Corporate Philanthropy - DRAC Grand Est

Sponsorship is a very strong cultural, social and economic issue. At the national level, it represents a contribution of more than 8 billion euros per year, paid in the form of donations by companies to associative structures and local authorities and also by individuals.

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Sponsorship is based on a series of laws and regulations. With the law of 1 August 2003 As regards patronage, associations and foundations, the State has affirmed its desire to encourage the practice of patronage, through a tax incentive scheme.

The principle is simple: any individual or company can make a donation to an association, a cultural foundation - of general interest - or a public authority. In return for this donation, the donor will be able to claim tax advantage.

Sponsorship can take many forms. It may consist of a contribution in cash, a contribution in kind or a patronage of competence (provision of staff).

Because culture is an essential asset of the attractiveness of a territory, cultural patronage is a privileged domain for companies. A creator of social ties and solidarity, patronage is a vehicle for development for companies that commit themselves to it by giving them additional assets to succeed in their operations and mobilize their employees.

The sponsorship approach presupposes that the project leader associates the company with his project, establishes a partnership relationship with it and meets its expectations, notably through the promotion of its image. Finding patrons is an important issue for cultural structures.

The State and patronage

The Ministry of Culture and Communication was behind the law of 1 August 2003 on patronage, associations and foundations, known as the Aillagon Law. This law was not only at the origin of an unprecedented development of corporate philanthropy and individual philanthropy in France, especially in favour of culture. She also created new reflexes, new behaviours, new habits… and contributed to a significant change in the relationship between the corporate and cultural worlds.

The purpose of the Ministry’s sponsorship mission is to:

to coordinate and professionalise the action of the Ministry and the actors in the field of patronage, notably through agreements signed with public institutions,
disseminate the new legislative and regulatory provisions to its partners,
to develop and facilitate the ministry’s “patron and donor circle”,
to initiate and assist in the creation of foundations.

To act as closely as possible to these companies but also to the promoters of projects throughout the territory, philanthropic correspondents have been appointed in the decentralized departments of the State.

Correspondents patronage within the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs Grand Est

In each regional directorate, correspondents support cultural structures in the implementation of their sponsorship strategy. Their role is also to federate the networks around patronage, both towards companies and project promoters, in order to promote and practice patronage, to encourage the creation of patrons' clubs and endowment funds and to promote philanthropy in the culture.

In 2022, the Grand Est is set up a regional patronage centre in partnership with the signatories of the agreements signed with the Ministry of Culture (CCI, Order of Accountants, Lawyers, Notaries).