Cultura Cresce: opportunities for cultural and creative enterprises

If you work in the cultural, creative, or heritage field — as a business, association, or project that wants to grow and consolidate — Cultura Cresce is a public incentive worth knowing well.

WHAT IT IS: Cultura Cresce is a measure promoted by the Ministero della Cultura and managed by Invitalia, designed to support the creation, development, and consolidation of entrepreneurial initiatives in the cultural and creative sectors in Southern Italy (Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardegna, and Sicily).

Who it is for

• Businesses established more than 5 years ago
• New businesses established no more than 5 years ago, or yet to be set up
• Social enterprises, associations, Third Sector entities, and foundations active for at least 2 years.

Why it matters for those working in cultural heritage The call supports projects of conception, production, development, dissemination, valorization, promotion, conservation, management, and research linked to culture, including tangible and intangible heritage, archives, museums, visual arts, audiovisual, performing arts, publishing, artistic crafts, and design.

What you can do with Cultura Cresce

• Create or expand innovative cultural products, services, or initiatives
• Invest in the development, promotion, or dissemination of cultural activities
• Strengthen infrastructure, skills, or internal processes within your cultural enterprise.

Key benefits

• Funding up to 80% of the project (30% non-repayable + 50% at zero interest), with the possibility of covering investments and working capital up to 2.5 million euros for many types of business, and up to 500,000 euros for social enterprises and Third Sector entities.

Practical tips for those who want to apply

• Cultura Cresce official site – Invitalia: read carefully the Capo A/B/C regimes Capo A for established enterprises, Capo B for new initiatives or teams in formation, Capo C for social entities and the Third Sector (read the Guidelines here).

• Plan a solid business plan A well-articulated project, with clear objectives, cultural impact, and economic sustainability, can make the difference at the assessment stage. (The guide to drafting the business plan is useful for orienting yourself among the requirements.)

• Consider aggregations Carrying out projects in collaboration with other local realities can increase the project’s impact and cultural coherence.

• Start early! The procedure is “à guichet” (no rankings), so those who apply first have a better chance of accessing the funds.