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Parliament promotes a sponsorship bill proposal with the support of PSC, Junts and ERC
PSC, Junts and ERC are promoting a bill that aims to turn micro-fundraising into a key tool for financing culture, research, health, social action and sport.
The Parliament of Catalonia has taken a step that many cultural agents consider historic. PSC, Junts and ERC have jointly registered a bill to promote patronage with the aim of encouraging the voluntary participation of citizens in the financing of activities of general interest. The initiative aims to strengthen areas such as culture, research, health, social action and sport, promoting a model more rooted in the territory and with direct involvement of civil society.
The legislative proposal comes after a decade of debate in Catalonia on the need to have its own framework for patronage. During these years, other autonomous communities such as La Rioja, Castilla-La Mancha, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Navarre or the Basque Country have developed specific regulations on this matter. Now, Catalonia wants to complete this journey with its own law that allows it to develop autonomous powers, especially with regard to the Catalan section of the IRPF.
One of the most prominent measures is the incorporation of tax benefits for donations to entities and foundations. The text proposes an additional regional deduction of 15% for the first 250 euros contributed and 45% for the rest. In the case of universities and research, the percentages would increase to 20% and 30%, respectively.
As explained by the director of the Catalunya Cultura Foundation, Maite Esteve, the sum of state and regional incentives could mean an almost total tax return for small contributions. “When a Catalan makes a donation to an entity, they could obtain a 95% return, and in universities and research 100%,” she stated during the presentation of the proposal to Parliament.
Esteve argued that these incentives are especially relevant for micro-philanthropy, a formula that he considers essential to guarantee stable resources to many cultural and social entities. “Small contributions can have a great collective impact,” he remarked, insisting that patronage must stop being perceived as a practice linked to opaque interests.
“We need to reverse a view that too often associates patronage with dark interests,” she warned. For the director of the foundation, the future of the sector involves strengthening transparency, accountability and public trust. “When patronage works well, we all win, but above all, the country wins,” she concluded.
The proposal also includes the creation of the Council for the Promotion of Patronage, a consultative body of the Government that should advise on public policies related to this area. The Catalunya Cultura Foundation considers this body to be a key piece in consolidating a stable and transversal model.
Despite the broad parliamentary support with which the initiative has been registered, Esteve warned that the legislative process is now entering a “very delicate” phase. The director appealed to the responsibility of the political groups to maintain the consensus achieved so far and work to complete the approval of the law.
“This project will only make sense if it comes to fruition and truly becomes a tool at the service of society,” he said. According to the forecasts of the Fundació Catalunya Cultura, the text could be definitively approved between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027, provided that parliamentary negotiations progress favorably.
For Esteve, the initiative goes beyond the fiscal sphere. “It's not just about opening up patronage to everyone, but also about reclaiming Catalonia's role in the cultural sector,” he said. And he summed up the spirit of the proposal with a clear idea: “A country is not just what it is, but what it decides to do with everything it has. And today we have the opportunity to put patronage at the center.”
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