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Posted on October 18, 2006 As Donors Tackle Big Issues, Arts Groups Fear Being Left Behind As more donors focus their attention and dollars on issues such as education reform, poverty, and public health in the developing world, arts groups are having to compete more aggressively for their share of the philanthropic pie, the Wall Street Journal reports. Potential arts donors are finding it harder to justify gifts to the local opera company when their dollars could be used to help stamp out malaria or combat global warming. As a result, there's a growing consensus in philanthropic circles that humanitarian concerns are pushing the arts and culture to the periphery of donor concerns. New philanthropists "want to go where the zeitgeist is," said arts consultant András Szántó, a senior adviser to the Wealth & Giving Forum. "And the genuine intelligence and progress in society right now is in science and technology." Until recently, arts organizations ducked the issue of donors' shifting priorities, targeting only those deeply interested in the arts and mining their current donor rosters — typically packed with old money — for more and bigger donations. As more donors turn to humanitarian causes, however, arts groups are scrambling to tap the fortunes of a new generation of philanthropists — Internet billionaires, hedge-fund moguls, and biotech entrepreneurs. But in pursuing this group, they have had to ignore some cherished principles, including "art for art's sake," and increasingly are reaching out to younger board members who can solicit donations from within their own circles — even if their presence on the board causes conflicts with the old guard. To attract new sources of support, cultural groups are also attempting to show that support for the arts can produce the same kind of impact that money directed toward global humanitarian causes does, albeit closer to home. The Art Institute of Chicago and the city's symphony, for example, have been promoting programs that teach schoolchildren about Eastern traditions in music and art. Still, it remains difficult for arts organizations to convince potential donors that their contributions will have direct and immediate impact. "If you're a hospital, you show a sick kid and it's easy. If you're a school, you show a poor kid who wasn't performing well and now is, and it's easy," said Boston Symphony Orchestra supporter Paul Deninger. "Arts organizations have a harder time at this." Russell, Jacob. “Philanthropy: Hunger vs. the Arts.” Wall Street Journal 10/14/06. Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism Secondary Subject(s): Education, Arts and Culture, Environment, Health Location(s): National FC009618

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