Dুসsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – The North Rhine-Westphalia state government is launching for the third time a lucrative scholarship program for freelance artists to help them corona epidemic. The state parliament’s budget and finance committee on Thursday approved 90 million euros from the state’s Corona rescue package, as announced by the culture ministry. The state is thus providing a total of 15,000 tax-free scholarships of 6,000 euros. The funds are available for the first half of 2022 and will be repaid in one go. Applications can be submitted from mid-March.
The scholarship is aimed at freelance, professional artists from all disciplines, including their main residence in North Rhine-Westphalia. Anyone who has already received a scholarship in the previous two rounds is also eligible to apply for the third round. The purpose of these funds is to bring projects to a conclusion and to assist in the design or implementation of new projects.
According to the ministry, about 30,000 scholarships have already been awarded in the first two rounds. With funding from the third round, the state alone is providing a total of 285 million euros for the scholarship program.
“The ongoing epidemic is exacerbating the state of industrial and cultural structures in North Rhine-Westphalia,” said Culture Minister Isabel Pfeiffer-Poingen (independent). Due to omicron waves, many phenomena can currently occur only in limited quantities or digitally. The first two rounds of the scholarship program were well received by the community.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 220210-99-62574 / 2