merrion street

Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, has told a major conference on

that the constraints on the taxpayer mean that innovative ways to address funding issues in the arts and culture sector must be sought, and has said that philanthropy must become a mainstay of funding for the future.

 Minister Deenihan commented:

 "We know that Ireland is one of the great philanthropic countries of the world. It is a core characteristic of ours - and one that we rate highly - that we take an interest in others, and that we support their work and efforts through the donation of our time or our money.

Today, it is estimated that total philanthropic income in Ireland is in excess of half a billion euro annually. This is a very sizable amount for a country of our size. However, the arts sector in Ireland receives only approximately 0.6% of this amount. This is something we have to challenge and to change....

I have driven and encouraged policy development on philanthropy through two new schemes, each quite different from the other - the Philanthropy Leverage Initiative operated by my Department and the RAISE Programme operated by the Arts Council.

Through these schemes I want to incentivise organisations to grow their funding by augmenting private sponsorship with taxpayer funding. I also want groups to build the skills - and confidence - to seek long term funding partnerships with the private sector. 

Our new focus on philanthropy is not simply about helping organisations to function through the downturn. I firmly believe that philanthropy should grow to be a mainstay of arts and culture funding for the years and decades ahead, even when State funding to arts and culture begins to increase again at some point in the future."

Speakers at the conference included Peter Keegan (Bank of America Merill Lynch), Caitriona Fottrell (Ireland Funds), John R. Healy  (Forum on Philanthropy), Orlaith McBride (Arts Council), Dennis O'Connor (RAISE), Liam Keogh  (Revenue Commissioners), Frances McGee (National Archives of Ireland), Stuart McLaughlin (Business to Arts), Trevor White (Little Museum of Dublin), Patrick T. Murphy (RHA), Breda Kennedy (Independent Consultant, Arts and Culture) and Patrick Sutton (Smock Alley Theatre).