Museums governance and financing: a comparative analysis between the United States of America and the national museums of Spain

Abstract

Background: In the midst of a growing interest for engaging communities in funding museums ruled by the National Administration of Spain, a comparative study between their governance and financing, and the ones from the private US model, together with the Smithsonian Institution´s public museum system, provides insights to face the future of public museums´ economic sustainability. With the goal of inspiring new approaches to national museums´ management in Spain, this paper is pioneer in analyzing the funding of these cultural institutions under the perspective of the restricted or unrestricted nature of the different assets and its weight within the revenue mix. Method: This research is based on the study of both, primary sources (museums´ annual reports, its financial statements, bylaws and other rules applicable to the Spanish museum´s public policy), and secondary sources from the extensive literature about museum financial management in the US, and the few approaches to this topic in Spain. Results: The comparative analysis states, on one hand, the similarities between seemingly opposite Spanish and American museums´ schemes, and on the other hand, the deep differences within national museums, in terms of financial opportunities (those managed by the Deputy Directorate General for National Museums, and the ones with specific bylaws). This last group of museums has developed a greater revenue mix through auxiliary activities, in a partially similar way regarding American museums operations. Conclusions: This paper concludes with a proposal to address the issue of increasing private funding for Spanish national museums. It involves patronage´s composition, its funding role, the nature of critical income sources, or the use of marketing and fundraising techniques, among other aspects.