Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to share my observations with the House concerning the issue of philanthropy and the arts. I know only too well from my work as a director and manager of a range of different theatre companies, arts organisations and so on that funding is an issue that never goes away and it becomes even more critical in times of national financial crisis. Arts organisations have relied on various forms of philanthropy for their existence, whether it is support from individuals, local businesses or community fund-raising initiatives. I do not, though, include, sponsorship deals with large companies for festivals or showpiece events as acts of philanthropy. That is not the way they should be viewed. As welcome as such sponsorship is, companies do well out of these contributions and we often undervalue the positive exposure our arts events can bring to them.

A number of wealthy individuals have contributed to the arts. Some have done so publicly while others have chosen to do so privately. Such donations tend to be ad hoc and they are often for short-term or once-off high profile events. According to the Arts Council, fund-raising comprises only 3% of the income for arts organisations. While I suspect this figure does not take account of the many smaller local organisations across the country, it still compares poorly to other countries such as the UK or Australia, where they secure up to one third of their income through fund-raising. The ad hoc approach to Irish donations is a weakness correctly identified in the recent forum on philanthropy report, which aims to improve the rate of overall philanthropic support to approximately 60% over four years. This will be achieved by encouraging a more structured scheme of regular planned donations over a period similar to the scheme operated in the UK. Such schemes can be of huge benefit to the arts where in recent years uncertainty has crept in over budgets leading to a difficulty in formulating long-term production plans, which can be a constant drag on the development and creativity of production companies.

The recently launched Arts Council's RAISE: Building Fundraising Capacity pilot scheme, together with the philanthropy leverage initiative, will be of immense value. I hope the smaller grassroots organisations will also be catered for through this initiative. All participants and all artistic and cultural pursuits tend to be generated from the grassroots up. No actor gets his first role on the stage of the Abbey Theatre and no musician performs his or her first concert in the National Concert Hall. Small organisations will have the opportunity to draw down €5,000 from the State if they can raise €10,000 in private funds. Both these initiatives are welcome and I hope and believe they will be successful.

However, I sound a note of warning to the Minister and to the House. Increased funding from private sources should never serve as a fig leaf for a phased withdrawal of State support, which is critical. Such a return to the Victorian notion of private charity and patronage to the arts would be disastrous for cultural initiatives and the development of cultural pursuits in the State. I am sure none of us would want such a scenario. The State plays an important role in the provision of arts services at local authority and Arts Council level and through funding by the Minister's Department. It is important that the State continues to articulate our identity and our unique sense of ourselves through support for the arts.

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