Stuart WoodThe French government has announced a new €2bn culture fund, which will help cultural organisations and businesses struggling due to Covid-19.
The fund, which is part of the ‘France Relance’ (relaunch) project, will offer support and investment for organisations and artists in the creative industries.
€200m has been earmarked for the music sector, which will be distributed by the National Music Center. In addition to this, a further €100m will go towards “compensating operating losses linked to the persistence of distancing measures”. This €100m will be distributed from 1 September for a period of four months.
€30m has been set aside for ‘ensembles, operas, orchestras and festivals’, while €126m will go towards music and cultural venues, such as the Opéra national de Paris, Comédie Française and Philharmonie de Paris.
Further funding has been earmarked to modernise higher education in the arts, as well as extra funding for public broadcasting, the press, cinema and book industries.
Further details about the funding can be found on the French Ministry of Culture’s website.