The Culture Bank web service expansion project
The project "Promoting Employment for Artists and Cultural Professionals by Further Developing the Culture Bank Web Service" has received a €300,000 grant from the Ministry of Education and Culture’s structural support for the renewal of the cultural and creative sectors. The project runs from 1 August, 2024, to 31 October, 2025. As a result of the project, the Culture Bank service, originally developed in Pirkanmaa, will expand into a shared online platform for several regions across Finland.
The aim of the further-developed web service is to promote employment opportunities and networking for artists across regional borders, enhance their skills in articulating their expertise, commercialising their services, and ensuring equal opportunities for receiving job offers. The project also strengthens cooperation between municipalities, wellbeing services counties, and other buyers, while improving access to and the diverse use of culture.
The grant was awarded to the City of Tampere.
Project partners include:
- City of Espoo, leading the Uusimaa region in collaboration with Helsinki, Vantaa, and the Regional Council of Uusimaa
- City of Turku and the Regional Council of Southwest Finland
- City of Lappeenranta and the Regional Council of South Karelia
- City of Kuopio and the Regional Council of North Savo
- Regional Council of Ostrobothnia
- Regional Council of North Karelia and the City of Joensuu
- City of Mikkeli and the Regional Council of South Savo
- City of Oulu and the Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia
The Culture Bank of Pirkanmaa is a free web service maintained by the City of Tampere. It brings together cultural and artistic professionals and their bookable services. The goal of the platform is to increase employment, visibility, and networking opportunities for artists, as well as to improve access to and the diverse use of culture. The Culture Bank of Pirkanmaa can be found at kulttuuripankki.fi.
In addition to Pirkanmaa, Kulttuuripankki will expand to the following regions: Åland, South Karelia, South Ostrobothnia, South Savo, Kanta-Häme, Kymenlaakso, Ostrobothnia, North Karelia, North Ostrobothnia, North Savo, Päijät-Häme, Satakunta, Uusimaa, and Southwest Finland.
The structural support grant for the further development of the web service is part of the Sustainable Growth Programme and is intended for the development of innovative services and production and operational models in the sector. The funding granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture comes from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), which is part of the EU’s one-time recovery instrument, Next Generation EU.
