Cultural Undertaking and Investment: From Intuition to Decision Making

Report, Forum d'Avignon, 2012.

“…this climate is forcing more and more cultural “investors” to ask themselves new questions: Which project to invest in? What are the qualitative and quantitative criteria for evaluating an investment in culture? How will these investments pay off in the future?“ More...

Private investment in culture 2010/11: Less Public, More Private? Arts Funding in a Cold Climate

Report, Arts & Business UK, 2012.

“Arts & Business’s new figures reveal that in 2010/11, private investment in culture stood at £686 million, a 4% increase from the previous year. Since Arts & Business first started capturing this data in 1976, private investment in the arts has been following a general upward trend, which has been interrupted in recent years with decreases from various sources of investment.“ More...

GIA Artist Support Benchmarking Initiative

Field Scan Preliminary Report, prepared by Alan Brown and Claudia Bach, Grantmakers for the Arts, 2012.

“For several years, Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) members who fund individual artists have noted the lack of sector-wide data on artist support, especially the lack of a common taxonomy to explain the different forms of artist support, and lack of benchmark data to track artist support. Recognizing that this a complex picture, and that support comes in may forms and from diverse sources, GIA is undertaking a research project over the next few years to develop a system of tracking support to individual artists. This stream of information will complement GIA’s longstanding work in benchmarking arts funding overall, and will assist arts funders in better understanding the ecology of artist support and how to improve and expand their practices in providing support to individual artists.“ More...

Increasing Individual Giving to the Arts: Evidence, Aspirations and Potential Barriers to Success

Summary of Findings, Arts Quarter, 2012.

“This report together the findings from two of AQ's landmark research projects to look at the potential for arts organisations to increase levels of giving over the next three years as well as exploring possible barriers to success which the report urges arts organisations to address in order to meet their clear aspirations to significantly increase levels of individual giving over the next three years.” More...

Article, Ian David Moss and Daniel Reid, GIA Reader, 2012.

“We contend that by harnessing the talents of the arts’ most knowledgeable, committed, and ethical citizens and distributing funds according to the principles of what we have termed guided crowdsourcing, grantmaking institutions can increase public investment in and engagement with the arts, increase the diversity and vibrancy of art accessible to consumers, and ensure a more meritocratic distribution of resources. We envision an online platform that empowers aficionados, aspiring critics, and curious minds to participate in the philanthropic process — a forum with the potential to give fair consideration to the full range of artistic talent available and ensure that the most promising voices are heard and amplified.” More...

Guide on Surveying the Economic Contribution of the Copyright-based Industries

Report, WIPO, 2012.

“Traditional perspectives on copyright have changed significantly since the main pillar of the international copyright system, the Berne Convention, was concluded in 1886. More recently, with the adoption of the two WIPO Internet treaties in 1996, many changes have taken place in the copyright field, as result of the digital technology, opening new horizons for composers, artists, writers and others to use the Internet with confidence to create, distribute and control the use of their works within the digital environment. Once perceived as an obscure legal concept, today copyright is increasingly relevant to the everyday lives of an unprecedented number of people. In the global economy, copyright protection creates the basis for entire industries such as those for music, publishing, film, broadcasting and software, and affects as well many other business activities. Thus copyright is a powerful source of economic growth, creating jobs and stimulating trade.“ More...

Arts Funding Snapshot: GIA’s Annual Research on Support for Arts and Culture

Includes:

Foundation Grants to Arts and Culture, 2010: A One-year Snapshot (Steven Lawrence and Reina Mukai)

Public Funding for the Arts: 2012 Update (Ryan Stubbs)

Pre-publication draft, Grantmakers in the Arts, 2012.

“Government grant funding for the arts in the United States originates from three primary sources: federal appropriations to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), legislative appropriations to the nation’s state arts agencies, and direct expenditures on the arts by local governments. All three public funding streams have experienced declines in the past decade, reflecting a recessionary economy and stagnant (or in some cases even declining) public revenues.” More...

Indigenous Arts Policy: Initiatives and Challenges

IFACCA D’ART REPORT NO 22, Annamari Laaksonen, Research Manager, IFACCA, 2012.

“The objectives of this report are to look at how government support to Indigenous art is organised in different countries, the main principles and activities apparent in Indigenous arts policies, and the challenges for Indigenous people to participate in cultural life.” More...

Mapping of Nordic Creative and Cultural Industries Financial Environment

Heikki Masalin, CIM, KreaNord Report, 2012.

„CCIs are not best served by model of industrial development with large investments, long amortization times and (tangible) collateral arrangements. Equity finance with venture capital often suit well to technology driven high growth companies with large negative cash flow before revenue and profit generation. But in many cases best instruments for content driven activities of creative and cultural industries are based on project funding already customary in many creative fields." More…

Strategic Philanthropy: Guide to Evaluation

White Paper. Includes a section on arts and culture philanthropy. Credit Suisse (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors), 2012.

“Quantifying the impact of an experience is an extraordinary challenge, despite our knowledge that access to the visual and performing arts provides benefits to people of all ages.” More...

Creative Industry Outlook for 2012: A FunctionFox Report

“Despite challenging economic times for the design industry (US), a full 43% of the small creative firms surveyed expect to increase the size of their staff over the coming year. That’s up a remarkable 6% from last year. The majority of those surveyed (52%) still anticipate maintaining current staff levels – compared to 58% the year before.” More…