Contrary to previous plans, the government in the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia does not want to cut the cultural budget, but actually increases it. A spokesman for the NRW Ministry of Culture said upon request that there was new scope for budget planning for 2026. The originally planned cuts of 8.5 million euros could be completely reversed.
In fact, according to the information, there are now almost eight million euros more available for culture in the 2026 budget at a good 318 million euros than in the previous year. In recent years, the cultural budget in North Rhine-Westphalia has steadily declined. In 2023 the budget estimate was around 323 million euros. WDR first reported.
Cautious sigh of relief for a free scene
“I am very pleased that we can make this positive development possible,” said Culture Minister Ina Brandes (CDU). According to the spokesman, a decision has not yet been made about how the additional funds will be used. There will be detailed discussions about this in the next few weeks.
The NRW Cultural Council viewed the increase as a commitment to NRW as an art and culture location. According to Minister Brandes, the budget increase ensures the stability of the funding programs at the previous level. This means a cautious sigh of relief, especially for the heavily battered independent scene. However, the current increase cannot compensate for the increases caused by inflation and personnel costs in recent years.
The tariff increases are also a burden in Berlin. In the capital, after the massive losses in the current year – 131 million euros were cut from the cultural budget – a further 90 million euros will probably have to be saved in the next budget. For 2026, Berlin’s cultural budget is expected to be 981 million euros.