Banks and culture. A relationship to build

The article explores the relationship between cultural organizations and the banking system in Italy, through a focus group established with a number of cultural experts working in qualified institutions in the various spheres of culture, in order to detect the critical issues arising from the recent economic crisis concerning the credit and financial management within the cultural sector. On the one hand, the survey shows worsening problems - the credit crunch, even after the decreased level of public funding for culture, the burden of financial costs, the crucial issue of guarantees, the difficulties in granting loans to young people, the structural weakness of cultural institutions in terms of venture capital. On the other hand, the article emphasizes the active role played by banking foundations to support culture, the approach to culture of people engaged in ethical finance and finally action plans for such fields as cinema, also thanks to recent measures such as the tax credit. This shows the need for a different dialogue with the banking system, to set up an appropriate project and cultural bodies evaluation system at different levels and more suitable forms of accountability. The article ends with a series of suggestions, including in particular indications on how to explore the creation of guarantee sector funds - also with the public support - and revolving funds within banking foundations.