Hope for the arts in the United States is in the hands of private money, with its philanthropic environment promoted by tax breaks. Does the UK's hybrid model of arts funding offer a brighter future? Leslie Ramos considers the evidence.
At the start of this year, the dominant debate in the world of arts fundraising was about the ethical standards of organisations accepting sponsorship and donations from private sources. This debate had peaked in 2019 with no clear resolution and, for a while, it masked the reefs and shoals ever present below the surface: the underlying issues facing museums and other not-for-profit arts organisations.
Appearances might give the impression that museums do not struggle for funding. Glitzy buildings, often-packed galleries and gift shops, and busy exhibition programmes have often supported this idea. In the UK and US, high-profile, big-budget museum expansions are a regular occurrence. In recent years, there have been major expansions of MoMA in 2019 ($450m), the Royal Academy of Arts in 2018 (£50m), the V&A in 2017 (£55m) and Tate Modern in 2016 (£260m), to name just a handful.
Since the pandemic struck, the reefs and shoals have resurfaced. Museums are bereft of revenue from ticketing, cafes and shops. Spring and summer fundraisers have been cancelled and patrons’ programmes moved online with inevitable drops of retention rates; blockbuster summer exhibitions have been postponed, and capital projects delayed indefinitely... Keep reading on Apollo
At the start of this year, the dominant debate in the world of arts fundraising was about the ethical standards of organisations accepting sponsorship and donations from private sources. This debate had peaked in 2019 with no clear resolution and, for a while, it masked the reefs and shoals ever present below the surface: the underlying issues facing museums and other not-for-profit arts organisations.
Appearances might give the impression that museums do not struggle for funding. Glitzy buildings, often-packed galleries and gift shops, and busy exhibition programmes have often supported this idea. In the UK and US, high-profile, big-budget museum expansions are a regular occurrence. In recent years, there have been major expansions of MoMA in 2019 ($450m), the Royal Academy of Arts in 2018 (£50m), the V&A in 2017 (£55m) and Tate Modern in 2016 (£260m), to name just a handful.
Since the pandemic struck, the reefs and shoals have resurfaced. Museums are bereft of revenue from ticketing, cafes and shops. Spring and summer fundraisers have been cancelled and patrons’ programmes moved online with inevitable drops of retention rates; blockbuster summer exhibitions have been postponed, and capital projects delayed indefinitely... Keep reading on Apollo