The organizational and financial support of culture at the national and regional levels

The main cultural support tool at the national and regional levels is the Culture of Belarus State Programme for 2011-2015. Over 800 billion roubles have been allocated on the implementation of the State Programme from the republican and local budgets. The extra-budgetary expenditures amounted to about 24 billion roubles.

Within the framework of the State Programme, more than 16 thousand touring performances and concerts have been arranged, more than 40 thousand exhibitions of folk arts and crafts and fine arts have taken place. Over 24 thousand clubs have been active. With the participation of amateur groups more than 120 thousand concerts and shows have been performed. More than 15 new museums and their affiliations have been opened in the regions, and there have been over 50 permanent and temporary museum exhibitions.

Because of the implementation of the State Programme the access of different population groups to cultural benefits has been expanded. The number of museum objects on public display has increased by 17%, the attendance of the museums - by 35%.

The conditions for the involvement of all socio-demographic groups of the population in cultural activities have been created.

In Belarus, there have been about 7,000 cultural organizations, which have employed about 65 thousand people. The amount of the budget funds for the maintenance of culture has been 300-350 million US dollars annually.

The theatres had over 8,500 performances every year, performance institutions - more than 6,000 concerts. Total number of museum exhibitions has been about 4 thousand, and the number of club events has reached 580,000. Around 15 million viewers visited the cinema.

On 1 January 2011 Presidential Decree No 457 "Support for Specific Cultural Organizations" became effective, which established a new procedure for financing public theatres and film and video distributors.