Arts funding from the private sector
According to the charity, Arts & Business, private support for the arts has risen from £393m to £452m in the last two years.
The majority of private money donated in 2004/5 went to heritage projects – over £163m. Museums benefited from around £43m and theatres a little under £31m. The only sector to see a significant fall was the visual arts, where business funding has dropped nearly 20% to £54m.
Theatre is one of several sectors where private funding has rocketed, seeing a 40% increase in the last year.
“I’m completely comfortable with the idea that we live in a mixed theatrical economy,” said the NT’s artistic director, Nicholas Hytner. “That is always what has happened. For us it’s worked brilliantly.”
Hytner dismissed fears that ever-increasing corporate sponsorship could allow businesses to exert an editorial influence: “It’s easier to imagine being asked to do tiresome things to sustain a state subsidy.”
Those of you who have a little bit of the spread sheet geek in you (and unfortunately I do) here’s the pdf of the report in summary.
It’s interesting that theatre funding has risen. Maybe this is because association with good plays and theatres is useful for companies or perhaps there is a growing demand for the performing arts.
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One Response to “Arts funding from the private sector”
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About me
I'm a playwright and investment analyst. I have a broad range of interests: food, gardening, innovation & intellectual property, sustainability, architecture & design, writing and the arts. I sit on the board of Talawa Theatre Company and advise a CIS investment trust on socially responsible investments.
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Recent Work
Recent plays include, for theatre: Nakamitsu, Yellow Gentlemen, Lost in Peru, Lemon Love. For radio: Places in Between (R4), Patent Breaking Life Saving (WS).
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Nakamitsu
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Yellow Gentlemen
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my name is simon ward and i am a student at derby college and i have an assignment in which i have to find information on private funding and i was wondering if you could send me some information so that i can put it on my portfolio.
yours faithfully,
simon ward