The Increasing Importance of Private Arts Funding in Norway

The financial support of performing arts organizations in Norway has traditionally been seen as a near exclusive responsibility of the government--a view rooted in the concept of the Scandinavian welfare state. This thesis seeks to answer whether there is reason to expect increased dependence on private funding in the future, in light of recent developments towards a more market driven economy. It also looks at the private funding structures that would be needed to sustain today's levels of funding in such an environment. The thesis discusses various economic, political and social developments shaping public arts funding in Norway, along with three traditional types of private funding in a Norwegian context: corporate sponsorship, individual giving, and the financial support from foundations. The discussion reveals a significant potential for private funding mechanisms because of factors such as high disposable incomes and a growing number of private fortunes. But it also points out the difficulty of establishing a culture of private philanthropy, given collectivist traditions in Norwegian society and the considerable ideological change that a shift towards more private funding would entail. Since increased reliance on private funding of the arts is a development happening in all of Europe, significant parts of the thesis apply to other European countries as well.