AbaF Survey of Private Sector Support for the Arts

The Australia Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) has announced a summary of the key findings of its first Survey of Private Sector Support for the Arts.

AbaF surveyed 708 arts and cultural organisations, including organisations that receive funding from federal, state and territory governments. AbaF asked the organisations how much they received in the last financial year in sponsorships (cash and in-kind) and donations.

AbaF received responses from 228 organisations across all states and territories and including all arts sectors. Based on these responses AbaF calculated a figure for the whole sample.

Key findings include:
- Australian arts and cultural organisations earned $171.1 million income from the private sector in 2006-7.
- Overall, 7.4 per cent of the total income of arts and cultural organisations is derived from the private sector.
- Private sector income is divided almost equally between donations (50.7 per cent) and sponsorships (49.3 per cent).
- New South Wales ($66.7 million) and Victoria (54.7 million) receive the lion's share of private sector income - 71 per cent of the national total.
- The sector that receives the most private sector support is Museums and Galleries ($61.3M) followed by Performing Arts ($54.8M).
- Donations greatly outweigh sponsorship in museums and galleries, and donations are slightly more than sponsorships for state libraries.
- Sponsorships significantly outweigh donations in performing arts, festivals, and other arts.
- Smaller arts organisations derive a higher percentage of their income from private sector support than do larger organisations, although larger organisations receive more dollars.
Jane Haley, AbaF CEO says the survey is the first statistically valid, comprehensive national study of private sector support for the arts.

The full survey will be released in June 2008. Key findings are available now from www.abaf.org.au.