NMDC welcomes philanthropy announcements 9 Dec 2010
The National Museum Directors’ Conference welcomes both Jeremy Hunt’s announcement yesterday to boost philanthropy and the tribute paid to those generous donors who have already made such an important contribution to our museums and galleries.
We welcome any initiative that removes barriers and encourages further philanthropic giving to the cultural sector and we look forward to working with Government as their plans become clearer. It will be important to get the details right to ensure that the proposals have lasting impact. The Government review of how philanthropy can be encouraged will offer a crucial opportunity to look at changes to the tax regime and other incentives to support one off and regular giving. The 2008 publication Private Giving for the Public Good, by NMDC and other cultural sector partners, outlines a number of suggested areas for reform.
The match funding proposals are also to be welcomed and we look forward to hearing further details. NMDC is fully supportive of any initiative which aims to address the fundraising challenges for small and medium sized museums and those outside of London.