The Asociacija was established in Ljubljana in 2002 as an association of non-governmental organisations and freelancers from the arts and culture sectors, and in 2004 it was officially registered as a non-profit cultural institution. Its first project was the 'White Book', which contains statistical data from 1998-2001 about its members (at the time 45 NGOs and freelance artists).

The Asociacija aims to accelerate the articulation of political will at the level of cultural policy makers in order to create conditions for long-term sustainability. It seeks to support dynamic cultural and artistic production in the independent sector, especially in spheres which are of lower priority to governmental cultural institutions. Thus the Association endeavours to create an equal opportunity platform for the independent and subsidised sectors, with particular reference to access to public financial support, conditions of work, and evaluation mechanisms for cultural production. Another task of the Association is to monitor legislation and propose special mechanisms for social protection of freelancers in the cultural sector.