"Outside of the Box" Government Relations and Funding: Mastering Your Museum's Hybridity to Maximize Public Sector Support

Thursday, October 18 - 10:30 to 11:45 am

Presenters: 

David Carey, Director of Government and Foundation Relations and Ben MacIntosh, Senior Coordinator, Government & Foundation Relations, TIFF

Download the TIFF presentation materials (2.4 MB). 

Ben MacIntosh
Ben MacIntosh, Senior Coordinator, Government & Foundation Relations, TIFF, presents.
David Carey
 
David Carey
David Carey, Director of Government and Foundation Relations, TIFF, answers delegates' questions.

 

Session Description

As museums work to position themselves as tourism destinations, celebrate anniversaries, and commemorate historical events, they must learn to tell their stories in new ways, especially to the public sector.

This tutorial will explore how museums can maximize government support of their institutions by embracing their own hybridity - the "new" museum as cultural attraction, festival and event producer, heritage site, digital innovator, educational partner, community transformer, and diversity champion. Learning to wear these many hats is an essential fundraising skill. Participants will be armed with knowledge and contexts to develop their own government relations strategies and tap into new sources of public sector funding.

The tutorial will include advice and best practices from TIFF, operators of the Toronto International Film Festival and TIFF Bell Lightbox (a new film centre and cultural attraction in Toronto). Like many museums and cultural organizations, TIFF itself is a hybrid institution active in tourism-based, archival, museological, event-based, educational, artistic, and public engagement activities. In growing from a festival driven organization to a year-round cultural institution, TIFF's government relations team has learned many lessons in this regard.

The session will include: an overview of hybrid models including tourism, festivals and events, digital innovation, etc.; identification of government funding opportunities; suggested strategies to engage government staff and elected officials; case studies and best practices from TIFF. 

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