Benefits
In 2020, the Swiss copyright collecting societies allocated CHF 29.7 million to cultural and social purposes. The following examples illustrate the wide range of projects supported with their grants and subsidies.
ProLitteris: CHF 2.8 million
In 2020, the ProLitteris Welfare Foundation allocated a total of CHF 2.9 million to pension benefits and CHF 280,638 to financial assistance and support.
The Cultural Fund once again awarded the ProLitteris Prize last year, this time for literature. There was further support for the Solothurn Literature Week and several other cultural events in the literary and visual arts fields in 2020, to a total amount of CHF 336,100. In addition to the applications, the Foundation Council awarded an emergency Corona aid of CHF 500,000 in March 2020.
SSA: CHF 1.986 million
The Cultural Fund was endowed with CHF 1.001 million in 2020. A range of prizes, competitions and grants were awarded across all branches of the audiovisual and performing arts sectors, with support for film and stage projects from 105 authors. In addition, nine prizes were awarded at Swiss film festivals.
In 2020, the SSA Welfare Fund (pension fund) was granted an allocation of CHF 925,990, and the Solidarity Fund awarded emergency financial support in cases of hardship.
SUISA: CHF 11 million
The FONDATION SUISA (cultural foundation) supported musical projects relating to current Swiss music production in Switzerland and abroad with more than CHF 2.4 million in 2020. This included grants and support for music publishing companies that promote current Swiss music production. In addition, it publishes anthologies of all musical genres in physical formats and promotes Swiss music in Switzerland and abroad through co-financing and project management of Swiss trade fair appearances.
The foundation for authors and publishers (welfare foundation) paid CHF 8.3 million in pensions to its members.
SUISSIMAGE: CHF 7.0 million
In 2020, the Culture Fund supported 49 film productions with automatic contributions. The Culture Fund also allocated significant amounts to the Teleproduktionfonds (Television Production Fund), awarded prizes at several festivals and issued other grants on a case-by-case basis. The contributions totalled CHF 4,640,198.
In 2020, the Solidarity Fund paid CHF 1,005,780 in pensions and transferred CHF 625,490 to pension institutions of production company employees. More than CHF 177,614 was paid by way of financial support in individual cases of hardship. Furthermore, the Solidarity Fund financed social and legal advice for applicants on numerous occasions.
SWISSPERFORM: CHF 5.9 million
In 2020, SWISSPERFORM allocated around CHF 5.3 million to cultural purposes and around CHF 600,000 to social purposes. The funds were distributed through various cultural foundations: Schweizerische Interpretenstiftung SIS (Swiss Performers’ Foundation), Stiftung Phonoproduzierende (Swiss Foundation of phonogram producers), Stiftung für Radio und Kultur Schweiz (Swiss Foundation for Radio and Culture) and Schweizerische Kulturstiftung für Audiovision (Swiss Cultural Foundation for Audiovisual). The institutions entrusted with the distribution of social and pension benefits are Schweizerische Interpretenstiftung SIS, Suisseculture Sociale, Fondation Artes et Comoedia, and the pension funds of CAST and Film und Audiovision VFA.
