Good Foundations: Trusts & Foundations and the Arts in the United Kingdom (2008)

This two-volume book, funded by the Rootstein Hopkins Foundation, is an exciting addition to the current literature on both arts philanthropy and more generally the philanthropic landscape in the UK. Volume 1 contains an extensive case study of the history and evolution of the grant-making foundation established by the creators of the famous Rootstein fashion mannequins. Interviews with c.60 funded individuals and organisations are used to assess the impact of the foundation’s work. Between 1995-2008 the foundation has distributed its whole capital of £8m to artists and arts organisations, and this publication marks the conclusion of a ‘spending out’ policy. Volume 2 includes contributions from leading experts in the field of arts funding and philanthropy. It provides a preface on ‘the gift’, reflections on 21st century philanthropy and an overview of the current map of arts funding in the UK, analysing in unprecedented detail the specific contribution made within that by independent grant-making trusts. The resulting publication is a very readable and groundbreaking contribution to scholarship in the fields of arts funding and philanthropy.