As a regular visitor to Bilbao for the last 20 years, the diversity of the city’s and region’s culture never ceases to delight me. From exquisite pintxos, numerous ‘fiestas’ – culminating in the large-scale Aste Nagusia or Semana Grande, a 9-day extravaganza where life grinds to a halt and everyone (read EVERYone) dresses up in local costumes and floods the town centre to dance, sing, throw sweets and burn the giant effigy Marijaia – to national and international offerings in the beautiful Arriaga theatre, Kafe Antzokia or Alhóndiga, Museo de Bellas Artes and of course the hallowed Guggenheim … there is always something to inspire me, and so many ways for local culture and psyche to be experienced by residents and visitors alike. Not to mention their important financial contribution to the local economy.
Born and raised in France, half Irish (the better half!), with close ties to Spain, and a long-term resident of the UK, I’m always interested in comparing our neighbouring countries. Working in income-generation in the arts and culture sector, I can’t avoid wondering ‘How is this funded?’ when I visit any museum, exhibition, or performance.
When I started in the fundraising team at Tate 15 years ago, the gallery was already generating close to 70% of its own income, as its grant-in-aid steadily decreased. Income comprised donations from individuals, corporate support through event hire and sponsorship, ticketing and membership, but also sizeable contributions from catering, retail and publishing via its commercial subsidiary, which donates its profits to the gallery. In the decade I worked there, self-generated income continued to grow through cultural consultancy, more commercial corporate income generation, and maximising existing streams. Large teams were dedicated to raising funds to further the gallery’s mission.
Just over 10 years ago, I considered moving back to Paris and explored roles in corporate income generation for museums. I found that many museums didn’t have teams dedicated to this function, and those that did, often relied on one person. As a visitor to French museums, I’ve often been put off by huge queues or booking systems that require you to have set the time of your visit 3 months ahead, or baffled by free or extremely inexpensive entry, and conversations with museum staff who seem puzzled by my questions about income generation. ‘You want to donate?’ ‘Venue hire??’ ‘No, we don’t have any sponsors’ ‘The mairie/département funds the museum’.
So it was heartening, at the recent Association of Cultural Enterprises conference in March, to speak with Claire de Longeaux, Event Director for Museum Connections (the annual Paris-based trade fair on business challenges in museums and cultural venues). Claire explained how French museums are looking to build different audiences, leading to innovative practices which also generate complementary income for the cultural sector. Some provide services that target non-museum goers, such as co-working or meeting spaces; others offer consultancy services for corporate businesses or peers in other countries, or create touring exhibitions designed to easily and cost-effectively be rented to others, with an increasingly digital element, building up ‘intellectual turnover’.
The Centre des Monuments Nationaux (CMN) website explains that it’s ‘seeking to invent new uses and practices’ within its 110 monuments, ‘reflecting on the future of heritage, its accessibility and its role in society. Bringing these places alive, exploring new uses, new audiences and new momentum’. Covid-19 has been a significant trigger for this new approach. The goal is to reach a 50/50 split between self-generated funds and government funds, with the current position closer to 30/70.
Returning to Spain, it’s worth noting that the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the Prado in Madrid are amongst the museums in Europe with the highest proportion of self-generated income, 78% in recent years. The Guggenheim is estimated to have contributed €672.7 million to GDP in 2024, generated €105.5 million in additional income for the Basque public treasuries and helped maintain 14,236 jobs. According to a recent article in Le Monde, its total economic impact since opening in 1996 is estimated at €7.7 billion, and the museum contributes 10 times more to the Basque treasury than the public funds it receives. Such an inspiring impact.
Whilst there is no universal model for financial sustainability in the cultural sector, there is much to learn from how different countries approach the balance between public funding and self-generated income. From France’s state-led vision of culture as a public good, to the UK’s long-standing reliance on diverse income streams, to Spain’s understanding of cultural identity as an economic driver, these varied approaches offer rich insights.
As someone working closely with UK organisations on strategies for income generation, I find these international perspectives invaluable. In a time of ongoing political and economic uncertainty, it feels more important than ever to share best practice, stay open to creative thinking, and remain curious about how others are meeting similar challenges.
And for those of us fortunate enough to travel, there’s joy in being what the French call dépaysé. The dictionary will tell you it means ‘disoriented’, but its literal sense – ‘out of your country’ – perfectly captures the inspiration and perspective that comes from stepping outside familiar systems. Isn’t this why we travel?
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Cecile de Cormis is an Associate Consultant with Activist Group. The views expressed in this blog are her own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Activist.