Charitable income shores up cultural institutions

For every £1 of grant-in-aid received by DCMS-funded institutions in 2013/14, 47p was received in charitable giving in the form of financial donations, legacies, sponsorships and memberships. The total value of funds from these sources rose dramatically to £455m last year, an increase of £162m on the amount raised in 2012/13, when fundraising generated only 28p for every £1 of grant-in-aid. The cultural institutions included in this measure are Arts Council England (ACE) and its National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs), the British Film Institute, British Library, English Heritage and the 15 National Museums and Galleries, including Tate, the National Gallery and the V&A. Their combined income from charitable sources has increased steadily over time, but this year’s leap means that combined fundraising revenues at all these organisations now stands at more than double the £204m of five years ago.

The figures are published in the DCMS Statistical Release ‘Charitable Giving Indicators 2013/14’. The report suggests that the dramatic increase in charitable giving last year may be due to a number of cultural institutions running major fundraising campaigns, including the British Museums’ new World Conservation and Exhibition Centre and the redevelopment at Tate Modern. This is reflected in the wide variation in fundraising revenues at individual organisations, ranging from Tate, where £3.90 was generated for every £1 of grant-in-aid, to the Royal Armouries, which raised 3p. ACE’s NPOs raised an average of 58p, up from 51p last year and 33p five years ago.