Some more unequal than others: alternative financing for museums, libraries and archives in England

This article explores whether and how organizational infrastructure and attitudes at museums, libraries and archives in England affect their propensity to diversify financing sources. After more than 50 years of policies and programmes to support funding diversification in the UK cultural sector, research suggests the sector remains dependent on public funding and relatively reluctant to explore new ways of exploiting their assets. Policies directed at addressing these issues concentrate on correcting perceived disparities in terms of cultural form and location (i.e., the London Effect). Empirical research suggests, however, that successful private fundraising is not significantly associated with the region where the organization operates. Instead, successful funding diversification may be closely related to factors such as organizational infrastructure and attitudes towards innovation and risk. This article expands on initial descriptive analysis undertaken from responses to a questionnaire on financial sustainability at museums, libraries and archives in England commissioned by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in 2008. Guided by a conceptual framework, the article focuses on developing typologies of characteristics related to an organization's infrastructure, attitudes and beliefs, and their level of funding diversification. This line of research has implications for policy, training and organizational development of cultural enterprises. The ongoing fiscal retrenchment and growing outcomes agenda have provided the setting for more entrepreneurial activities in the sector, without major changes to its organizational infrastructure. The article aims to provide insights into the sustainability of these activities as both economic activity and fiscal constraints increase.