The Pro Arte Institute holds grant competitions aimed to support the initiatives in the field of contemporary arts and culture. Competitors are artistic and cultural institutions in saint Petersburg and other regions of Russia. The grant competitions are supported by the Ford Foundation.

Since the year of 2000, approximately 50 cultural institutions including museums, non-profit organizations, etc. have been granted 400,000 USD total.

1. The Contemporary Art in Traditional Museum grant competition

The competition is aimed to support projects carried out by Russian and international artists together with Petersburg museums. Its main idea is to attract attention to smaller museum collections of Petersburg as well as enhance collaboration between phenomena of traditional culture and contemporary art, bring forth modernization of museums and rise in their status.

Results of the grant competition are presented at Contemporary Art in Traditional Museum, the annual festival.

2. Grant competitions that are held for the exhibition project entitled Little Things are carried out in the framework of the Contemporary Art in Traditional Museum programme.

Little Things is a series of exhibitions held in the Pro Arte Institute in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Each exhibition includes objects from the funds of the Saint Petersburg Museum of the City History that also offers a theme for the works of contemporary artists (Passport, Telephone, Corset, Ocular etc.)