Exploring private investment in culture
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Each year, Giving Tuesday reminds people around the world of the incredible contribution that charitable organisations make to society. For all of us at the Arts Council, it is a chance to reflect on the role of cultural organisations as charities, and remind ourselves of the crucial role that private funding plays in supporting their work.
Cultural organisations make an enormous contribution to their communities as charitable ventures. Of course, we believe that creativity and culture have an intrinsic value, and that they enrich the lives of audiences and practitioners alike.
We also know that they have an enormous social and economic impact. As well as producing brilliant creative work, cultural organisations make our country a better place. They work with schools and youth groups to bring creative education to children and young people from all walks of life. They reach out to elderly, isolated and vulnerable people in their local areas, using culture to tackle loneliness and promote mental, physical and emotional health. They work with local communities, bringing joy and colour to high streets and help to regenerate villages, towns and cities suffering from the decline of industry and retail.
For all of these reasons, donations to cultural organisations directly benefit individuals, communities and the country as a whole. They are as deserving as any other charities, all cultural organisations should feel confident in asking for the donations they need to maximise their impact.
The data suggests that the public already recognises the value of culture. The previous Private Investment in Culture Survey in 2019 revealed that donations from individuals, trusts and foundations, and businesses were worth £545million to cultural organisations in that year. That figure is made up of donations large and small. Of course, there are generous gifts from companies and wealthy philanthropists, but we have also seen throughout the pandemic how local communities have rallied round to support the organisations that matter to them. There are examples from across the country that show how organisations of all sizes can build sustained and fruitful relationships with every kind of donor.
We want to help the cultural sector capitalise on that generosity even further, which is why we are today launching the next iteration of the Private Investment in Culture Survey.
The survey is open to all not-for-profit cultural organisations, and we encourage as many as possible to take part. We know that Covid-19 has had an enormous but varied impact on cultural fundraising – some organisations have benefited hugely from the generosity of loyal donors in their hour of need, while others have struggled to maintain levels of fundraising, let alone develop them further.
By taking part in the survey, you will help us to gain the detailed, high-quality data we need to understand these trends, and enable us to support cultural organisations in becoming more effective fundraisers. And – while I must stress that responses to the survey have no bearing on the upcoming National Portfolio application process – we believe that responding to the survey will be a useful opportunity for organisations to think about their business planning in a way that can only strengthen a future funding application. We’ll also be sharing a report which will outline the stories the data tells, and highlight case studies of innovative practice that organisations can use to make their own fundraising more effective.
I understand that this is a very busy time for every cultural organisation, but the more responses we can gather, the more robust and useful the results will be. I would encourage anyone eligible to set aside some time to complete the survey, and I thank you in advance for your help. Your contribution is invaluable to us and by helping us to advocate on behalf of the sector and develop more effective policies, you will also be supporting the whole cultural sector at a time when that support is needed more than ever.
