Who we are - What we do
Pro Helvetia's Fields of Activity
If you would like to know more about Pro Helvetia
Cultural Promotion In Switzerland - The Players
Who we are - What we do
For over 60 years now, the Arts Council of Switzerland Pro Helvetia has been responsible for presenting Swiss culture abroad, promoting cultural dialogue between the various linguistic regions of the country and fostering supra-regional understanding. Through its activities it supports a contemporary, culturally diverse and open-minded Switzerland.
History and legal framework
Founded as a working community dedicated to the protection and preservation of the national heritage in 1939, when the country was gravely threatened by an external enemy, Pro Helvetia was transformed into a foundation under public law in 1949. Its new aim: overcoming cultural and intellectual isolation.
The law concerning Pro Helvetia of 17 December 1965 entrusts the foundation with the following tasks:
- preserving and maintaining Switzerland’s cultural identity;
- promoting cultural creativity on the basis of the energies at work in the cantons, linguistic regions and cultural groupings;
- encouraging domestic cultural exchange among Switzerland’s linguistic regions and cultural groupings;
- fostering cultural relations with other countries.
Pro Helvetia today
In carrying out its mission today, Pro Helvetia places the emphasis on promoting contemporary artistic production, facilitating cultural exchange and fostering intercultural dialogue at home and abroad.
In its efforts to promote creativity, Pro Helvetia supports works in the areas of music, literature, theatre and dance; the cinema, fine and applied arts, video art and photography fall into the province of the Federal Office of Culture. Pro Helvetia interprets cultural exchange as taking Swiss artistic products of all types to other countries and initiating dialogue with the cultures of other countries. This dialogue can and should, in turn, have an effect on artistic production in Switzerland. And on the Swiss population’s image of other cultures.
Culture is local and international at the same time; it is the process of self-reflection in the light of the New and of openness to development. With this in mind, Pro Helvetia makes an active commitment to a Swiss popular culture that has neither lofty pretensions nor claims to lasting value, but pursues a productive approach to tradition with a view to the future.
Applications and projects
The activities of Pro Helvetia fall broadly into two categories: support for projects in response to applications and projects initiated by the Arts Council itself. Applications account for by far the largest share of funding extended: some 85% of Pro Helvetia’s operative resources are disbursed to projects proposed by cultural producers.
Projects are evaluated according to the following criteria: connection with Switzerland, professionalism of approach, acceptable cost-benefit ratio, potential impact and long-term effect, social relevance and - as key factors - artistic quality and degree of innovativeness. The procedures themselves are detailed in the Federal Council-approved Grant Regulations and in the Guide for Applicants.
On this basis Pro Helvetia supports art and thematic exhibitions; concept events; screenings of Swiss films; readings; tours by theatre and dance troupes, orchestras and musical ensembles of all types and genres; festivals; cooperative undertakings in the humanities and more. But Pro Helvetia’s support is not limited to the awarding of grants; it frequently includes advisory services, the facilitation of contacts and logistic help as well.
Pro Helvetia’s own projects focus on areas it considers in particular need of support, be they individual forms of expression or timely subjects. This approach sometimes results in large-scale multidisciplinary projects beneficial to mutual understanding and the intensification of cultural exchange. What these projects share is their encouragement of dialogue between cultures and communities at home and abroad.
In every field, Pro Helvetia works with Switzerland’s diplomatic and consular missions abroad and with diverse domestic and foreign institutional and organisational partners.
Funding
Since 1981 Pro Helvetia, a foundation created by federal law, has been financed by federal resources allocated for four-year periods on the basis of a programme drafted by the Board of Trustees. The sums awarded to projects and applications are determined by the specialist working groups of the Board of Trustees and the heads of the individual departments.
Headquarters
Since its foundation, Pro Helvetia has maintained its head office in Zurich. A staff of approximately 78 work in the five specialised departments and three services there and at the Geneva office. Counting its cultural centres and branch offices abroad, Pro Helvetia employs a total of approximately 117 people sharing 86 full-time posts.
Organisation
The most senior body of Pro Helvetia is the Board of Trustees, whose 25 members are appointed by the Federal Council. They meet regularly in their respective specialised working groups to evaluate applications and Pro Helvetia’s own projects. Three times a year the Board of Trustees meets in plenary session to decide on the annual programme and budget, and to debate basic policy questions.
Information
Rounding out its activities, Pro Helvetia maintains a Communication Service, which disseminates information in and outside Switzerland about Pro Helvetia’s objectives, strategies and projects, and about the cultural work being done in Switzerland. Its own publications, available at home and abroad, foster understanding for and insight into Swiss culture.
