Over half of the UK's arts and cultural venues and organisations believe they are at risk due to the decline in income during the pandemic, a new study from the University of Sheffield, University of Kent, and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising has shown.
The only study of its kind, 'Dealing with the crisis: Creativity and resilience of arts and cultural fundraisers during Covid-19' (28 May 2021), gathered information about how arts and cultural fundraisers were impacted by, and managed the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020.
Many artists, organisations and venues rely on fundraising as a significant part of their income, using a range of events and activities to fund creative projects, alongside raising funds through patrons, donations, memberships and subscriptions.
The study has highlighted a number of risks which threaten to harm the diversity and richness of the sector due to the impact of the pandemic.
Almost two thirds of fundraisers (62 per cent) surveyed in the study, expected their organisation's income to fall during the pandemic, with nearly half (47 per cent) reporting the social restrictions during the pandemic meant many of their revenue generating programmes had been postponed.
Some key findings of the report included:
- 79 per cent of respondents said that their fundraising activity overall has decreased
- 66 per cent of organisations said they had postponed planned arts and cultural projects and programmes
- 64 per cent said financial support in 2021 and beyond was very important to the survival of the sector