Russia

Last update: February, 2013

The estimated average public cultural expenditure (mass media excluded) per capita was at RUB 115 (EUR 4.4) in 2000 and at RUB 705 (EUR 20.3) in 2006 (relatively 0.23% and 0.37% of the per capita GDP).

In 2006, the per capita maximum was reached in the Chukotka Autonomous District (7 905 RUB) and the minimum in the Dagestan Republic (214 RUB). According to expert estimations, in 58 out of the 89 "units" of the Russian Federation, cultural expenditure per capita was below the national average. One of the budget policy targets is to even the situation around the country. Generally, state funding allocations are determined according to the institutional principle, while the per capita indicator is not fully convincing when the irregular character of territories (area, number and density of population, climatic zoning, etc.) is taken into account.

Table 4:    National budget spending in 2003-2008, billion RUB

Source: Gosudarstvenny komitet RF po statistike: Rossijsky statistichesky yyezhegodnik, 2009. (State Committee of the RF for Statistics: Russian Statistical Yearbook, 2009, Moscow, 2010). Moskva, 2010, p. 576, 578.

Last update: February, 2013

There are three budget levels in cultural funding: federal (central), regional, and local (municipal), providing means for related cultural institutions and activities (see Table 5). New inter-budget relations (see chapter 4.1.2) made co-funding practices more sophisticated and thus problematic for cultural actors.

Table 5:    Public cultural expenditure: budget spending by level of government, in billion RUB, 2002-2006

Source: Rossijsky statistichesky ezhegodnik 2003-2006. Ofits. izd. Moskva, 2004-2006. (State Committee of the Russian Federation for Statistics: Russian Statistical Yearbook 2003-2006, Official edition. Moscow, 2004-2006).

In 2007, the culture share in the federal budget was increased to 0.87% (see Table 6) but later it was planned to diminish it gradually. However, in the summer of 2008, budget policies for 2009–2011 were revised upwards and, according to the Prime Minister's statement, the federal cultural spending was to grow 21% in 2009. In 2009, a federal budget of 109.6 billion RUB was allocated for culture, cinematography and mass media (compared to 88.8 billion in 2008), however the world crisis led to significant cuts already by the end of that year and to a revision of the 2010 budget downwards.

The municipal culture and arts budgets generally cover about 45% of public cultural spending in consolidated regional budgets. The share of public cultural expenditure in consolidated regional budgets averaged 2.26% in 2001 and 1.6% in 2006. It varies a lot by years and among the regions, e.g. in 2000, from 1.14% in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District to 4.82% in the Komi-Permyak Autonomous District and in 2006, relative figures were 0.7% for the Moscow Region and 2.7% for the city of Moscow.

Last update: February, 2013

A breakdown of Russian federal funding in the cultural sector, by budget categories, is included in Table 6.

Table 6:    Public cultural expenditure: Federal Budget spending by sector, in million RUB, 2005-2010

Source: Laws on the Federal Budget for 2005, 2007 and 2010, Annex 9.

The following table shows the relative weight and importance of some fields for the central, regional and local levels.

Table 7:    State cultural expenditure: budget spending in 2003 (in billion RUB)

Source:   
Ministry of Finance. Report on Federal budget execution on 1 January 2004: http://www.minfin.ru (from the screen in August 2004).
Notes:     
C = Central level;
R = Regional level;
L = Local level.

Last update: February, 2013

Support to artists and cultural workers was a traditional issue of paternalistic state policies and interactions with professional unions. In difficult economic situations of the end of the 1990s and of the 2000s, attempts were made to improve living standards of renowned artists and the artistic community on the whole.

In the 1990s, both direct and indirect state support had a symbolic, more than a financial, character. From the Soviet period, the honorary degrees for artists and cultural workers have been inherited (People's Artist(e), Honoured Artist, Honoured Master of Arts, Honoured Cultural Worker) providing some additional social support or privileges. Honours are primarily important for socially vulnerable groups especially for retired, single or disabled artists. The State Duma Culture Committee lobbies for an increase in pension for artists, the anti-crisis governmental Programme (2009) guaranteed the existing volume of support to retired creative workers and to Artists' Unions.

The Artists' Unions consolidate professional communities on a national scale and provide for creative activities. However, they became less important than in the Soviet times, but for the elder generation their socially oriented Funds provide support and care.

