Arts and cultural organisations are the long-lasting form of philanthropic bodies in human history. It is certain that those circles of poets, artists and sculptors founded by Gaio Cilnio Mecenate around 39 bc were functioning almost exactly like contemporary organisations. Those organisations raised systematically funds to support their artistic productions and were also committed to lobby public institutions.
Philanthropy for the arts and culture has a long a visible history. Prof. High Cunningham of the University of Kent published a research highlighting that 8 out of 10 historic buildings, museums and theatres have some form of recognition to celebrate benefactors. This is an uninterrupted line from the Roman Empire till the first half of last century. Given that philanthropy for the arts and culture has two millennia of history, we should interrogate ourselves not just on why philanthropy is necessary again, but why 70 years ago it almost disappeared. Master FRAME – Fundraising, Cultural Philanthropy & Advancement will provide elements to redesign a model of financial sustainability for the arts and culture by an analysis of what public funds aimed to achieve and what in reality have brought about.
Everyone will be required to challenge their own knowledge of philanthropy. Philanthropy is not something for the rich. It is a more complex idea originations from own DNA and, in general, a healthy behaviour good for everyone as expressed by Aristotle, and a subject studied at academic level all over the world.
FRAME will bust a few myths e prejudices, and it will present a model of financial sustainability achievable through philanthropy cleared of transactional techniques. With FRAME we aim to forge a new generation of professionals who don’t use fundraising techniques because they offer to their donors opportunities of self-realisation.
