Arts and culture reflect open society values and influence public attitudes, yet they seldom receive adequate recognition and resources from either governments or society. To counteract the lack of support, the Arts and Culture Program promotes cultural and artistic collaboration throughout the Soros foundations network; fosters structural changes in cultural policy; and helps develop an autonomous and innovative arts sector. The program's primary goal is to stimulate cultural activities while respecting and celebrating differences among countries.

In 2004 the Arts and Culture Program's geographical focus lies in the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), Mongolia, Iran, and Afghanistan. All initiatives and competitions of the 2004 Program  target the above-mentioned countries exclusively. For up-to-date information about ongoing activities please see the News and Announcements section of this site.

Archived resources for research purposes are available in an archived section of the former Arts and Culture Program website.