Creative Partnerships Australia survey shows private sector increasing donations to the arts

A survey of 2,208 arts and cultural organisations across Australia has revealed that private sector support for the arts continues to rise.

Conducted by Creative Partnerships Australia, the Giving Attitude report shows that total private sector support in Australia in 2017 was approximately $608 million – a significant increase on the total figure of $221 million raised through such sources in 2009/10.

Most of the money raised in 2017 was generated in NSW ($206 million) and Victoria ($161 million) while the largest organisations in the sector – those with an annual turnover of more than $5 million – received the largest share of donations, $251 million of the $608 million total.

Organisations with a turnover of $1 million attracted the second-largest amount of private sector support - $67 million, suggesting that organisations with more staff dedicated to targeting the private sector are more successful in raising such funds.

Advising that the report provides insights into the key experiences and challenges faced by Australian arts organisations and outlines both actual results and their perception of their ability to fundraise,

Creative Partnerships Australia Chief Executive, Fiona Menzies stated "the good news is that those organisations that have invested resources over time are achieving great results, with private sector support providing a significant income stream, alongside government grants and earned income.

"The challenge for organisations whose private sector support strategies are less advanced is that they need to invest up front and over a period of a few years to establish programs that will provide that income stream in the future."

The report also notes that the arts sector now views government and private sector funding as equally important across, although the sector reports more success at government than private fundraising.

It also advises that outer metropolitan organisations claim more success at private than government fundraising.

Following on from the Australian Major Performing Arts Group’s 2018 fundraising report - Tracking changes in corporate sponsorship and donations 2018 - Creative Partnerships Australia plan for the Giving Attitude report to be the first of biennial sector-wide survey of private sector support for the arts, providing baseline data from which trends can be measured in subsequent years.

The report is designed to inform policy and advocacy for investment in the arts across Australia.

Commenting on its release, Federal Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher stated “the private sector is an important source of funding for Australian arts organisations, together with funding from the Australian Government.

“This research undertaken by Creative Partnerships Australia takes a measure of the level of private sector support for the arts in Australia, and I strongly encourage all Australian arts organisations to participate in the 2020 survey.”

Of the organisations surveyed one quarter completed and submitted the necessary information.

Click here to view the full report on the Creative Partnerships Australia website.