Cuts in Berlin’s State Budget

On December 19, 2024, the Berlin House of Representatives passed the supplementary budget for the coming calendar year during its plenary session, along with the announced budget cuts. As a result, the cultural sector faces reductions amounting to €130 million.

The Schaubude Berlin is directly affected by a 15% budget cut for its managing organization, Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH. Despite the adoption of the supplementary budget, planning uncertainties for the coming year remain. Institutions will not know their actual funding levels until mid-January at the earliest. Additionally, it is unclear whether the budgeted provisions for wage increases in the cultural sector will suffice. Since the Schaubude Berlin does not have a project or production budget, all premieres and festivals rely on additional funding. However, the funding decisions for 2025 have been withheld since early October, and their publication is also not expected before mid-January. Consequently, program planning from March 2025 onward is currently severely limited.

The cuts affect all areas of Berlin’s cultural sector, putting smaller institutions, project-based initiatives, and independent artists at existential risk. The cultural scene refuses to become fragmented in the face of this crisis and continues to stand united under the alliance #BerlinIstKultur. The alliance will persist in advocating for the cultural offerings and artists of the capital, particularly with regard to the 2026/27 biennial budget.

Listen to a recent radio interview with our artistic director, Tim Sandweg, on Radio3 about the anticipated impact of the cuts on the cultural budget here.