Grant selection processes in the field of culture at the national, regional and local level: the case of the South Bohemian Region

The aim of this Diploma Thesis is to seek the definition and description of the basic mechanisms in the administration of grants and subsidies at all levels of the state and local governments. The theoretical part focuses on the analysis of individual subsidy instruments of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the South Bohemian Region and the town of Písek. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the past, present and possible future state of the subsidies system at various levels. Numerical data and other information needed for the analysis were provided by the staff of the institutions involved in the study during numerous personal interviews and also via other channels of communication. The practical part deals with specific examples of the submission of grant applications. The issues are assessed mainly from the perspective of a typical applicant for the grant from a non-profit cultural organization. The result of this section is designation of not only certain similarities, but also contradictions, arising from inaccuracies in conceptual documents with possible counterproductive affect. There are also a few recommendations outlined in this section, which are meant for both the non-profit sector and authors of conceptual documents inspiring basic guidelines for subsidy provision. The practical part aims to assist the applicant to acquire the necessary knowledge needed for successful grant application. On the other hand, the outcomes may be implemented by regulation makers as a conceptual analysis providing the positives and negatives of legislative directives studied from a practical point of view.