As many as sixteen thematic museums in the good graces of the Confederation

In the period 2023-2026 Bern will lend a hand with operating contributions to various permanent exhibitions, allocating 6.3 million francs per year

From 2023, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) will support 16 Swiss museums with an annual operating grant. The beneficiary permanent exhibitions have been selected through a public call for proposals based on precise criteria.
The planned financial aid for the period 2023-2026 amounts to a total of CHF 6.3 million per year.
In October 2020, thirty museums submitted a grant application to the Federal Office of Culture.

Swiss monuments? A “hidden” treasure to be exploited…

Three rigorous evaluation criteria screened by experts, internal and otherwise

As with the first public call made 2017, the FCO used six experts and external experts to perform a material review of the applications. These were evaluated based on the following promotion criteria established by the DFI ordinance:
1) radiance and quality of the institution’s museum activity;
2) management of a significant and unique collection including helvetica of particular importance for Switzerland’s cultural heritage;
3) provision of innovative mediation activities aimed at a wide and diverse audience.

At the Nidwalden Museum stories of mercenaries and military exploits

The list of 12 states’ facilities benefiting from contributions

The FOC decided on the allocation of operating subsidies on the basis of evaluations by experts. In the evaluation process, particular importance was attached to the importance and management of the collections, since the preservation of cultural heritage is an essential element of museum activity. On this basis, the FOC supports the following 16 institutions with an operating grant for the period 2023-2026:
– Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (AG);
– Ballenberg, Swiss Open-Air Museum, Hofstetten bei Brienz (BE);
– HeK (Haus der elektronischen Künste Basel), Münchenstein (BL);
– JURASSICA Museum, Porrentruy (JU)
– Laténium, Hauterive (NE);
– Musée Ariana (Musée suisse de la céramique et du verre), Geneva (GE);
– Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne (VD)
– Musée international d’horlogerie, La Chaux-de-fonds (NE)
– Museo d’Arte della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano (TI);
– Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich (ZH)
– Augusta Raurica, Augst (BL);
– Abbey Library, St. Gallen (SG);
– Swiss Science Center Technorama, Winterthur (ZH);
– Swiss Museum of Transport, Lucerne (LU);
– Vitromusée, Romont (FR);
– Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern (BE).

At Easter the Swiss Customs Museum will reopen its doors

Four permanent exhibitions are now in the running

Since the first public call for operating grants, the FOC has supported four new museums: the JURASSICA Museum, the Musée international d’horlogerie, the Museum für Gestaltung and the Zentrum Paul Klee.
The FOC’s total budget for operating contributions to museums amounts to an average of around CHF 6.3 million per year over the entire support period.
The individual contributions generally range from 5 percent (expert judgment: good) to 7 percent (expert judgment: very good) of the museum’s operating costs. The minimum amount is CHF 150,000.

In 2020 the number of cultural workers down 5 percent

Federal contributions equivalent to those paid by municipalities and cantons

FCO contributions are subsidiary to those of the cantons and municipalities, which pay at least an equivalent amount.
The public call for applications for operating contributions was held from August 1 to October 15, 2020. The FCO decides on the basis of the FDHA Ordinance on the Promotion Scheme for Museums, Collections and Third-Party Networks for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (SR 442.121.1).
For the period 2023-2026, the ordinance has been adjusted primarily in one point: the minimum amount has been reduced from 250,000 to 150,000 francs per year, to allow even smaller museums of national importance to benefit from operating subsidies.

Culture and economy: a truly winning combination in Ticino