How America Became a Global Leader In Arts Philanthropy

Author Tyler Cowen, who is also the Chair of Economics at George Mason University, wrote in his book, “Good and Plenty: The Creative Successes of American Arts Funding,” how the US has provided an environment conducive to philanthropic support for the arts and creative enterprise.

Arts funding has been polarizing the nation for a long time, with some arguing that US has no arts policy and the federal government is penny-pinching its support of the arts. Even internationally, the US is seen as lacking in concern for arts and cultural values.

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Back in 1965, a breakthrough was achieved when President Lyndon Johnson created the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), an independent agency of the federal government that provides support and funding for projects exhibiting the nation’s artistic excellence. A roadblock, however, appeared in the 1980s, when the legislative branch limited the support for the arts through myriad justifications.

The Congress gives an annual budget of $125 million to the NEA, which is significantly less than what some European governments spend on the arts.

Even so, Giving USA reported in 2014 that an estimated $17.2 billion was donated to arts and culture. While the government does not directly give funds to organizations in the field of arts, it mobilizes the private sector more effectively than European nations do.

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Prosperous hedge fund manager John Kleinheinz believes in giving back. He is a major philanthropist who has donated millions of dollars to various organizations from different fields, such as education, arts, and environment. Follow this Facebook page for more articles about philanthropy.