This 2025 study highlights how Public Development Banks (PDBs) can leverage arts and culture to drive sustainable development. It maps global initiatives supporting creative industries, heritage preservation, and cultural access. Emphasizing both economic and social impacts, the report calls for more institutionalized cultural support within PDBs, promoting financial innovation, cross-sector collaboration, and integration of culture into broader development strategies.
This pioneering 2025 study explores how Public Development Banks (PDBs) can contribute to sustainable development by supporting arts and culture. It presents compelling evidence that arts and culture go far beyond entertainment, generating economic growth, fostering social inclusion, promoting well-being, and strengthening collective identities. The report, led by the Coalition for Sustainable Development through Culture and Arts, maps over 40 PDB initiatives worldwide across eight categories—from financing creative industries and preserving cultural heritage to sponsoring artistic creation and enhancing access to culture. It also evaluates the tools and institutional structures PDBs use to support the cultural sector. While many banks focus on the economic value of cultural industries, the study emphasizes the broader impacts of arts and culture, including their therapeutic, educational, and environmental potential. The report concludes by calling for more strategic, institutionalized support for culture within PDBs, recommending financial innovation, partnerships, and integration of culture into broader development frameworks.
