Support
Due to current circumstances, our funding program remains severely restricted. The exceptional situation of recent years, which has also had a massive impact on our own cultural institution, the Kunsthalle München, has forced us to temporarily suspend our funding program. Under these difficult financial conditions, we are focusing in particular on maintaining the high standard of exhibitions at the Kunsthalle München and are continuing to operate our funding program on a very reduced basis.
In times of rapid change and advancing technological innovation, the foundation is realigning itself and focusing in particular on promoting progressive artistic ideas and positions on the theme of “art and technology.” Artificial intelligence has already found its way into our everyday lives, and its impact on art and culture is a fascinating and much-discussed topic. We see the creation of a platform for exchange on a “culture of the future” as a central task in this regard. Especially in times of great upheaval, understanding and dialogue are essential for strengthening social cohesion. Art has the potential to stimulate this communication and enable access from a different perspective.
Our latest project is the coloring book “Mal München an”. It was published on the occasion of our 40th anniversary, which we celebrated as the Hypo Cultural Foundation on September 19, 2023. The book invites readers on a playful architectural stroll through Munich. It leads through well-known and beloved neighborhoods, to places of modern architecture and unique historical monuments. Along the way, short illustrated texts in German and English provide interesting facts about the 16 motifs for young and old alike.
To date, the Hypo Cultural Foundation has focused its funding on contemporary visual arts in the form of publicly accessible art projects. The Hypo Cultural Foundation has supported non-commercial institutions such as museums, exhibition venues, art associations, professional associations, and many others in organizing exhibitions and art projects by young or lesser-known artists throughout Germany.
The second focus of funding—alongside the visual arts—has been the promotion of building culture and monument preservation in Bavaria, to which the Hypo Cultural Foundation has been dedicated since its establishment in 1983, contributing significantly to raising public awareness of these issues.
Since 1986, the Monument Award has been presented to private owners who have restored their historic buildings with great commitment and expertise. To date, almost 200 award winners from all regions of Bavaria have been honored. Social awareness of the importance of historical monuments was only just emerging in the 1980s, but today there is broad consensus on this issue. The Hypo Cultural Foundation has actively accompanied and significantly shaped this change over the years.
Since 2015, the Hypo Cultural Foundation has been supporting the Bavarian Cultural Heritage Initiative as a founding member. The aim of this public charitable foundation is to protect, preserve, and revive architectural heritage, cultural landscapes, and intangible cultural assets such as customs, crafts, art, music, and language—and thus to preserve them for the long term. Private civic engagement in cooperation with state and municipal institutions is supported and promoted.
