The new Constitution of Slovenia from 1991 established traditional rights with regard to culture, including freedom of artistic creation, cultural development and heritage protection, as well as providing cultural and linguistic rights for Italian and Hungarian minorities, rights for the Roma community and assistance for Slovenes living in neighbouring countries or elsewhere around the world. Various ethnic groups living in Slovenia have rights to dedicated professional cultural institutions and access rights for libraries and educational services in their local communities.

Slovenia has two national minority communities - Italians (2,258) and Hungarians (6,243) - and (according to 2002 census) around 130,000 people from other ethnic groups. The latter include the Roma (gypsy) ethnic group (3,246 people) and a large number of immigrants from the territories of the former Yugoslavia who came to Slovenia primarily for economic reasons, including Croats (34,642 according to the 2002 census), Serbs (38,964), Bosniacs (21,542, including 8,062 declared as Bosnians), Macedonians (3,972), Montenegrins (2,667), and Albanians (6,186). The Italian and Hungarian minorities are considered indigenous minorities and their rights are protected under the Constitution. They each have one democratically-elected representative in the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. Ethnically-mixed areas are bilingual; there are nurseries and schools for the minorities, and minority languages are represented in the local media. The Slovene Government finances regional programmes of Radio-Television Slovenia (RTV Slovenia) intended for Hungarian and Italian national minorities.

Hungarian societies involved in cultural activities include: Institution for Hungarian Nationality and Culture Lendava-Lendva; Institution for the Information Activity of the Hungarian National Community; Hungarian National Self-Governing Community of Pomurje Region Lendava-Lendva; and Hungarian Cultural Society Petőfi Sándor (which publishes the Mozaik Bulletin); while Italian organisations include: Coastal Italian Self-Governing National Community Koper-Capodistria (with branch offices in Koper-Capodistria, Izola-Isola and Piran-Pirano) and Italian Union - Unione Italiana, an Italian organisation based in Croatia with a branch office in Koper-Capodistria.

There are also special programmes for the Romany people, who receive similar treatment to the above-mentioned minority groups. Established in 1996, the Roma Union of Slovenia unites around 22 Roma associations around Slovenia, covering the south eastern areas around Pomurje, Posavje, Bela krajina and part of Gorenjska. The most active smaller Roma organisations include: Roma Society Rom Črnomelj; Roma Society Maj; Roma Society Roma Semič; Oriental Society NUR - Orient Lovers; Roma Society Roma Semič; Roma Society Romano Pejtaušago Kamenci; Roma Society Romano vozo Velenje; Roma Cultural and Tourist Society Pušča; Roma Society Zelenu dombu; Roma Society Zelena dolina; Roma Society o Romani Union (which publishes Romano Nevijpe/Roma News); and Roma Society Čapla (which publishes Romano glauso/Voice of Roma). The Roma Union of Slovenia publishes Romano them ('The World of Roma').

The ROMIC - Roma Information Centre located in Murska Sobota has a radio studio and issues two newspapers. Several Roma associations are involved in the presentation of cultural activities, including local or international festivals of Roma folkloric music and dance, special cultural programmes organised to celebrate the Day of Roma in April, audio CD projects (released by Halgato Music in co-operation with Franc-Franc Publishing in Murska Sobota) and children's cultural camps.

Besides the afore-mentioned Italian, Hungarian and Roma societies, the following Slovene ethnic community organisations are also involved in cultural activities:

