry spends $400 million a year directly on the arts — about $25 for every Dutch citizen. But the free ride may be ending. Recent policy dictates that “artists must be supported, equipped and stimulated to stir up their spirit of enterprise,” and institutions must now meet minimum targets for raising private revenues, or risk losing subsidies.”