Cultural institutions must meet the challenge of finding new financial resources and broaden their base of support. The federal government has several grant programs providing funds for collections care, preservation and conservation. But these programs are increasingly threatened. Private as well as state and local government support has often been directed to high-visibility programs such as exhibitions, new buildings and educational programs. Preservation and conservation, though integral to an institution's mission, have traditionally received less attention than they deserve because they are not made visible to funders and the public.
Funding sources are limited but the demand for them seems unlimited. As competition for the private dollar increases, fund-raising techniques are becoming more sophisticated and creative. Institutions can use conservation and preservation creatively for fund raising. Collections care can appeal to funders. Administrators, trustees and development officers must be convinced collections care is useful in fund raising. The collection is an institution's greatest asset, and properly caring for it requires sound management. If decision makers understand this concept, they will incorporate collections care more fully into a fund-raising program, not overlook it, as often happens. Then collections care will not suffer disproportionately when financial constraints affect an institution.
This information is an effort to show how collections care, preservation and conservation can be creatively used to garner support from the private sector--foundations, corporations and individuals--and state or local governments. A review outlines basic fund-raising principles. Examples show successful approaches to fund raising for collections care and ways institutions use preservation and conservation for fund raising. Finally, lists of organizations and printed materials provide resources for more information about fund raising and collections care. It is hoped this information will inspire readers to adapt some of the strategies shared here--or use these ideas to develop new approaches--at their own institutions. Private conservators and preservation professionals are encouraged to share this information with clients.
Common to these fund-raising success stories is making collections care a clear priority in institutional programming and planning. Collections care must be part of a long-range plan to serve as a catalyst for raising funds. To make collections care a fundamental priority, ongoing care, maintenance and treatment must be more fully integrated into the daily life of institutions.
Another key component is educating funders and the public about collections care. Institutions can employ the tremendous visual qualities of preservation and conservation to inform the public and in turn attract funds. Bringing collections care, preservation and conservation out from behind the scenes and into the public eye will increase awareness. Such education and awareness go hand in hand with resource development. Education makes funders and the public more sensitive to collections care concerns and helps them empathize with fund-raising appeals.
The examples presented here demonstrate successful programs of museums, libraries and archives, historical societies and historic preservation organizations. This cross-disciplinary approach demonstrates how different types of institutions can learn from each other. Each of these disciplines holds collections of cultural heritage in the public trust, and each has success stories of fund raising for the care of those collections. Libraries have raised money for preservation technology to transfer the printed word to microfilm. Historic preservation organizations have engendered grass-roots support to save local architectural treasures. Museums have received foundation support for conservation treatment of specific objects. Historic house museums have run successful capital campaigns for restoration.
Guardians of cultural property can also learn from those in other fields--for example, guardians of living collections such as zoos, botanical gardens and environmental conservation groups. Zoos have successfully tapped private foundations for large grants supporting research on diseases threatening endangered species. Similarly, botanical gardens have attracted grants for educational programs about conservation of plant species, as have environmental organizations for public awareness campaigns addressing threats to the natural environment. Museums and libraries can apply similar approaches to preservation of cultural objects--for example, research into destructive forces of bronze disease and corrosion, exhibitions about the conservation/preservation/restoration processes and educational programs about the proper care of objects. For years, zoos have raised funds through adopt-an-animal programs. Libraries and museums have adapted this successful approach as adopt-a-book, adopt-an-artifact and adopt-a-painting programs.
The environmental conservation movement has educated the public and funders about the finite supply of natural resources, increasing their concern about and funding for environmental conservation initiatives. Libraries have made significant efforts to educate the public about brittle books, also yielding additional support. Increased awareness of cultural preservation and conservation issues can generate more funding and other forms of support for collections care. Within our material collections lies the irreplaceable opportunity to preserve our nation's heritage, but preservation hinges on the proper ongoing care of these objects, documents, buildings and works of art. A stable financial base and commitment of resources are necessary to ensure proper ongoing care.
Next page: Fund-Raising Fundamentals
Copyright © 1995 National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property,
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Last modified on Friday, April 27, 1995.
It is no small thing to outwit time.