The article is devoted to the analysis of foreign experience in supporting the cultural sector in the context of the COVID-19, which is characterized by: a complex system and a variety of public aid mechanisms; a priority in supporting freelancers; support of cultural organizations, regardless of the form of ownership and the nature of the activity (non-commercial or commercial); transparency of the conditions for receiving aid for potential recipients and society as a whole. The paper also analyzes the measures of the Russian government to support the domestic cultural sector. The consequences of the pandemic in Russia are not so destructive due to the institutional features associated with the prevalence of the public sector and the existence of contractual relations between employees and cultural organizations. However, there are certain types of occupations where the costs of pandemic are very high (professional musicians, artists, writers, etc.).