Fairs, festivals, and other arts events have been hit hard by COVID-19. Now the Czech government is offering CZK 900 million in grant money to help support events that keep the Czech culture alive.
The Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade has allocated CZK 900 million to support entrepreneurs involved in organizing cultural events (theaters, cinema, concerts, festivals, musical clubs, independent artists, museums, galleries, etc.).
They can claim a partial (up to 50%) reimbursement of their expenses for canceled or rescheduled events.
Arts and Cultural organizations can start applying for financial assistance from August 18 to September 18 through the site www.mpo.cz/kultura. The maximum amount for one-off payment is CZK 5 million.
“The goal of the program is to assist cultural entrepreneurs and support them for the costs incurred between October 1, 2019 and May 17, 2020, for events that were supposed to take place from March 10 to October 31, 2020, but were canceled or postponed due to the quarantine measures adopted by the government,” the Ministry of Industry and Trade states.
The Czech music industry employs roughly 130,000 people and has an annual turnover of CZK 20 billion, and is now operating at 15 percent capacity.
“The music sector requires significant upfront investment and is dependent on seasonal earnings. We already know that this season will fall short by approximately CZK 10 billion. Our field was the first hit by the crisis and is the last to recover,” said Alexander Smutny, spokesman for the Czech Music Community.
The Czech Music Community reports that 20,000 professional musicians are already encountering major problems, being unable to perform at home or abroad and thus losing their main source of income.
The viability of live music events and festivals is in doubt, the production of musical instruments and equipment has decreased by 50%, and 250 music clubs are on the verge of closing.
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