A number of newly established festivals or competitions, grants and awards backed up by state funding not only prop up the young artists, beginners, debuts, experimental innovation, etc. but make the cultural landscape more diverse. Economically, active artists are supported at all administrative levels, e.g. via the traditional system of state commissions and purchases. Governmental awards, grants, and scholarships are developed, while private charity actions (often immediate and non-official) are initiated when social welfare provisions remain inadequate.

At all levels, special state support is given to the so called "popular artists" or those who preserve and develop traditional or local creativity in arts, crafts, performing arts, etc. at the professional or semi-professional level. Artists and groups representing local and folk creativity receive the status of particularly valuable, honorary degrees e.g. of Folk Master, awards and special funding. 

Last update: February, 2013

The material needs of the artistic community in general are met via state supported Funds or divisions within the units of related Artists' Unions. In 2010, the culture Ministry budget provides for subsidies to support the Artists' Unions members that equal 80 million RUB. It is a result of collaboration between the Artists' Unions and administration and lobbying welfare issues. For union members, there are workshops at their disposal (for visual artists), focal points called e.g. "House" of actors or architects, higher quality medical services and temporary residential "Creativity Houses" at lower prices, networks of recreation institutions, etc. For example, the Theatre Workers' Union manages eight recreation houses and supports two care homes for senior actors.

Independently from the Artists' Unions, the special funds organised by world-famous persons are directed to support particular professional groups and the younger generation. Those funds established in Russia and abroad (like the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation or the Interregional Charity Public Fund "New Names") to raise money in support of professional development have become important actors in modern cultural life.

Last update: February, 2013

In the 2000s, a new grant system rapidly develops both at the federal (presidential, state and ministerial grants) and regional levels (grants on behalf of the head of the territory); their importance is growing as they create opportunities to support proficient artists and aesthetic innovations. In 2007, the "Kandinsky Prize" in contemporary Russian art was established (http://www.kandinsky-prize.ru/en), analogous to the Turner Prise or Le Prix Marcel Duchamp, with prize funds of EUR 55 000 and an international jury. Public awards may have an insignificant financial component but may still be highly appreciated.

Since the 1990s, scholarships and long-term grants for talented children and younger people originating from both public and private sources are available. There are special public grants for beginners in literature, play writing, visual arts, etc.

State grants and awards are given to well established and more renowned institutions, prominent artists and companies in order to support high quality productions. In 2010, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation was due to pay out 1 879 million RUB in national grants, and 1 790 and 1 534 million RUB are earmarked relatively in the planned budgets for 2011 and 2012. There are:

• 3 Russian President's Awards for young cultural actors (2.5 million RUB each, since 2011);
• 25 Russian Federation Government Awards in Culture (1 million RUB each, since 2005);
• 15 The Soul of Russia governmental awards for amateur folk artists (100 thousand RUB each, since 2007);
• 10 Russian Federation Government Awards for Print Media (1 million RUB each, since 2005);
• 8 grants for symphony orchestras and academic choirs (445.7 million RUB each year in 2007-2009), and
• 14 grants in music arts (600.9 million RUB each year in 2009-2011).

Several Russian President's Grants were also established including those for:

• professional companies in folk music and dance (316.3 million RUB each year to 6 companies during 2008-2010),
• theatre art (347 million RUB each year to 6 theatres and 5 theatre arts higher schools during 2006-2008),
• music (810 million RUB each year to 2 opera theatres, 2 Conservatoires, 3 symphony orchestras during 2006-2007, in 2008 the sum was increased up to 1 215 million), and
• the Academic Russia Army theatre (51.11 million RUB per year during 2007-2009).

A hundred smaller Presidential grants (200-250 thousand RUB) for particular projects complete the list of 47 "bigger" grants listed above.

Last update: February, 2013

In 2010, the culture Ministry budget provided for subsidies to support Artists' Unions that equal 40 million RUB, the rate of which is calculated based on profit taxes paid by their productive units (workshops or enterprises).

There are about 70 000 members of professional Artists' Unions (all of them having regional branches), which also provide relevant forms of support. Their main tasks are to join professionals and to lobby for professional interests, to promote arts and to support the younger and older members. These unions receive state funding via the Ministry of Culture and manage prestigious competitions, festivals and artistic events. The leaders can be involved in the organisation of public festivities and highly remunerative political campaigns, as well as in the presentation of awards for professional activities. For example, the Culture Ministry budget of 2010 includes 150 million RUB for development of theatre arts that are directed to the pertinent union.