Support for museums, collections and networks of third parties (institutions) aims to:

A.

Safeguard the cultural heritage;

B.

Strengthening institutions;

C.

To facilitate access to museums and collections and to cultural heritage.

¹ Institutions may receive the following forms of financial assistance:

A.

Operating costs (operating contributions);

B.

Financial aid for projects to safeguard cultural heritage, in particular the digitisation and digitisation of works of art as part of the work undertaken to clarify and publish indications of source (contributions to projects);

C.

Contributions to the financing of insurance premiums covering the loan of objects to temporary exhibitions in Switzerland (contributions to insurance premiums).

² There is no right to support.

Institutions must have an appropriate collection concept and operating strategy.

Projects must be scientifically sound and based on an appropriate organizational structure.

¹ The following institutions may benefit from an operating contribution:

A.

The Swiss Alpine Museum Foundation;

B.

The Swiss Transport Museum Foundation;

C.

The Swiss Foundation for Photography;

D.

The Swiss Science Center Technorama;

E.

The Association for the Protection of the Swiss Audiovisual Memory Memoriav;

F.

The Swiss Institute of Rome;

G.

The Swiss Sports Museum Foundation;

H.

The Swiss Museum of Architecture Foundation;

I.

The Maison des arts électroniques de Basel Foundation;

J.

The Swiss Collection of Dance;

K.

The Ballenberg Foundation-Museum of Rural Habitat;

L.

Association of Swiss Museums;

M.

The Swiss Museum Passport Foundation.

Contributions to projects are allocated on the basis of the following criteria:

A.

Prestige and importance of the institution;

B.

Artistic and cultural significance of objects;

C.

Urgency of cultural heritage conservation measures;

D.

Cost/utility ratio of measurements;

E.

Level of self-financing and third-party contributions.

Contributions to insurance premiums are allocated on the basis of the following criteria:

A.

Prestige and importance of the museum;

B.

Cultural and historical significance of the exhibition;

C.

Cultural and historical significance of works on loan;

D.

Potential for visitors;

E.

Level of self-financing and third-party contributions.

¹ The institutions listed in s. 5 may, subject to the opening of the necessary appropriations, obtain for the years 2016 and 2017 an operating contribution of an amount similar to that of 2015, provided that they continue to fulfil the formal conditions of support.

² The Federal Office of Culture (OFC) enters into a benefit contract with the beneficiaries of operating contributions. This contract includes the amount of financial assistance and benefits to be provided by the tenants.

¹ The OFC decides on the grant of contributions to projects for the years 2016 and 2017 on the basis of a single competition.

² Institutions that receive operating contributions within the meaning of s. 5 cannot receive additional support in the form of contributions to projects.

³ Requests for contributions to projects must be received by the CFO until April 30, 2016.

⁴ The application must prove that the formal conditions of encouragement are met and provide all the necessary information in relation to the material conditions of encouragement. The application must include a description of the project and its objectives, a plan of measures and a timetable, and a budget and a financing plan.

¹ The OFC decides annually, on the basis of a competitive process, for the allocation of contributions to insurance premiums.

² Institutions that have received contributions to insurance premiums the previous year may not receive support in the year following that year.

³ Institutions that receive operating contributions within the meaning of s. 5 cannot receive additional support in the form of contributions to insurance premiums.

⁴ Requests for contributions to insurance premiums must be received by the FCO:

A.

Until January 31, 2016 for the year 2016;

B.

Until 31 October 2016 for the year 2017.

⁵ The application must prove that the formal conditions of encouragement are met, and provide all the necessary information in relation to the material conditions of encouragement.

The amount of financial aid may not exceed:

A.

For contributions to projects: 50 % of the total project costs, but a maximum of 100 000 francs per project; the minimum contribution amounts to 20,000 francs per project;

B. For contributions to insurance premiums: 50 % of all insurance premiums for an exposure, but 150 000 francs per exposure maximum; the minimum contribution amounts to 20 000 francs per exhibition.

¹ The number of institutions receiving contributions to projects in 2016 and 2017 cannot exceed fifteen in total.

² The number of exposures receiving contributions to insurance premiums may not exceed six per year.

Before making its financial aid decisions, the OFC will lay down the various incentive criteria. Preference will be given to applications that best meet the incentive criteria as a whole.

¹ Tenants are required to:

A.

Raise awareness of the support provided by the OFC;

B.

Communicate to the OFC all necessary information in relation to the contribution and the supported project;

C.

Communicate to the OFC without delay any significant changes to the proposed project.

² Alters of contributions to projects and contributions to insurance premiums are also required to provide the OFC with a final report and a final statement within three months of the end of the project.

¹ This order shall enter into force on 1 ^Er January 2016.

² It has effect until December 31, 2017.