Civil society organizations in contemporary arts and culture operate in a project logic environment of unstable and insufficient funding, dependence on multiple sources of income, underdeveloped market, inadequate and insufficient spatial and other resources. Representatives of organizations and the majority of those who are permanently or temporarily and occasionally engaged in organizational and programme work are exposed to non-standard forms of work, which means they are employed temporarily or engaged occasionally, often part-time. Cultural workers and artists are often underpaid, and sometimes even unpaid, their work spilling over into free time, with their basic existence being secured by working multiple jobs, in multiple organizations, and even in other sectors or thanks to family support. Social and health care are either insufficient or not provided at all. Self-exploitation has become a standard survival strategy, and physical, mental and emotional exhaustion are an integral part of the everyday life of many artists and cultural workers.

There is a wide range of issues related to the working conditions in culture as a whole, including the civil sector. The conditions are primarily characterised by the absence of fair practices, whether them being the amount of compensation, an encouraging legislative framework, fair terms of exchange, fair contractual arrangements, adequate working conditions environment or any other form of fair practices in the daily creative, production and administrative work of artists and cultural workers. Fair practices are closely related to sustainability, retaining professional staff and ensuring diversity and access to the sector. Concerns about fair working conditions and fair compensation have been increasingly present in public discourse since the pandemic, and these problems are the subject of various researches and political debates in many countries. The report of the Open Method of Coordination of the European Union "The status and working conditions of artists and cultural and creative professionals", published in 2023, devoted a special chapter to fair practices in which, among other things, it highlighted the role of public financiers in the promotion of fair practices and integration of fair compensation for artists and cultural professionals within their funding policies and programs.

With the aim of improving the working conditions in civil society organizations in contemporary arts and culture, and following the recognized needs as well as taking into account its purpose, the Kultura Nova Foundation has launched the Participatory process for fair practices in order to discuss with actors in the sector the future mechanisms of fair practices in the Foundation and their wider potential applications.

The Participatory process for fair practices is realized through two formats of participation:

• The Fair Practices Forum, in which all interested representatives of civil society organizations can participate, is an open, dynamic, fluid, flexible and volunteer format in its structure. The Forum guides the participatory process and proposes topics relevant to fair practices, discusses the proposals of the Working Group, draws conclusions and suggests further steps of the process.
• The Working Group for Fair Practices, composed of 11 members, 9 of whom were elected at the Forum, and 2 were delegated by the Foundation, prepares and elaborates the topics agreed upon at the Forum and formulates proposals for discussion within the Forum.

The participatory process, especially the work of both Fair Practices Forum and Working Group for Fair Practices is being documented in various types of formats in Croatian (video recordings, meeting minutes, presentations, etc.). Additionally, the Foundation has gathered many resources concerning the topic of fair practices for an easy access through the dedicated subpage. You can access all of the records and resources here.