Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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280. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which the sector continues to attract support from philanthropists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27354/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Private support for the arts is an important funding source and the Government continues to support this through tax incentives and other initiatives. While my Department does not have a breakdown of the total flows of philanthropic funding to the sector, the Programme for a Partnership Government does contain a commitment to encourage strong, mutually beneficial links between the business community and the arts community to assist arts organisations to capitalise on sponsorship opportunities and to develop business partnerships and fundraising skills.  In this regard, I recognise the important work carried out by Business to Arts for which my Department provides a small amount of assistance.

In addition, the Arts Council, which is funded by the Department, operates the RAISE programme, which seeks to enhance fund-raising skills in arts organisations with a view to diversifying the sector's sources of funding.  It is designed to assist the sector in securing philanthropic contributions to the arts in Ireland.    

In terms of other capital investment requiring co-funding, a €10 million investment scheme for arts and cultural centres is in progress, focussed on upgrading the existing stock of such centres around the country.  The funding, which is being made available as part of the Capital Investment Framework 2016-2021, is dependent on matching funding being secured by project promoters and therefore provides an opportunity for philanthropic support.

In addition, the Government capital investment plan Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage, which provides for investment of €460m in a significant number of capital projects in our National Cultural Institutions over the next 10 years states that individual cultural institutions will be raising their own contributions (typically around 10%-15% of project costs) through philanthropic effort.