On Tuesday 25 November, the new platform My Cultural Inheritance was officially launched in Maaspoort. A collaboration unparalleled in Limburg. More than 20 Limburg cultural institutions are joining forces to inform and inspire residents about donating and bequeathing to culture. The initiative should answer a silent but increasingly important question. How do we ensure that culture continues to flourish in the future and is passed on to new generations?
Organisations have had the same issue for years. Engagement among audiences is high, but the visibility of opportunities to donate or bequeath lags behind. The institutions saw that their individual approaches were too fragmented. The new collaboration combines that strength. With one clear platform, one story and one common goal.
According to initiator Philip van Ballegooie of PLT, it was about time we shared the same message: "From Venlo to Vaals. With this platform we are saying: anyone who cares about Limburg can now contribute to it permanently."
The new platform shows why bequeathing to culture is more than a financial choice. It touches on identity, on pride, on the desire to leave something lasting for future generations. Limburg has an exceptional cultural wealth. From museums to music, from theatre to heritage. It is precisely this breadth that calls for a shared approach. Through the platform, visitors will find concrete information, practical steps and personal stories of Limburgers who have already chosen to leave a cultural legacy.
Participating institutions stress that this initiative is not a fundraising offensive. It is about raising awareness. About opening a conversation that often fails to happen because people do not know that bequeathing to culture is possible at all. Limburg's identity plays an important role in this. Culture is deep in the province's DNA. Yet far from everyone realises that museums, orchestras, film houses, venues and companies do not have an obvious security.
With My Cultural Inheritance, Limburg is finally getting a provincial face. It provides space for people's stories. It shows why bequeathing does make a difference.
The launch in Maaspoort with Jasper Kuntzelaers (Provincial Commissioner for Culture, Mobility and Agriculture of the Province of Limburg), Lola Rose (Children's Director Maaspoort), all participating institutions and speakers Frank Aalderinks (Head of Philanthropy ABN AMRO MeesPierson) and Mariëlla Pistone (Philanthropy Specialist at ABN AMRO MeesPierson) marks a starting point. Over the next few months, the institutions will pull together to make the platform visible. Through brochures, their own communication channels, meetings and talks with interested parties.
More information is available from now on mijnculturelenalatenschap.nl.