Learning from the American Fundraising Model: A European Perspective March 2014 | Page 27

“So we are in a much better position than our
colleagues in places like the Czech Republic,
Hungary or Slovakia.”
Moreover, she says, the Polish government has
identified contemporary art as a powerful tool
in promoting the country internationally, and so
supports private galleries and other cultural institutions with funding to enable them, for example, to take booths at international art fairs.
However, Monkiewicz points out that, while the
national budget for culture is increasing every
year, it is starting from a very low level. For the
museum, therefore, there is sufficient funding
to build its collections but not for regular programming activities such as exhibitions, publishing and educational events.
So when Monkiewicz looks ahead, she sees the
need to tap into alternative sources of funding,
both from corporations and private individuals. For her, the merits of this strategy were
reinforced during her time in New York on the
KBFUS study visit. “In Europe, particularly in
post-communist countries, there’s no tradition
of philanthropy,” she says. “So the course informed me a lot, because I learned that private
philanthropy represents the majority of funds
U.S. institutions receive.”
Encounters with American practitioners were
particularly helpful to Monkiewicz. “We were

looking at the achievements of the various
fundraisers who were presenting their work,”
she says. “This was really encouraging in helping us think about fundraising.”
Initially, the museum plans to approach corporate sponsors. This will not be easy since corporate decisions on cultural sponsorship are
usually made in Warsaw, the Polish capital, or
in the countries where sponsoring companies
have their headquarters.
With no tax deductions for individual donors
giving to publicly financed institutions, such as
the museum, and no tradition of private philanthropy in Poland, approaching individuals will
be even harder. “It’s a totally unknown practice
here,” she says. “So we have to start from scratch,
without a tradition or any institutional history.”
However, Monkiewicz does have the advantage
of having worked for an institution in Warsaw,
where she brought in about ten private donors.
“I did it once and I was successful, so I will do it
here,” she says.
And, with ambitious plans for the museum,
Monkiewicz knows that seeking private funding
is a strategy that must be embraced. “We need
to follow this path,” she says. “But it’s not going
to happen overnight.”

wroclaw contemporary museum
Housed in a striking contemporary building near
the Racłowice Panorama, the Museum of Architecture and the Academy of Fine Arts, the Wroclaw
Contemporary Museum was established in 2011 to
showcase contemporary art, host cultural talks and
workshops and offer research facilities. The museum receives most of its funding from the national
government of Poland and the city of Wroclaw.

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