2013-05-18T02:46:55-04:00 Jeremy Hunt http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=jeremy-hunt Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Jeremy Hunt Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1321158 2012-03-05T19:00:00-05:00 2012-05-05T05:12:01-04:00

Jeremy Hunt http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-hunt/ Diana and Callisto has been acquired for the nation is a cause for huge celebration. Not just the fact that a masterpiece will not be going abroad - but also for what it shows about our cultural institutions.

The need to make difficult budget cuts has presented the arts world with its most challenging environment for a long time. But rather than give up without a fight, most organisations have risen to the challenge by putting massive effort into boosting fundraising capacity. Not as a replacement for public money, but to improve financial resilience by reducing dependence on any single source of funding. Many organisations are showing how creative they can be off stage as well as on it, like the Southbank Centre creating a new form of organ donation, where donors are funding different sized pipes to support the restoration of its historic organ.

This is not only true of the larger London organisations, but also smaller projects, productions and exhibitions throughout the country. The Wordsworth Trust in Cumbria, the Hepworth in Wakefield, the Halle Orchestra and the Turner Contemporary in Margate have all been successful. And many have also brought new supporters on board using social media and embraced crowdfunding websites like sponsume, WeDidThis and WeFund.

Many people thought I was wrong to make boosting philanthropy the mainstay of arts policy. But in difficult times I thought it was right to focus my energies on helping to stabilise the finances of the country's cultural fabric - which I passionately believe is one of our greatest assets. As well as improving the lottery share going to the arts (which has reduced the net cut to the Arts Council budget from 30% to 12% and will mean an additional £200m going into the arts over the next five years), I have worked with the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council to launch a £100m match funding pot to help larger organisations launch endowment funds. This scheme will also help smaller and regional groups develop fundraising capacity.

On top of that, last year's budget introduced lifetime giving for cultural gifts for the first time as well as a highly significant tax break to encourage people to leave money to charity in their wills. That has led to a hugely successful campaign led by Roland Rudd to raise awareness of the tax benefits of legacy giving. Called Legacy 10, it now has cross-party support and is gathering real momentum.

The result of all these changes? Contrary to expectations, last week's Arts & Business figures showed private investment in culture rose by 4% to £686 million in 2010/11. Cultural organisations have risen to meet one of the greatest financial challenges in their history and managed to increase funding from non-government sources despite the harshest economic climate since the Second World War.

But there is much more to do. Part of the cultural change we need is to be less modest - and perhaps less British - about recognising generosity publicly.

Let me practice what I preach by mentioning Michael Hintze's incredible £2m gift to the National gallery, the Sackler Foundation's support for the Serpentine Gallery, Lloyd Dorfman's fantastic gift to the National Theatre and Sir Terence Conran's vision for the Design Museum.

And it is not just the big donations that give us cause to be grateful. We should also give a special mention to the Art Fund, which, through its 90,000 supporters is making a huge contribution to the arts in this country including helping to secure Diana and Callisto.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1144261 2011-12-12T19:00:00-05:00 2012-02-11T05:12:01-05:00

Jeremy Hunt http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-hunt/
And amazing it is. Even in difficult economic times the arts in this country continue to inspire and startle. As a government, we are determined to ensure our arts sector has the financial stability to continue to deliver that fantastic creativity.

Our programme to increase the amount of private support for the arts - on top of generous public sector funding - is really taking shape. As the end of 2011 approaches, it feels timely to reflect on the highlights of the last 12 months.

Almost one year ago I launched a 10-point action plan designed to drive up private giving to arts and heritage organisations, and create a brand new generation of cultural philanthropists.

This is never going to be something that can be delivered overnight however, it is a long-term plan to gradually shift our culture so that giving becomes the norm, not the exception.

What we can do more quickly is to put in place the building blocks for that behavioural change, making it easier and more attractive for both individual donors and businesses to make donations to the institutions they cherish - and by doing so make real headway in transforming the landscape for giving.

If you need any proof of the government's commitment to the philanthropy agenda, just look at the Chancellor's Autumn Statement.

Despite the tough international economic conditions, George Osborne has given his backing to a new Cultural Gifts Scheme, which will allow outstanding works of art or significant historical objects to be gifted to the nation in return for a reduction in income or corporation tax.

The total budget for this and the hugely successful acceptance in lieu scheme will be £30 million each year, a £10 million boost which will mean more treasures going direct to museums and galleries across the country.

Our culture is already richer through this innovative scheme - great acquisitions including Titian's Venus Anadyomene, Michelangelo's The Dream and Picasso's Weeping Woman grace the walls of British galleries thanks to acceptance in lieu. The National Trust has acquired numerous great properties like the magnificent Penrhyn Castle, Hardwick Hall and Shugborough, all gifted in lieu of inheritance tax. So I am very excited about the potential for the whole nation to benefit from even more pre-eminent works of art now that the Chancellor has made it possible for lifetime giving to be treated in the same way.

I have also been heartened by the leadership shown by the private sector to encourage giving.

