Since April 2001, all British public museums have been free.
The government’s contribution to arts and culture in the UK is 0.5% of the total economy: in 2019 that figure rose to £10.47 billion (12,145 million euros)
Cultural funding in the UK is a mix of public grants and private sourcessuch as patronage or donations. The government’s contribution to arts and culture in the UK is 0.5% of the total economy. In 2019 it rose to £10.47 billion (12,145 million euros) from the national budget. According to the estimate three years ago the arts generated 226,000 jobs, 40% of them in London. The figure must have been reduced due to the pandemic and cuts due to the economic crisis and the effects of Brexit.
Public funds are managed by a network of national arts organizations. The Arts Council of England it is responsible for nationally funding the arts in England. On the one hand, it distributes the funds assigned by the government and also part of the benefits obtained from the national lottery. There are similar bodies in Scotland, funded by the Scottish Government and the lottery, in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Private financing has a long tradition, is very important and has three main sources: companies, individuals and funds, foundations and donations. In the case of companies, the contribution can be monetary, in the form of subsidies, or patronage, among others. The contribution of individuals can be through donations, adhesions, groups of friends, or posthumous bequests in wills. The foundations are dedicated to helping hundreds of artistic projects and cultural organizations.
The museums have important employers in many casesoutside of politics, actively dedicated to raising funds. Since April 2001 all British public museums are free. This is partly explained by the subsidies granted by the Department of Culture, Digital, Media and Sports, which in the case of large museums ranges from 50 to 27%. These institutions, for the sake of transparency, periodically publish their accounts, sometimes including the salaries of the director and other workers.
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Some museums, such as those of the group of the Tate have long been concentrating on the search for new sources of income and in the consolidation of the existing ones. At the same time they also started a campaign to persuade British artists to donate some of their work. These donations have offset the decline in state donations to the national art fund, which cannot compete with the appreciation of the art market.
A famous case was that of the contemporary art collector and dealer, Anthony d’Offay who donated to the Tate in 2008 725 works by 25 artists, including Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Ron Mueck or Damien Hirst. The value of the collection was €145 millionbut the dealer sold it to the British government for 30.7 million.