Rouanet Law breaks record under Lula government and reaches R$16.3 billion in 2023

The government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) approved the release of R$16.3 billion for cultural projects via the Rouanet Law in 2023. This year’s amount represents a historic record and exceeds the sum of what was released in the four years of the Bolsonaro administration. Between 2019 and 2022, former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) allocated around 12.8 billion to the Rouanet Law.

This year, the Ministry of Culture approved 10,676 projects to raise funds, according to findings from the columnist Paulo Cappelli, from the Metrópoles portal, which had access to data in the folder. In January, for example, the Lula government launched 597 fundraising projects that, together, total R$610 million.

During the entire Bolsonaro government, 13,600 fundraising projects were approved. Approval of projects does not mean that resources are guaranteed. The law authorizes those responsible for proposals to raise funds, within 24 months, from the private sector through donations or sponsorships. Companies that contribute to these proposals can deduct part of the amount from Income Tax.

The proposals presented to the Ministry of Culture are divided into seven areas: performing arts, visual arts, audiovisual, humanities – which covers literature, philology and history –, museum and memory, music, and cultural heritage. The segments with the most approved projects were performing arts (3,606), music (2,996), humanities (1,473) and visual arts (1,266).

The region most covered by the Rouanet Law in the country was the Southeast with R$11.1 billion; followed by the South (R$2.1 billion); Northeast (R$ 1.6 billion); Central-West (R$999 million); and North (R$367 million).