The Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport Piotr Gliński announced the launch of the “Certificate for Small Bookshops” program – by the end of the year, small bookshops will receive a total of PLN 3 million. One entity will be able to receive funding up to 30,000 PLN, incl. for rent or business promotion.
The start of the pilot project of the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport was announced by the Head of the Ministry in Łódź. As Gliński said, the program had carried out in cooperation with the Book Institute grew out of the need to support small bookshops.
“I mean bookshops where the reader is taken care of, the offer is deepened and there is more time for contact with readers. They are peculiar local cultural centers, which, due to the characteristics of the modern world, are often perishing because big, strong, and aggressive destroys what is small and beautiful. And we want to defend it,” he explained.
Therefore – he announced – a new project is being implemented, which will enable financial aid for small establishments selling books. The minister emphasized that the support for small bookstores must be simple and direct.
“Bookshops meeting the specific, qualitative requirements of such a cultural center, where there will be an in-depth offer related to the features of Polish culture, will receive a state package – a certificate. This is PLN 30,000 for three different purposes, for example for rent. This will be the first aid launched as a pilot program. However, we want the program to be maintained, regardless of the results of the pilot program,” announced the Deputy Prime Minister.