ulture is central to building diverse, inclusive and prosperous communities.
The Culture Strategy demonstrates this Scottish Government's commitment to support access and inclusion, and to work to ensure that everyone and every community can participate fully in cultural life. As part of the strategy, the National Partnership for Culture,[28] was established in 2020 to provide a voice for the sector to advise Scottish Ministers on matters affecting culture in Scotland. This has helped support delivery of the collective vision, ambitions, aims and actions set out in the Culture Strategy, and to inform and influence policy decisions so we can drive the transformational potential of culture.
While the Strategy puts in place the foundations for achieving this vision, independence would help realise fully an ambition to build a society that embraces culture, ensuring it is there for everyone's benefit. An independent Scotland would continue to build upon the Culture Strategy's principles, continuing to develop and reinforce the ways in which culture supports society more widely, including through health, educational and economic benefits.
To support these principles, the First Minister announced in October 2023 that the Scottish Government will invest at least £100m more annually in culture and the arts by the financial year 2028/29.[29] To support this aim, funding to the culture sector will increase by £15.8m in the next financial year to £196.6m.[30] In 2025/2026 the Scottish Government aim to provide an additional £25m to the sector.[31]
This commitment to additional funding despite the challenging budget situation signals our confidence in the Scottish culture sector and the principles of the culture strategy. Through this increased investment the Scottish Government will drive up opportunities for participation in creative pursuits, support the production of new works, and ensure that Scotland's cultural output has platforms at home and abroad.