The Minister of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, Francisco Undurraga, defended the recent budget reduction for his department this Wednesday, characterizing the changes as "adjustments" rather than cuts. The measure follows a Treasury memo proposing a decrease of $51.75 billion pesos for the 2026 budget.
According to a report by latercera.com, the Comptroller General's document introduces modifications that leave programs such asSomos Barrioand theCorporación Cultural Artistas del Acerowithout funding. Additionally, the budget for cultural infrastructure in private institutions would see an 80% drop.
Speaking during an interview at the National Museum of Natural History, Undurraga explained that the total reduction figure includes $20 billion pesos related to the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center (GAM) project, which will not proceed due to a lack of guaranteed cash flow. Once this amount is deducted, the actual adjustment figure would be $31 billion pesos.
“We have a situation that has already been discussed with the Budget Directorate (Dipres) regarding the non-execution of the GAM project. Once that contract is liquidated, the remaining balance will be available for reallocation to some of the programs affected during this process,” the minister stated.
Impact on cultural programs
The Observatory of Cultural Policies warns that the total decrease amounts to 9.8%. The hardest-hit programs include the Promotion and Strengthening of Cultural Work, which faces a 95.7% drop, and the Promotion and Development of Creative Ecosystems, which would lose 62.8%.
Regarding theCorporación Cultural Artistas del Acero, the Secretary of State clarified that the funds were withdrawn because the foundation is currently in the process of liquidation. Meanwhile, theSomos Barrioprogram, which originally belongs to the Ministry of the Interior, will now move to the management of the Ministry of Security.
“It is a program that comes from the Ministry of the Interior, and today it is being transferred to the Ministry of Security... For culture, it is being removed,” Undurraga specified.
The minister maintained that these changes respond to a need for state efficiency and noted that the budget was not constructed by his current administration. “If we want a robust country, one that grows, generates culture, and provides culture to its citizens, we cannot continue doing the same thing we have been doing in recent years,” he noted.
Finally, Undurraga assured that the ministry will continue to honor all previously awarded competitive grants. “We certainly are not going to stop fulfilling everything that has already been committed,” he concluded.
