Table 1 provides the most recent numbers of selected types of cultural institutions. Immovable heritage sites and archaeological sites are a competence of the Flemish Region (thus excluding the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region) and fall under a different policy area than the other mentioned institutions. Museums, archives, and other organisations receiving multi-year (‘structural’) funding through the Cultural Heritage Decree (95 in total [1]), the arts organisations with structural subsidies through the Arts Decree (performing arts, music, visual arts, architecture and design, and transdisciplinary and multidisciplinary arts; 215 in total[2]), and the organisations structurally supported through the Decree Socio-Cultural Work for Adults (126[3]) are seen as part of the Flemish Community (which spans both Flanders and Brussels).
Public libraries and local cultural centres[4] (the figures presented refer to Flanders and Brussels) are now fully under the responsibility of local governments (see 1.2.4). Although culture is, strictly seen, not one of its competences, the Federal Government provides funding to some important cultural institutions. These fall under different official categories: ‘Scientific Institutions’, ‘Cultural Institutions’, and ‘Bi-Community cultural organisations and activities’ (see 1.2.2 for further details).
There is one Flemish Public Broadcaster (VRT), which includes television and radio broadcasting). This is complemented by a number of licensed private television companies. Then there smaller, regionally organised public television organisations throughout Flanders. In radio broadcasting, there are, next to VRT, numerous licensed private and local stations active.
Table 1 also counts cinemas in Flanders and Brussels. These are predominantly private: the Flemish government does not provide funding specifically aimed at cinemas, but some do receive support from other levels of government.
Table 1: Cultural institutions, by sector and domain
| Domain | Cultural institutions (subdomains) | Public sector | Private sector |
| Number (year) | Number (year) | ||
| Cultural heritage | Immovable heritage sites (protected) in Flemish Region (excluding protected archeological sites) | 13 725 (2020) | / |
| Archaeological sites (protected) in Flemish Region | 46 (2020) | / | |
| Museums | Museums institutions structurally funded through Cultural Heritage Decree | 45 (2020) | / |
| Archives | Archive institutions structurally funded through Cultural Heritage Decree | 9 (2020) | / |
| Visual arts | (Audio-)visual arts organisations structurally funded though Arts Decree | 25 (2020) | / |
| Performing arts | Performing arts organisations (theatre, dance, musical theatre) structurally funded through Arts Decree | 70 (2020) | / |
| Music organisations (classical music, jazz, folk, pop and rock) structurally funded through Arts Decree | 59 (2020) | / | |
| Libraries | Public libraries | 314 (2015) | / |
| Audiovisual | Cinemas in Flemish and Brussels-Capital Regions | / | 43 (2018) |
| Flemish public broadcasting organisation (VRT) | 1 (2020) | / | |
| Regional television broadcasting organisations | 10 (2020) | / | |
| Flemish private television broadcasting organisations | / | 16 (2020) | |
| Flemish private radio broadcasting organisations | / | 3 (2020) | |
| Network radio broadcasting organisations | / | 61 (2020) | |
| Local radio broadcasting organisations | / | 236 (2020) | |
| Interdisciplinary | Transdisciplinary organisations structurally funded through Arts Decree | 8 (2020) | / |
| Multidisciplinary organisations structurally funded through Arts Decree | 39 (2020) | / | |
| Other | Architecture and design organisations structurally funded through Arts Decree | 7 (2020) | / |
| Art institutions funded through Arts Decree | 7 (2020) | / | |
| Organisations structurally funded through Cultural Heritage Decree, other than museums and archive institutions | 41 (2020) | / | |
| Organisations structurally funded through the Decree Socio-Cultural Work for Adults | 126 (2019) | / | |
| Local culture centres | 69 (2015) | / | |
| Federal Scientific Institutions | 10 (2020) | / | |
| Federal Cultural Institutions | 3 (2020) | / | |
| Federally funded Bi-Community cultural organisations and activities | 9 (2020) | / |
Sources:
Department of Culture, Youth and Media of the Flemish government, Flanders Heritage, Flemish Regulator for the Media, and Statbel.
[1] FARO made an online overview of organisations funded through the Cultural Heritage Decree and other organisations dealing with cultural and immaterial heritage in Flanders and Brussels. An online inventory of immaterial heritage practices is provided by Workshop Intangible Heritage Flanders. See also 3.1.
[2] These organisations are included — together with private initiatives and individual artists in Flanders and Brussels — in the online databases of Flanders Arts Institute. For an analysis of trends in the number of organisations with multi-year funding through the Flemish Arts Decree, see: Leenknegt, Simon. 2020. ‘Structurele subsidies via het Kunstendecreet – Kunsten.’ Kunsten.be.
[3] Socius has an online database of organisations for socio-cultural work for adults.
[4] ‘Culture centres’ (or ‘cultuurcentra’) were until 2016 an official category, used to denominate local cultural institutions in municipalities all over Flanders. (These were funded in a different way than the ‘community centres’ or ‘gemeenschapscentra’, which are not included in table 1.) The number of institutions in 2015 is still the same in 2020, but the legal framework (and funding modalities) have changed.
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