Public funding of culture is no replacement for lacking or insufficient market force or commercial exploitability. It should instead assist in providing space for ideas beyond business plans. How is the (self-)concept of public funding changing before the background of profound transformations in the concept of labor? How can public funding be organised without producing long-term dependencies? Does innovative sponsorship bring about innovative projects? Questions about transparency and the practice of awarding sponsorship, problems such as dependence and monopolisation as well as opportunities for reaction and co-determination will be discussed in an intercultural comparison.