A new political agreement will increase the annual support to Denmark’s museums by 75 million Danish kroner from 2025, bringing the total subsidy to 565.7 million Danish kroner. This was announced by Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt (M) during a press conference on Thursday. The agreement covers the 95 state-recognized museums and introduces a new grant system that categorizes the museums based on their collections and significance.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the new system will allow museums to receive different levels of basic subsidies. A newly established museum board will assess the museums and determine which ones can obtain or lose their state recognition. Museums dissatisfied with their categorization will be able to appeal the board’s decision.
To qualify as a state-recognized museum, an annual income of at least four million kroner must be obtained, but only three million for museums on smaller islands. Additionally, museums must have at least 10,000 visitors annually, or 8,000 for museums on smaller islands.
The agreement also includes an incentive-based subsidy that rewards museums for their success measured by income, visitor numbers, and research activities. Furthermore, the agreement will make it easier for new museums to obtain state recognition and thus access to state subsidies.
Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt described the agreement as the biggest boost for museums in recent times, and perhaps ever. “It means agreement in the area, transparency, and security, as well as the opportunity for more citizens in Denmark to enjoy the art, our past, and what our future has to offer,” he stated during the press conference.