Private support takes various forms. Donations from citizens, from NGOs, including foundations of corporation are one cluster. 'Real' sponsorship, that is money given to cultural projects as part of the marketing activity of a business is another kind - this inquiry mainly focussed on this latter.

This inquiry, similarly to the previous one, is not a survey applying the strict methodology. However, the responses arriving from Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and the Ukraine enable us to confirm or modify some of our guesses on the state of coporate sponsorship to culture in east and central Europe.

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1. What do you think is the proportion of corporate sponsorship in your country in relation to the total financial support to culture from the government?

Answers range between "less than 1%" and "more than 10%". The arithmetic mean is around 4%, just like three years earlier. Before some exact figures are produced, we may conclude that the general impression is that cultural sponsorship adds roughly another 4% to what public sources spend on culture.

As usual, there are huge differences here. Oleksandr provided data from the Ukrainian city of Zhytomir, where in 2002 the roughly € 334 thousand cultural budget was complemented with about € 10 thousand from businesses (which is less than 3%). However, in the area of targeted projects, this same support amounted to about 30%!

We failed to ask about the estimated share of sponsorship in nature. One answer suggests that this is still several times more in this part of the world than pure financial contribution.

2. Are these data collected somewhere? Where?

Nowhere! Except for a few isolated individual attempts to collect data on cultural sponsorship in east-central Europe.

Finding facts will be particularly difficult in countries where the borders between marketing and philanthropy are blurred (in most places, in fact), or where accounting regulations make cultural operations conceal such contributions. This is the case in Serbia, where cultural operations are required to pay 5% tax after private contributions received.

3. Where is the role of corporate sponsorship vital? Name cultural sphere or give concrete cases, figures.

There are areas which could not exist without sponsorship. Festivals and most performing arts events are on the top of our repondents' lists. Concerts, theatre performances are hardly conceivable without business contribution. Remember the 30% in Zhytomyr, confirmed by Malgorzata as occurring in Poland, too, with one four-day music festival in Krakow reporting 60%!

Our two Serbian sources agree in naming film as the most attractive sponsorship target in that country.

4. Which is the typical motivation of the corporate sponsor?

A sweeping majority of answers put personal relationship as the most important factor that brings about sponsorship. Just as we thought, this is an eastern specificity. Surely, as western colleagues insist, that is decisive there, too. Yet, we are convinced that business interests of the companies are more decisive in the old democracies, than the personal sympathies and tastes that dominate the issue in the east. (See more on this.)

Business interest came second, approving the form offered in the question: Common sense. The company gains by lending its name (and money) to cultural projects. The incentive force of tax benefits was named as third in the hierarchy of motivation.

As a pleasant surprise, very few mentions were made about dubious purposes like petty bribing and corruption.

5. Can you point at any factor(s) that had a positive effect on sponsorship to culture?

About ten positive factors were mentioned, out of which three emerged at roughly the same frequency. Thus in east-central Europe the following three issues are identified as most beneficial for cultural sponsorship: the consolidation of the economic life, improved fundraising skills of cultural operators, and positive changes in legislation. We must admit, however, that due to the ambivalence in our question it is not clear if these factor have had or would have positive effects.

6. Can you point at any factor(s) that had a negative effect on sponsorship to culture?

Somewhat surprisingly, the most frequently given opinion claims that culture has been losing ground to other sponsorship targets. We are not convinced, however, whether the respondents meant this as a trend, rather than a timeless concern, namely that sports, education etc. are more attractive than cultural projects.

Limited media attention was given as the second most negative effect on cultural sponsorship.

7. Is there a web site where we can find more on the topic?

No, the answers failed to come up with a site in English on cultural sponsorship in east and central Europe.