African Centre, Albanian Cultural Association Migjeni (which publishes Alternativa – Magazine for Culture and Science); Apaško polje Cultural Society; Arab Club of Slovenia; Bošnjak Cultural Union of Slovenia (Bošnjak newspaper); Amala; Association of Compatriots Plava i Gusinja Izvor (Izvor newspaper); Bosnia and Herzegovina Students Association of Slovenia; Carinthian Slovenes Club, Ljubljana; Slovene-Austrian Friendship Society; Croatian Cultural Union, Novo mesto; Croatian Club Komušina Škofja Loka; Croatian Cultural and Sports Society Istra Piran; Croatian Cultural Society in Maribor (Glasilo newspaper); Croatian Cultural Society Medjimurje, Ljubljana (Pušlek Bulletin); Cultural Society Sevdah Novo mesto; Cultural and Sport Society Bošnjak Biser, Jesenice; Croatian Emigrant Society Cultural Association; Cultural Society Medjimurje, Velenje; Cultural Society of German-Speaking Women Mostovi (a book of texts Vezi med ljudmi / Zwischenmenschkiche Bindungen); Cultural Society Srbska kulturna zajednica; Cultural Society Mihajlo Pupin; Cultural Art Society Mladost; Cultural Society Brdo, Kranj (Naš glas bulletin); Serbian Cultural Society Sava Hrastnik; Serbian Educational Society Nikola Tesla; Serbian Cultural and Art Society Vidovdan; Serbian Cultural Society Maribor (Kontakt newspaper); Serbian Humanitarian Society Desanka Maksimović; Serbian Cultural and Educational Society Sveti Sava; Cultural and Art Society Žumberak Novo Mesto (Žumberčan Bulletin); International Society Freiheitsbrücke-Freedomsbridge Maribor; International Society Štajerska skupnost; Ljiljan - Bosnia and Herzegovina-Slovenia Friendship Association; Macedonian Cultural Society Pella; Makedonija - Macedonian Cultural Association; Macedonian Cultural Society 'Sv Ciril in Metod', Kranj; Macedonian Cultural Society Biljana; Macedonian Cultural Society Koco Racin Obala; Macedonian Cultural Society Ohridski biseri Nova Gorica; Macedonian Folklore Association Vardarka Maribor; Macedonian Union of Cultural Associations, Slovenia; Macedonian Cultural Society 'Ilinden' Jesenice (Deteljica Youth Newspaper); Montenegro Culture and Sports Society Morača; Sandžak Cultural Association in Slovenia (Glas Sandžaka bulletin); Slovene-Montenegro Friendship Society; Serbian Community Association, Ljubljana (Beseda culture newspaper); Cultural Educational and Sport Society Vuk Karadžić, Radovljica; Peter Kozler Slovene Gottscheer German Society; Slovene-Macedonian Friendship Society, Bled; Slovene-Macedonian Friendship Society, Ljubljana; Society of Gottscheer Germans; Sport and Cultural Entertainment Society Šemberija; Union of Croatian Cultural Associations in Slovenia (Korijeni); and Union of Serbian Cultural Associations of Slovenia (Mostovi newspaper). The basic information on these organisations is available at the kreart.si portal.

The Sector for Minority Cultural Rights and the Development of Cultural Diversity of the Ministry of Culture and the Public Fund for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia (JSKD) support a range of cultural projects and publications of the afore-mentioned groups, while some media programmes are also supported by the Government Office for Nationalities. Some funding also comes from the Office for Youth, Ministry of Education and Sport and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (TOGETHER Foundation).

The creation of programmes featuring a multicultural dimension and funded by international sources is important for stimulating and facilitating collaborations. A few Slovene cultural organisations, producers and promoters focus on Slovene internal cultural diversity and link it to international exchange, most notably the B-51 Cultural Society with its Ex Ponto International Festival and other projects. The cultural rights of national communities, minority communities and vulnerable groups are often addressed at Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone venues or at KUD France Prešeren Arts and Culture Association in Ljubljana, at M&KC Koper Youth and Culture Centre on the coast, at the cultural centre of the Society of Allies for Soft Landing, Krško (DZMP) in Krško and by the Association for Voluntary Work Development in Novo mesto.

Various research projects dealing with cultural diversity issues have been conducted by the Institute for Ethnic Studies and Peace Institute - Institute for Contemporary Social and Political Studies. The public libraries on the coast - Srečko Vilhar Public Library, Koper-Capodistria, Piran City Library and Izola-Isola Principal Library - contain special collections of Italian books and periodical literature, while the Murska Sobota Regional and Study Library and Lendava-Lendva Library contain Hungarian literature collections.

Literature on ethnic studies may be obtained either from the Institute for Ethnic Studies Library and Archives or from the INDOK Cultural Heritage Centre and Library, Ministry of Culture, which collects the publications and project documents of minority ethnic groups supported by the Ministry.