Support of the Dutch cultural sector during the COVID-19 crisis What influences donation of economic, social and human capital

Through cultural policy changes over the years, Dutch cultural organisations had to gather more of their own income, besides government support. From March 2020 on, cultural organisations had to close their doors due to COVID-19 restrictions. This way, organisations lost a lot of their income, while they had become increasingly reliant on their audiences for support. It is important for cultural organisations to identify additional sources of income. Therefore, this research looks into how support of the Dutch to the cultural sector is structured, with regards to donations of economic, social and human capital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this support can be affected. Moreover, the characteristics of the donors and the most common types of support and motivations are researched. It is sought if Fund Development and forms of capital have an influence on the motivation, type, size and frequency of support. It is found that the average supporter is between 35 and 44 years old, their income is between €1,400 and €1,999, has a Bachelor’s degree, has a job in the creative industries and donated between €50 and €70. The donors for both monetary support and volunteering are mostly intrinsically motivated. Fund Development had a significant impact on the Support Aspects: when higher levels of Fund Development are perceived, donors are more likely to join a Friend- or Membership programme, have Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations for monetary support, and have ‘Community Building’ as an important motivation. Economic Capital also has an impact on the Support Aspects: when one has a higher Economic Capital, one is more likely to donate a higher amount, however, their Intrinsic Motivations for monetary support will slightly decrease. Moreover, Economic Capital has a large negative effect on Extrinsic Motivations of volunteering. Economic Capital also has a large effect on the usage of Tax Incentives: a higher Economic Capital means one is more likely to make use of them. One’s Familiarity with Tax Benefits has an impact on Made Use of Tax Benefits and Tax Benefits Influenced the Amount Supported. Lastly, Cultural Capital is found to have little impact on the Support Aspects. If one has a higher Cultural Capital, they are more likely to financially support more often after March 2020, to be intrinsically motivated for monetary support and have more Social Capital.