Alan Davey, chief executive, Arts Council England

INCREASING THE FLOW OF CAPITAL FOR GOOD - INVESTING AND GIVING

Alan Davey
Magazine article

This special edition of Philanthropy UK is extremely timely. It demonstrates the range of voices with experience on philanthropy that already exist within the arts, and as such can only help move forward the agenda.

The arts in England are often portrayed as a single cause, making it all too easy to lose sight of the complexity and sheer range of arts organisations working across the country. These organisations must draw on what makes them unique to raise funds effectively – the nature of the art they produce, their size, location, and distinct operating models all have a significant impact on their ability to attract private giving.

Such a complex arts ecology means that any kind of ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy to increase private giving would be destined to fail and a far more sophisticated response is needed to raise the contribution of philanthropy to the arts.

The match funding scheme announced by the DCMS and the Arts Council in December is a good starting point, but it is only that. It is important we use these funds in an intelligent and targeted fashion, supporting organisations in ways that will be most beneficial to them as they look to increase and diversify their income.

Fundraising is a time-consuming process and requires resources that small organisations, run on very tight margins, struggle to find. That’s why in some cases the most appropriate use of funds will be to help find extra capacity, either through dedicated fundraising staff or ways to help existing staff spend more time on expanding their income base. The Arts Council is currently discussing with organisations of all sizes how best we can support them in this, and later this year we will be announcing proposals to increase fundraising expertise. These measures may include asking some organisations to help develop the skills of others.

But the better equipping of arts organisations to ask for donations is only half the challenge. To see a real rise in philanthropic giving we need to make a clearer case for the arts as a cause worth giving to. Currently only 2% of philanthropists donate to the arts and, while tax reform could play a significant role in increasing this figure, we need to look at why people choose to give to the arts and how we can better articulate the value of this investment to others.

There are at least two motivations which prompt donors to give to the arts. Some give because they believe in the instrumental benefits of the arts in delivering social change, improving health and enriching education; others give simply because they enjoy the arts or have felt the transformative emotional impact they can bring. But there remains a perception in some quarters that the arts are not a ‘worthy’ cause or that they are inherently rich and not in need of support.

While it is not the Arts Council’s role to fundraise on behalf of the arts sector, we believe we have an important part to play in advocating the value of the work the arts do. This will involve building links with potential donors and funders to demonstrate and broaden the range of projects that receive private support.

We can also help bring skills from the wider third sector to help the arts. Despite many arts organisations being charities, too often the arts see themselves or are seen as entirely separate to other charitable causes. While many arts organisations articulate their value very successfully, the sector as a whole can learn a great deal from the experiences of the recognised charity sector.

Philanthropy is not a panacea – it will not, and should not, replace public investment – in fact research shows that arts philanthropists believe the state should take greater responsibility for funding the arts. But private funds have a real role to play in upholding England’s world class arts ecology, and the Arts Council will continue to work alongside the entire arts sector in making sure all organisations are in the best possible position to benefit from the generosity of philanthropists.

Alan Davey
Alan Davey was appointed chief executive of the Arts Council in November 2007. Alan was director for culture at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport from 2003 until December 2006, having previously worked in the department as head of the Arts Division since 2001. In an earlier stint at the then Department of National Heritage he was responsible for designing the National Lottery. Alan has also worked at the Department of Health, where he led the Modernising Division and held the post of secretary to the Royal Commission on Long Term Care. He has been a visiting Fulbright/Helen Hamlyn Scholar at the University of Maryland and has degrees from the universities of Birmingham, Oxford and London. Alan is well known for his passionate interest in, and advocacy of, the arts, as well as for his unrivalled knowledge of public policy in this area.

Arts Council England
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