Last word

Pockets to let
Philanthropy is so obviously a good thing to most of us (except possibly hard-line Communists) that it can be difficult to criticise the idea that it should take a larger role on the arts funding stage. If wealthy – or even moderately well-off – people want to give their money to the arts, we should welcome it. However, an arts economy based on what people want to fund could be a step in the wrong direction. The Tory manifesto (p1) isn’t strong on innovation – in fact, ‘excellence’, a far more fluid concept, has swept that aside as the buzzword of the day. It’s well known that large, high-profile and generally successful organisations attract philanthropic giving more easily. Can smaller, lower-profile, localised, cutting-edge or community work attract this money and attention? Probably not – or not unless philanthropists become educated in their ways and their needs. Tory proposals to allow arts organisations to ‘reward’ donors sound fine and dandy if you have a velvet-and-gilt ballroom to drink champagne in and a few international stars to drink it with. If you have temporary tenancy of someone else’s scruffy green room, a few bottles of cheap wine and artists who boast potential rather than fame, you may find yourself outgunned. Additionally, philanthropists can’t be lobbied en masse: many are intensely private people who feel they need to protect themselves from being constantly importuned. They don’t have to listen to public policy, either. So there are no prizes for guessing that the next big move in the arts fundraising world will be seeking to influence and enthuse donors.

Match-making
Another of the Tories’ proposal may also be causing fundraisers unease (though of course the election hasn’t happened yet). Requiring more Arts Council England grants to be made contingent on raising funds from other sources could place immense stress on some parts of the arts economy – as indeed the closure of Kaleido, the south west’s arts and disability agency, shows (p2). It can prove difficult to raise funds for projects which don’t tick all the right boxes. It’s easier to raise funds for young people’s projects, because they top everyone’s list. As different groups and causes go in and out of fashion with trusts, sponsors and private donors, this requirement, if it ever comes into force, could multiply problems for some arts organisations, and will certainly require more outlay on administration – surely an unintended side-effect.