Dam busters

Jeremy Hunt’s desire to embed US-style philanthropic support for the arts on this side of the Atlantic has never been in doubt (AP230). Government policies and arts funding streams (especially Arts Council England’s Catalyst programme (AP239)) make this crystal clear, but in case that still isn’t clear enough, he is also endorsing something called the new National Funding Scheme for arts, cultural and heritage sector, which intends to use mobile technology to “revolutionise how the UK’s arts and cultural institutions are funded” (p3). It seems that we are all going to be OK if central Government funding is reduced, because this initiative is going to “raise new funds for the sector through mass casual giving”. Yeah, right. Let’s get this clear: the Government endorses what appears to be a commercial product that looks to all intents and purposes like an arts-only competitor to ‘Just Giving’, and thereafter expects the dam to burst with all that pent up desire that people have to thrust money at the arts. Hmmm… those pigs may have just taken to the skies again. Other research (p1) suggests that the root of the ‘private donations’ problem is not so much the availability of methods for people to give money (in fact, in that respect, I would suggest that we’ve never had it so good) but the failure of boards at many arts organisations to place fundraising at the top of their agendas and do all in their power to nurture better relationships with potential arts donors. This fundamental issue could undermine not only the Government’s wish-list for the future of arts funding, but also, in the much shorter term, the chances of arts organisations converting their strings-attached Catalyst funding awards into hard cash.

Quite why some board members haven’t woken up to the financial realities facing the sector is a mystery – perhaps they’re not reading ArtsProfessional. Week-in-week-out we bang the drum about the issues that matter most to those responsible for keeping our arts organisations running effectively and efficiently. And it’s all about to get better still. Read page 15 to see what we’re up to – and make sure that your board members are getting the AP nourishment they need when we all get back from the summer break. Have a good one!