About Pro Helvetia

Pro Helvetia is a foundation under public law dedicated to promoting cultural endeavours of nationwide interest. Founded in 1939, it is funded entirely by the Swiss Confederation. Its annual budget currently amounts to 34 million Swiss francs.

The Arts Council is intent on providing Swiss cultural practitioners with the best possible conditions for the creation and dissemination of their work. It helps them to optimise their impact at home and abroad and fosters encounters with artists from other countries.

Pro Helvetia also devises its own programmes focusing on specific geographic and thematic areas. Most recently these included folk culture, the arts of neighbouring regions and cultural exchange with Japan.

In the coming years, the emphasis will be on exchange with China, the culture of computer games, and questions concerning the relationship between culture and state. The organisation and mission of the Arts Council are set out in the Pro Helvetia Act of 1965.