Environmental Scan of Funders
We’ve developed the research and data platforms, to help your organization explore and map many different funding sources and help you prioritize the ones that are most likely to succeed for your organization:
- federal or provincial funding programs
- private sector, community, family, or technology foundations
- strategic partners
We can create a list of funding options for you linked to ongoing programming, special exhibits or events, or capital improvements. Once this list is created, we can link this report to your existing strategic plan or action plan.
Demographic Shifts in Consumer Behaviour
The Globe and Mail recently published an article outlining the reasons behind the Bank of Nova Scotia’s decision to drop its title sponsorship of Toronto’s Contact Photography Festival. Josh O’Kane wrote that:
Though companies are still interested in arts and culture, some leaders in the sponsorship sector say that throwing a company’s name onto major festivals’ titles appears to have become less lucrative over the past decade. Potential sponsors are paying more attention to social causes they believe will boost their brand, while the well-heeled world of pro sports offers more eyeballs and data to prove returns on investment.
Scotiabank drops Contact Photography Festival partnership in another revenue blow to struggling art events, Josh O’Kane, Globe and Mail, March 14, 2024
Norm O’Reilly is mentioned in this article as a ‘long-time sponsorship scholar’ who suggested that a major shakeup in how Canadian companies spread their sponsorship dollars began about a decade ago. O’Reilly has run the Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study for over 20 years. He indicates that a “renaissance” in sports funding starting around 2013, led to its piece of the pie doubling to nearly 45% in 2022.
This study mentioned the several techniques and measures used to demonstrate ROI to clients:
- Post-event reports/audits
- Demographics
- Mentions in the press
- Social Media Impressions
- Lead generation/new contacts
Strategic Partnerships
Researchers and cultural service organizations are increasingly investigating social impact tools and evaluation methodologies to capture the qualitative and quantitative aspects of investments in arts and culture.
Sharing these resources with practitioners in the field of sponsorship development will help to produce more strategic partners and private-sector sponsors to broaden financial sustainability beyond public-sector funding agencies.