Almost 7,000 young people in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife have applied for this year’s Bono Cultural Joven, a government scheme offering €400 to help 18-year-olds spend money on cultural activities and products.
A total of 6,939 applications were recorded in the province, according to figures released by the Spanish Government.
Across the Canary Islands, the scheme attracted 14,476 applications in its fifth year. Of these, 7,537 came from the province of Las Palmas, with the remaining 6,939 from Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
That represents 58.89% of the 24,579 young people across the islands who were eligible for the 2026 scheme, based on figures from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE).
More than 374,000 applications across Spain
Nationally, the Bono Cultural Joven received 374,131 applications this year.
That means around two out of every three young people born in 2008 applied for the €400 allowance, equivalent to 66.6% of the estimated eligible population of 561,459.
Applications were up by 10,946 compared with the previous edition, which recorded 363,054.
Since the scheme was introduced, more than 1.67 million young people will have received the benefit once the latest round has been completed.
However, the final number of beneficiaries could still change. All applications must go through an individual review and the relevant government grant control procedures before the money is confirmed.
What can the €400 be spent on?
Correos, the public company responsible for the scheme’s banking arrangements, has already started sending virtual and physical cards to successful applicants.
Once approved, recipients have 12 months to spend their €400 on eligible cultural products and services at businesses participating in the scheme.
There are 4,217 participating shops and organisations across Spain in this year’s edition.
It’s a welcome bit of help for young people, while also giving a boost to the cultural businesses and organisations that rely on people actually spending money on books, music, performances and other creative activities.