Slovakia's New Arts Fund Board Cancels Multi-Million Euro Grants to Major Cultural Events

The newly appointed board of Slovakia's Arts Support Fund unanimously canceled all ongoing multi-year contracts on Wednesday, stripping over two million euros in previously approved funding from dozens of key cultural events and institutions. The board, composed entirely of nominees from the Ministry of Culture, made the decision without discussion, affecting prominent events including the White Night festival and Kremnica Gagy comedy festival. The Anténa cultural center is now considering legal action against the decision. The Arts Support Fund is Slovakia's main state mechanism for financing cultural projects and events across the country. The mass cancellation of approved grants represents a significant disruption to Slovakia's cultural sector, potentially forcing the closure or downsizing of established festivals and cultural programs that had received multi-year funding commitments.