Milan launches €80,000 fund for cultural projects in public housing courtyards

The Municipality of Milan has introduced a new funding initiative called 'Il Cortile di Casa' to support cultural, social, and educational projects in the courtyards of public housing estates. With a budget of 80,000 euros provided by the municipal company MM Spa in collaboration with the city's Culture Department, the program aims to transform often neglected spaces into community hubs. Cultural Councillor Tommaso Sacchi emphasized that bringing culture into unconventional neighborhood settings fosters genuine inclusion, citizenship, and participation. Selected projects must be free, accessible, and locally rooted, with priority given to proposals from areas beyond the city's 90/91 tram line, particularly the peripheries. Applications are open to associations, cultural entities, and third-sector organizations until the end of summer. This effort is part of the broader 'Milano è Viva' initiative, which seeks to decentralize cultural offerings away from traditional circuits and into daily life. Sacchi noted that public housing courtyards are already evolving into new social spaces through events like the Milano Film Festival screenings and Piano City concerts, as well as activities from the Piccole Iniziative Diffuse Socioculturali (PIDS). The call represents a concrete opportunity to promote culture that is not merely consumed but built collectively within communities.