National Fund for the Development of Arts and Crafts

[1][2] The agency has four main programs including artisan training, retail selling and the sponsoring of craft competitions as the local, regional and national level.

[2] FONART directly helped 26,600 artisans in 2006,[3] but the agency has been criticized for being inefficient and not meeting the demands of national transparency laws.

The overall purpose is to protect and promote traditional Mexican handcrafts, opening national and international markets for craftsmen as many of these workers live on poor, rural and indigenous areas.

Annual regional competitions to honor artisans who have excelled in their craft, as well at those who stand out in areas such as innovation and the preservation and rescue of traditional techniques.

[2] FONART also has a buying program where pieces are purchased directly from artisans at regional centers or through agents that travel to crafts areas periodically.

[2] The acquisition system has five storage centers located in the states of Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí and Mexico City.

The offering of crafts by vendors at this event is quite varied with representatives from all Mexican states as well as the Federal District of Mexico City.

[12] In the early 2000s, President Vicente Fox nearly shut down the agency, stating that it was not living up to goals, particularly in the selling of crafts purchased from artisans.

FONART has asked the Congress of Mexico for the right to fine companies that import Asian imitations of Mexican crafts.