Rozsa Foundation in the Calgary Herald

This thriving base has been built through a history of government support, community-minded businesses and, crucially, a visionary and generous group of philanthropists.

Imagine this city without the theatres, museums, galleries and recital halls in which we have firsthand experiences with the transformative power of the arts.

Imagine this city without the 2.9 million attendees taking in over 8,400 event-nights per year of cultural activity on offer because of the work of our artists and cultural organizations.

You can't imagine it. No one would live here. Well, they might live here, but they wouldn't LIVE here.

"Philanthropy" is one of my favourite words. Its origins? Prometheus Bound, a Greek tragedy, from which we get the word "philanthropos" or "the love (or nurturing) of humanity." I find this connection fascinating and illuminating. It is no coincidence that the word was coined by a playwright. The most powerful impact of a work of art - a play, a sculpture, a song - is when it makes us think differently about the way we live and relate to others. Or, simply, the arts are one of our most important platforms for nurturing humanity.

The arts in Calgary are funded from a variety of sources. People are sometimes surprised that government funding in 2009 was only 27 per cent of the total revenue of the 162 organizations funded by Calgary Arts Development. Those organizations directly earned 40 per cent of their revenue, while 30 per cent was from philanthropy and sponsorships.

In 2010, the 13 largest arts organizations in Calgary received operational support of more than $5 million from individual donors and nearly $7 million from corporate giving.

The public benefits from these private acts of giving are enormous. Calgary is a better place to live and build a business because of our increasingly vibrant downtown and opportunities for children to engage creatively. And, as our city grows so quickly, the arts provide a common ground for us to understand our neighbours, building a common culture and identity.

Philanthropy is critical to the vitality of Calgary's arts scene for another, vitally important reason. This quote from Marshall McLuhan tells us why: "I think of art, at its most significant, as a DEW line, a distant early warning system that can always be relied on to tell the old culture what is beginning to happen to it."

Funding from government, and some forms of corporate sponsorship, will often shy away from the controversial and risky.

But as McLuhan tells us, if we love humanity, we must be self critical and look to new ways of living. Philanthropists play a crucial role in providing voice to artists who otherwise would struggle to tell us what we may just need to hear.

Philanthropy in the arts is often able to fill gaps that business and government have overlooked, or, frankly, just isn't that sexy.

In Calgary, the Rozsa Foundation has a unique focus on developing strong arts managers. Its annual award for arts management goes to support the professional development of the people behind the scenes that rarely get such opportunities.

This program is one of the reasons why Calgary's arts organizations have earned a national reputation for their fiscal and managerial excellence.

The Calgary Foundation's Forever Funds initiative is another example of a Calgary-based philanthropic endeavour that is exploring territory that would otherwise be unexplored... Read More