Is debt good for the arts?

What is 'impact debt finance', and is it the way forward for more financial sustainability for the arts?
detail of eye on money.

Debt hardly sounds like better financial sustainability. Indeed, the very word debt usually puts a shiver down the spine of most creatives. Often without the surety of stable income, be it multi-year funding for an organisation or simple guaranteed cash flow for a creative studio, for creatives debt feels dangerous.

But there is a newish trend in the funding and philanthropy sector that may just shift those attitudes.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina