Is it all about the money?

For a long time cultural organizations were focused on receiving legitimacy from the government. Current developments demonstrate that the government is stepping back. Cultural organizations need to search for other resources. The aim of this research is to explore the field of corporate support in the form of partnerships. By creating a framework of different points of view, values and motives, new insights are provided on the positions and perspectives of cultural organizations and corporations in The Netherlands. The research question of this study is stated as followed: In what way are the cultural and corporate fields connecting in The Netherlands and which difficulties and opportunities are emerging in pursuing a partnership? The cultural economic perspectives on values, spheres, motives, cultural entrepreneurship and the gift economy are used to provide an insight on the issue. To obtain information about the connection, a qualitative research has been conducted. On the basis of eight in-depth qualitative interviews with professionals within the commercial and cultural field, a data generation of perspectives on the subject is presented. Consequently, the theoretical framework is reflected on the findings of the empirical study. The analysis of the fields demonstrates that cultural organizations are mainly focused on the economic value of corporations, while corporations are pursuing partnerships based on the concept of reciprocity. In addition corporations are searching for the perfect match of the social and cultural values. Their main question is what are both parties gaining from the partnership. Cultural organizations are too much focused on the inside and their cultural values. Corporations move in the market sphere, but this sphere cannot work independently from the social sphere. Building business relationships or a network takes place in the third sphere, the social sphere where people share feelings and values. Cultural organizations are in need of people who understand these issues. In order to connect they need to speak the language and have knowledge of the conditions. The cultural entrepreneur could be the person that makes the connection.