Report reveals how trusts & foundations supported arts & cultural sector during pandemic
Melanie May | 13 September 2024 | News
The level of investment by trusts and foundations into supporting the arts and cultural sector during the pandemic has been revealed in a new report, commissioned by The Arts Funders Group.
This is a group of independent trusts and foundations and part of the ACF Funders’ Collaborative Hub.
Building on research published in 2021, the report Funding for Arts and Culture: an overview of data 2019–22 looks at more than 2,600 grants records from 18 trusts and foundations between April 2020 and March 2022 to understand how grant-making in the sector responded to, and was impacted by, the Covid-19 pandemic.
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It shows that funding significantly increased in the first year of the pandemic, reaching a total of £124.5 million (2020/21), up from £90.4 million in the previous year (2019/20). The following year, spend reverted to pre-pandemic levels, with £83.1 million in grants made in the financial year 2021/22.
Of these grants, those to individuals – and specifically to support the welfare of creatives – significantly increased during the pandemic. A greater number and proportion of smaller grants were made in 2020/21 than pre-pandemic, as capital funding fell and emergency grants to organisations, and particularly to individuals, grew.
The report also shows the importance of arts and culture funding from trusts and foundations for smaller organisations, where funding from this source made up a larger proportion of overall income. Smaller organisations with income under £1 million received 53% of the total number of grants made, but just 24% of the total value of grants made, reflecting higher value grants going to larger organisations.
Holly Donagh, Director, Strategic Learning, Insight and Influence at Paul Hamlyn Foundation, said:
“We think it’s important to understand the dynamics of funding and put the contribution of Trusts and Foundation into context alongside other major funding in-flows like Arts Council. We know how hard it is at the moment for cultural leaders to navigate the changing economic outlook and hope this data helps all of us collaborate better.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.