Amsterdam is making a huge 20 million energy subsidy available for organizations in a kneeling position
The Amsterdam subsidy is an advance on the announced – but not yet following – regulations from the government. The council wants to prevent social organizations from collapsing or that Amsterdammers will no longer be able to afford theater ticket memberships due to forced price increases.
‘Not all Amsterdam organizations can wait for the government regulations to take effect’, write alderman Sofyan Mbarki (Sport) and Touria Meliani (Art & Culture) in a letter to the municipality. ‘Some organizations have a sharp increase in their energy costs – sometimes a tripling – meanwhile they no longer have the means to bear their burdens and are in imminent danger of collapse.’
Distribution
The support package is mature. 10 million euros will be made available for entrepreneurs, while 3 million euros will each be made available for the sports, art and culture sectors and other social organisations. For 2022, 1 million euros has been reserved for the various sectors with retroactive effect. The remaining money will become available in 2023.
Only organizations in demonstrable financial need can apply for the subsidy. The city council expected the number of organizations in financial trouble next year to be plausible. In 2023, many organizations will have to deal with a more expensive energy contract.
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