Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony

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Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony

(KdFS)
KdFS logo
Legal form: Foundation under public law
Purpose:
  • Project funding
  • Granting of scholarships
  • Purchase of works of art
Chair: Ulf Großmann † (President), Manuel Frey (Director)
Consist: since May 17, 1993
Founder: Free State of Saxony
Foundation capital: 20 million euros
Seat: Dresden
Website: www.kdfs.de

The Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony (KdFS) is a foundation under public law with legal capacity .

history

The foundation was established by law by the Saxon state parliament with effect from May 17, 1993 as a foundation under public law. It has been based in the Hellerau Festival Hall in Dresden since 1996 . Manuel Frey has been the foundation director since 2018. Ulf Großmann was president from 2011 to 2020 .

profile

The foundation initiates, realizes and promotes projects. It awards grants and buys works by visual artists. Its goals are the development of new forms of artistic expression and the sustainable communication of contemporary art and culture. The maintenance of the cultural heritage as well as the promotion of the next generation of artists are also part of their tasks. Projects with supraregional or national importance and contributions to international cultural exchange are funded. The cultural foundation reacts to the social and cultural change in Saxony and in the neighboring European countries with its own projects. It develops programs to support cultural dialogue with European neighbors in Central and Eastern Europe, but also in North America and East Asia.

aims

The foundation promotes culture and art in the Free State of Saxony. It pursues exclusively and directly charitable purposes. The purpose of the foundation is achieved in particular through

  • the promotion of projects in the field of music, literature, film, the performing and visual arts and their institutions as well as the broad cultural work of independent organizations,
  • the promotion of measures for the care and preservation of cultural values ​​and facilities,
  • the promotion of artists and young artists,
  • the promotion of cultural exchange,
  • participation in the coordination of cultural institutions in the Free State of Saxony,
  • advising the Saxon state parliament and the Saxon state government on cultural decisions.

The Free State of Saxony provides the Cultural Foundation with around 3 million euros per year to fulfill the tasks assigned to it.

Funding objects

Every year, the foundation supports around 250 projects in contemporary art and culture in the fields of visual arts, performing arts and music, film, literature, socioculture and interdisciplinary projects. With its operational projects, the Kulturstiftung provides impetus for art and culture in the Free State of Saxony. The foundation also awards work and residency grants to promote artists and young talent, and purchases works of art and musical instruments.

Prices

Saxon initiative award for art and culture

The prize, endowed with ten thousand euros, is intended to honor institutions that “break new ground in conception and operation, especially with regard to the financing, organizational and legal form as well as the development of new types of programs” in the cultural sector. The previous winners were:

Saxon prize for socio-cultural commitment

The prize, endowed with five thousand euros, is intended to "encourage actors or initiatives to do broad-based socio-cultural work". The previous winners were:

Bodies

Board of Trustees

The Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony chairs the Board of Trustees. The executive curator is the State Minister for Science and Art. The tasks of the board of trustees include advising the foundation board and approving the business plan and the annual financial statements.

Foundation Board

The five-person foundation board represents the foundation externally. He advises the strategic guidelines. The president of the cultural foundation is also the chairman of the foundation board. Other members are personalities from the cultural sector, the President of the Saxon Cultural Senate and representatives from various ministries.

Advisory boards

The advisory boards consist of voluntary personalities who campaign for art and culture in Saxony and who have a wealth of specialist knowledge in their professional field. They are each appointed for three years. With their competence, their professional reputation and their experience, they significantly support the board and the office of the cultural foundation in fulfilling the foundation's purpose. The judgments and assessments of the advisory boards are the basis of any funding. There are specialist advisory boards for the fields of visual arts, performing arts and music, film, literature, socioculture and interdisciplinary projects.

Saxon Senate for Culture

With the law of May 17, 1993, the Free State of Saxony established the Saxon Cultural Senate. This body of 24 personalities connected to the arts and culture of Saxony is appointed by the Prime Minister. It is supplemented by delegated representatives from the state parliament, the Saxon State Ministry for Science and Art, the Saxon State Ministry of Finance, the Saxon City and Municipal Association and the Saxon District Association. The senators work on a voluntary basis. They advise and mediate on cultural-political issues. The President of the Senate for Culture has been Christoph Dittrich since October 2017 . The director of the cultural foundation, Ralph Lindner, is also the managing director of the cultural senate.

criticism

Various cultural institutions and media express criticism of the structure and funding practice of the Saxony Cultural Foundation. Lars Tunçay ( kreuzer ) emphasizes the almost exclusively male board of the foundation. The purely political board of trustees would also be heavily dependent on politics. On the one hand, the advisory board is described as being overwhelmed because the workload is immense. At the same time, Tuncay criticized the lack of independence of the advisory board, which led to the impression that the advisory boards passed funding to their own institutions. The advisory board's appointment time of 3 years is also insufficient, and there is a lack of suitable, competent candidates for an independent appointment. The performing arts would be neglected in funding due to the composition of the relevant advisory board. The total funding volume of the KdFS would also lag behind the demand. In addition, the management style of Director Ralph Lindner was criticized; there is no works council to represent the - often frustrated - employees.

Nevertheless, Lindner was reappointed as foundation director for the fourth time in 2017, after which numerous foundation employees openly discussed the problematic working atmosphere. On July 1, 2018, Lindner moved to the international Dresden artist residence Max-Uhlig-Haus, and Manuel Frey was appointed as his provisional successor. He officially took over the office on September 1, 2019.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ An additional 3.5 million euros for the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony - foundation capital is increased. Saxon State Ministry for Science and Art , November 17, 2017, accessed on July 15, 2019 (press release).
  2. ↑ Initiative award for art and culture . Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  3. ↑ Prize for socio-cultural commitment . Website of the Landesverband Soziokultur Sachsen eV, accessed on December 5, 2019.
  4. ^ Lars Tunçay: Culture of Standstill. In: kreuzer online . January 12, 2018, accessed July 14, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Michael Bartsch: Ralph Lindner reappointed director despite internal problems. In: Dresdner Latest News . January 17, 2018, accessed July 14, 2019 .
  6. ^ Isolde Matkey: Change at the head of the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony. In: Free Performing Arts Dresden. Societaetstheater , August 29, 2018, accessed on July 14, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Head of Saxony's cultural foundation vacates his place. In: Saxon newspaper . July 4, 2018, accessed July 14, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Dr. Manuel Frey becomes the new director of the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony. In: Leipziger Internet Zeitung . July 6, 2019, accessed on July 14, 2019 (press release from the Saxon State Ministry for Science and Art ).
  9. ↑ Manuel Frey is the new director of the Saxony Cultural Foundation. In: rtl.de. July 5, 2019, accessed July 14, 2019 .