The Sacklers, Warren Kanders, Baillie Gifford, BP. These are just some of the names of individuals and corporations that museums and other cultural organisations have severed ties with as sponsorship deals come under greater scrutiny. This, coupled with deep public funding cuts and changing attitudes towards philanthropy among the younger generations, is forcing museums around the world to rethink how they engage with private funding for the arts.
These potentially thorny topics are the subject of a summit at Tefaf Maastricht on 17 March, titled Reimagining Philanthropy: New Models for Private Funding in the Arts. The fair’s new managing director, Dominique Savelkoul, is no stranger to the problems museums face, having most recently served as the head of Mu.ZEE, a museum in Ostend, Belgium. She notes how many museums are becoming “more entrepreneurial” in response to funding pressures—for example, developing new membership schemes and forming innovative partnerships.
One such partnership is in the pipeline between the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and one of the country’s leading fashion brands. Names are still under wraps, but there are plans for the museum group to lend a work in its collection to the fashion company to exhibit in Paris in exchange for sponsorship. “I’m taking a risk as museum director, because it’s not common practice to lend works outside of a museum, but we have to be open to new ways of collaborating with the corporate world, while respecting the integrity of artworks,” says the head of the Royal Museums, Kim Oosterlinck, who will speak on a panel about some of the negative perceptions around private funding. He noted that the loan object will be exhibited in “museum conditions” and properly guarded.
Dealers, auction houses and art fairs are increasingly stepping into the breach by sponsoring exhibitions and, in the case of Frieze and Christie’s, national pavilions at the Venice Biennale. This support is crucial, though it also raises questions over the commercial sector’s potential influence on programming. “Looking at it negatively, you could say some dealers use museums to promote their artists, and in a sense that’s their job,” Oosterlinck says. “So, it’s up to the museum to draw the line—to see whether the artist is of museum quality and whether there is added value, in terms of science or aesthetics, to forge a particular partnership.”
As Savelkoul puts it, “The key challenge lies in maintaining curatorial independence while securing financial stability, as museums must strike a balance between ethical considerations and financial needs.” She also stresses that museums must establish “clear ethical frameworks to safeguard artistic integrity” while benefiting from private sector support.
New approaches to funding
Savelkoul highlights other new models that are emerging, such as impact-driven philanthropy—where donors expect measurable social and cultural outcomes—and digital philanthropy, with crowdfunding and blockchain-based giving creating greater access to cultural sponsorship. Collaborative funding to support large-scale initiatives is also on the rise. Jenny Waldman, the director of the UK charity Art Fund, who is speaking on a panel about “private funding for public good”, espouses the power of collective action in raising £3.5m to secure the future of Prospect Cottage, the home of the artist and film-maker Derek Jarman.
High-net-worth individuals and family foundations have traditionally been the biggest givers, but Savelkoul notes that a new cohort of “socially conscious donors” is reshaping the landscape. Unlike previous generations, she says, they “often prioritise long-term initiatives over one-off sponsorships” and seek “systemic change rather than transactional support”.
Nonetheless, tax incentives are still an issue. While private philanthropy is popular in the US, which is generous with tax breaks, the UK operates a “mixed economy” approach. Most European countries rely more heavily on the state, although this too is changing. However, structural barriers, such as differing tax policies and public attitudes towards arts funding, remain challenges for European museums.
Waldman observes the “complexities” involved for prospective art donors in the UK, “not least a lack of clarity on tax regulations that are hard to decipher”. She adds: “There are also challenges in simply finding the right museum with the means to display, conserve and research a work appropriately, especially if the donor would like to gift a large collection.”
A mixed-funding model has helped British museums grow over the past two decades, though Waldman warns that years of government cuts “are now threatening the strong museum ecology we have built in the UK”. Ultimately, she thinks, a thriving museum sector “requires a careful balance between public and private funding”. This is perhaps the gold standard for museums everywhere.
