Re-thinking fundraising of dance companies in Finnish cultural political environment

Abstract

Finnish cultural policies have ideologically justified public support for arts, but recent argumentations have stressed the need for funding from private sources. This study examines how Finnish contemporary dance companies react to the demand to increase fundraising from private sources. It explores how the concept of fundraising is understood, and what kind of forms of fundraising the dance companies practise outside of public funding. It also asks how Finnish cultural policy, the reform of state subsidy system for performing arts and the criterions of public funding are perceived by the dance companies.

The research is a qualitative theme study conducted with semi-structured thematic interviews. The primary data is gathered by interviewing representatives of four state subsidised Finnish contemporary dance companies, so-called VOS dance theatres, and of three independent dance companies receiving operational subsidies from Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike). The thematic framework and analysis operate in the fields of Finnish cultural policy, contemporary dance, and fundraising in relation to arts management.

The findings indicate following: 1) There are varying interpretations of the term fundraising, and clarifying the dance company’s mission, vision and value statements, as well as the contents and processes of fundraising, would help the dance companies to compose their funding from multiple sources. 2) Public support is essential for all the Finnish dance companies, yet the necessity to increase private fundraising is recognised to widen the audience structure and financial base of the dance company. The state subsidies for performing arts form a stable foundation for the budgets of the VOS dance companies, and enable to release more efforts (funds, time, personnel) for fundraising from other sources. 3) The natural links between the dance companies, other arts organisations, independent collectives, and arts professionals construct a collaborative horizontal network for fundsaving by sharing existing resources, and for fundraising for co-operative activities and co-productions. The practised forms of private fundraising consist of e.g., project grants from private foundations, innovative collaborations or small-scale sponsoring with business sector, sales of tickets, venues, expertise and performance packages, and emerging potentials for membership schemes and donations. However, more pilot projects are needed to develop partnerships with and ways to approach business sector. 4) Finnish system of public funding for arts is valued as relatively equal, transparent, and liable – although some development ideas appeared in the study. The reformed state subsidy system for performing arts is regarded as an improvement to ease long-term planning and ways for newcomers to join the system. Yet, suitable criterions for obtaining public subsidies and views to the impacts of wider tax deductions for donating to arts divide opinions.