Philanthropic giving - a real alternative to public funding for the arts?

[Katriona Beales]

In response to the Coalition push for a US-inspired drive for philanthropic giving to increasingly subsidize the arts in response to public cuts, my question is will this work? And more pertinently should this work?

I recently heard a very interesting presentation on crowd funding from Sponsume.com which seems to pose a real alternative, harnessing the power of individual giving... However, I am also slightly sceptical having lived through an attempt of a very similar model. Will the emphasis on individual giving or giving from the private sector mean that it is just the best marketed projects that get the money to run? I'm not sure but what be very interested to hear what you think...

www.katrionabeales.com

[Kim Lofthouse]

Katriona,

I think that you're asking some brilliant questions here about this.

Personally, I don't think it will work, simply because (in my experience) there aren't enough individuals or companies out there with a passion for the arts. Those individuals who do have a passion for it are either already sponsoring/funding projects where they can or working in it and as for corporations, well they're only likely to want to fund things that promote their own interests really which doesn't help the cause for art to exist for the sake of art. I also worry that any philanthropic funding that is drummed up will inevitably only go to the bigger organisations or only to ballet/opera/Shakespeare (aka the accept status quo or presigious end) which doesn't help the arts to develop or to challenge people.