Community Cultural Trusts

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The terminology, Community Cultural Trust (CCT), might be new to readers but the concept is quite old and well established in Australia. Interestingly, it fits the Community Cultural Enterprise (CCE) model quite well in that a model for such trusts would be the Elizabethan Theatre Trust (ETT) now with 50 plus years of history behind it.  Importantly, for many years ETT offered a means of getting tax deductability for cultural groups, and events, not directly involved in ETT initiatives.

Typically theatres are CCE as they are audience supported albeit many require substantial government funding and corporate sponsorships in order to present risky and experimental programming.

The ETT was established in 1954 to fill a perceived cultural vacuum and has flourished over time even if there have been national drama, opera and ballet companies that have overtaken ETT initiatives. When and where this has happened the trust has filled other gaps in the cultural landscape in various ways and not always exclusively to do with drama, opera and ballet.

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There are also many philanthropic 'cultural trusts' set up to foster the interests of philanthropic individuals and corporations. The individual agendas of these trusts are many and varied. The taxation system in the USA in particular encourages the establishment of such trusts. Speculatively, it should be possible to establish a place focused cultural trust that amalgamates government, corporate and private arts and culturally focused funding'.

Social media and online communities are increasingly enabling innovative project to get the funding they need directly from the people who have an interest in the project/enterprise/event via crowdsourcing. In some ways the need for CCTs are being replaced by these intermediate agencies. Indeed, alternative operations have emerged that are dedicated to facilitating such funding strategies and enabling project proponents to avoid the sometimes dead hand and the long lead times of some government and corporate funding agencies – one being pozible.com. Nonetheless a CCT should be able to work with crowdsourcing operations to realise a specific project.

Against this background there are good prospects for the establishment of a CCT that;

1. Consolidates the available Local, State & Federal government funding for the recurrent funding for place focused cultural initiatives, events and programs;
2. Acts as unifying entity for the purpose of facilitating cultural enterprise in the region to which it belongs to operate collaboratively and/or cooperatively;
3. Auspices and manages funding for individuals and unincorporated groups cultural projects when needed and required in a region to ensure sound project acquittal;
4. Supports community institutions such as community/regional museums,art galleries, publishers, and cultural research & action groups;
5. Provide an umbrella for layers of regional and community cultural interest groups, institutions and organisations; and
6. Acts as a kind of cultural investment bank  for the community/region;
7. Functions as a kind of overarching 'holding company' for regional community cultural enterprises and initiatives.

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"Create the circumstances within which 
miracles can happen and stand back"

Winifred Mary West circa 1970