The Legacy10 campaign, which is encouraging people to leave 10% of their estate to charity, is capitalising on the inheritance tax break that will come in to force in April next year. Despite the recession, last year, 58% of UK adults gave money to charity - an increase on the previous year. But surprisingly, only 7% of people currently leave anything to charity in their wills.

If we can encourage more people to create legacies, either by a simple reminder or by tax incentives, it will lead to increased numbers of us recognising organisations that have meant something to us during our lifetimes.

I don't ever again want to see our arts bodies destabilised in the way they were when the reality of the credit crunch hit. So a £55 million endowment scheme I launched in July is designed to help give arts and heritage organisations long-term financial security through building strong endowments. The first grants - which we expect to trigger a further £130 million in private sector investment - will be awarded in spring next year.

We've taken many other small but significant steps to drive up philanthropy for arts and cultural organisations. Michael Kaiser, the 'turnaround king' who brought financial security to the Royal Opera House, Kansas City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre among others, shared his expertise with regional arts fundraisers in a series of masterclasses. I hope leading UK fundraisers will also mentor their counterparts to build a stronger culture of asking as well as giving.

Government reformed Gift Aid to make it easier for charities to benefit. And we've said thank you to donors, because we really do appreciate the generosity of those who give vital support to the arts.

Overall, I think we've made real and exciting progress.

To be absolutely clear - this is in no way a substitute for public support for the arts. I'll keep repeating my firm belief that the best way to secure our place as a global star on the cultural scene is through a healthy mix of public and private funding.

As we look forward to 2012, when the eyes of the world are upon London and the UK, I am excited not just about the sporting extravaganza that is the Olympic Games, but the feast of spectacular culture that will go alongside it. This really will cement the country's reputation for generating and celebrating amazing arts and culture, right around the world. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.890131 2011-07-05T08:01:23-04:00 2011-09-04T05:12:01-04:00

Jeremy Hunt http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-hunt/
From the National Theatre's 'War Horse' to the Neil MacGregor's 'A History of the World in 100 Objects', there have been some incredible highlights in the British art calendar over the past year. But it has also been an incredibly challenging year for everyone who cares about British arts and culture.

Sadly, we have had to make difficult decisions, and while the Government has tried to limit the impact on frontline budgets, I know these have been painful months for many of us.
The basic dilemma is that arts organisations are fragile. They're often led by brilliant, passionate people who quite rightly think that art matters more than money. Yet without financial security, this fragility becomes vulnerability.

So if we want to nurture great art and strengthen the institutions that sustain it, then we need a stable, long term financial base - one that will insulate the sector from the boom and bust pattern of public sector funding.

Of course we're fortunate in this country to have plenty of individuals ready to give generously to the arts.

Over the last 12 months, we've seen some breath taking examples of individual philanthropy: Terence Conran, Lloyd Dorfman, Dame Vivien Duffield and Sara Miller McCune, to name but a few.

But it's clear there's a lot more we can do to professionalise and develop fundraising capacity and nurture a more widespread philanthropic spirit more widely across the country.
In fact, I see this as my number one priority as Culture Secretary.

Financial independence is the oxygen for great art. It's how we can make sure great British creations, like the Tony-award winning Jerusalem, triumph on an international stage.

So what have we done? In December I launched a 10 point plan for philanthropy, which includes a new £100 million matched-fund to encourage fundraising. I also designated 2011 as the year of corporate philanthropy.

In his budget the Chancellor has also announced measures to simplify gift aid and published a consultation on making gifts of art tax deductible.

And perhaps most significantly, he cut inheritance tax for those pledging 10 per cent or more of their legacy to charity.

When you combine that with the other ideas Francis Maude has put forward to boost charitable giving as a whole, we aim to create a very positive environment for arts fundraising.

As the inspirational Michael Kaiser wrote, UK arts organisations have traditionally had "a reticence to talk about money, let alone ask for it."
That's changing too, with a new willingness to embrace major development programmes, and to build up skills and expertise - something we asked Michael to help us with last month.

Clearly, philanthropy and corporate sponsorship are major pillars, but this also includes membership schemes, commercial income from shops and restaurants and credit card donation programmes too.

There is another missing piece - a vital financial cushion for when times get tough.
Endowments are commonplace in the US, but still quite rare in the UK.
Yet if we want to compete on an international stage, we need to give our cultural institutions the same protection and resilience.

So I believe that 2011 should be the start of a century of British cultural endowments to help us build a firmer investment base for the arts.

The Government can help stimulate this - so this week I have announced plans for a new endowment fund of £55 million, which we hope will trigger a further £130 million in private sector investment through matched funding.

But we also need cultural institutions to embrace the ideas and build up the capacity to attract and manage these funds more effectively.

For me, that's the challenge for the years ahead.

Shakespeare wrote of art and beauty threatened by the 'wrackful siege of battering days'.
Nobody can predict how and when the next siege will come.

It's our job to make sure we're ready and that great art is always protected and sustained.]]>