Our Partners and Supporters

There are many partners, funders and multipliers behind citizen-commissioned art. They support and accompany patron groups, artists and mediation and make the implementation of ambitious projects possible. From the Federal Ministry to the municipal cultural administration, from global corporations to local craftsmen, from foundations to private donors, many forces work together to ensure that the projects succeed on the ground.

On a local as well as on a national level, the New Patrons move within a committed network. We –Gesellschaft der Neuen Auftraggeber gGmbH and Gesellschaft für Kunst und Mediation im Bürgerauftrag e. V. – are actively working to establish new partnerships, to establish alliances for action and to continuously strengthen and expand the network. We advise municipalities and institutions on their own implementation of the New Patrons model and connect them with appropriate actors. Beyond Germany, we are part of the international network Nouveaux Commanditaires/New Patrons, which has already implemented over 500 commissions, and the Societé internationale des Nouveaux Commanditaires, founded in 2023 and headquartered in Brussels.

Some partners support the New Patrons substantially and to a high degree. Since 1991, the FONDATION DE FRANCE in Paris has been the first European foundation to promote the New Patrons model, first in France and later in Germany and throughout Europe. It has made a significant contribution to the continuous spread of the model over the last 30 years. The KÖRBER-STIFTUNG and the BUNDESZENTRALE FÜR POLITISCHE BILDUNG also funded the first pioneering steps of the model in Germany starting in 2008, which was still young in this country at the time. From 2017 to 2022, the KULTURSTIFTUNG DES BUNDES (German Federal Cultural Foundation) enabled the establishment of sustainable project structures in Germany during a pilot phase. In 2022 and 2023, the BUNDESZENTRALE FÜR POLITISCHE BILDUNG enabled the establishment of educational offers and mentoring structures for new mediators. In June 2023, the Board of Trustees of the KULTURSTIFTUNG DES BUNDES decided to fund citizen-commissioned dance and performance until 2028, which will allow the model to be further consolidated across the country. Since 2013, the GOETHE INSTITUTE has repeatedly cooperated in setting up new project initiatives outside Europe, especially in African countries.