merrion street

I would like to welcome all of you to this conference -

- taking place today in the wonderful Smock Alley Theatre.

I would also like, in advance, to thank each of the speakers addressing us in each of the three sessions. We have an excellent line up of contributors at this conference, and I am looking forward to hearing from each of them this morning and afternoon.

But first, let us consider why we are here today.

We are here to listen and to learn. To ask questions and receive answers. To debate. To share information and contacts. And, through all this, to help inform the policy and the strategy that will make philanthropy a greater part of the cultural and corporate landscape in Ireland in the future.  

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

or our

.

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.

The arts sector in Ireland receives only approximately 0.6% of this amount. Arts organisations in Ireland in general only raise 3% of their income from philanthropy - less than many other countries, like the United Kingdom or United States, were philanthropy is more highly developed.

To address this issue, the Programme for Government agreed between the two parties gives a clear commitment. The programme says:

Today's conference is part of the response to this commitment, and to the similar commitments made at Farmleigh and Dublin Castle. Over the course of this morning and afternoon, we are going to hear from large corporate and international sponsors of culture, from organisations working in Ireland to support the arts, and from individual arts organisations who are 'at the coalface' of this fundraising and philanthropy challenge.

I want today to be a thought-provoking experience for us all - both for policy makers and implementers, for the sponsors and corporate givers, and for the arts practitioners.

My vision of philanthropy is also not one in which one size fits all. It is not about saying there is a single approach which works for everyone. So, since becoming Minister, I have driven policy development on philanthropy through two new schemes, each quite different from the other. 

The first of these - the Philanthropy Leverage Initiative - was launched this year and is managed by my Department. This initiative, launched on a pilot basis, is designed to encourage philanthropic sponsorship and endowment funding of the arts from private sources. Later today we will hear from an organisation which has drawn down funding from this scheme, and I am looking forward to hearing about their experiences with this new scheme. 

The Philanthropy Leverage Initiative is a new innovation for a Government department in Ireland, and we will be fully reviewing the pilot scheme at the end of this year.

The second key initiative being progressed with taxpayer funding is the Arts Council's RAISE Programme. This is designed to build capacity in selected  organisations to go out and raise money - not just once-off funding, but longer term relationship building with private sponsors.  

These schemes are new directions for arts funding and philanthropic development in Ireland. They show that we have to be more innovative in how we approach this issue. And, importantly, these schemes complement the work that is taking place in other organisations: like Bank of America and Business to Arts, the cultural institutions, the Revenue Commissioners, the Ireland Funds and the Forum on Philanthropy. 

Before handing over to our first speaker, I would like to mention briefly the current financial situation.

It is unfortunately the case - but the case nonetheless - that the obvious constraints on the taxpayer mean that we have to look for innovative ways to address funding issues. At a time when taxpayer funding to arts and culture is under pressure and decreasing it is more important than ever that organisations seek to tap whatever reserves of private support may be in place for funding.

Our new focus on philanthropy is not, however, 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. 

Additionally, I firmly believe that philanthropy is as beneficial to the donor as to the recipient and should be recognised as such. As someone who have been associated with a range of arts and heritage groups - both giving of my time and helping to raise money - I know the huge personal reward that comes from this commitment.

Our aim, therefore, is not to simply replace public funding with private support for a year or two - our aim is to develop a culture of philanthropy that allows private support to complement public funding, and for that to be the accepted model that all organisations strive for.

I know that philanthropy is new territory for many Irish arts organisations. Changing thinking and attitudes is as much a challenge as getting arts organisations confident and willing to take the plunge to go out and seek the support that they deserve.

Philanthropy can have a long term positive impact - on arts and culture, and on corporate and business interests. I believe that instilling a new culture of philanthropy in Irish arts and culture will be of manifest benefit for the future vitality of the sector, and I look forward to a through provoking debate about this today.

Thanks for coming, enjoy the conference, and take part in the question and answer sessions that will follow each group of speakers.

Ends