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Literary festivals previously funded by Baillie Gifford launch joint appeal for support
Nine UK literary festivals including Hay Festival and the Edinburgh International Book Festival have released a joint statement calling for "increased support" now sponsorship by investment firm Baillie Gifford has ended.
The statement was released ahead of The Bookseller’s Marketing & Publicity Conference at which a number of festivals will present their strategies for the future. The Bookseller can also reveal that Bloomsbury has donated £100,000 to be shared between the nine festivals across the country that have lost their Baillie Gifford funding.
Book festivals have faced an unprecedented period of disruption. In June the Scottish firm Baillie Gifford withdrew its financial support from the UK’s literary festivals after campaign group Fossil Free Books lobbied against its investments in fossil fuels and companies that operate in Israel. Both Hay and Edinburgh ended partnerships with the group amid author withdrawals and the threat of further protests. The remaining seven festivals had their funding withdrawn by Baillie Gifford, despite the investment group calling claims made by Fossil Free Books "seriously misleading".
The statement from Borders Book Festival, Cambridge Literary Festival, Cheltenham Festivals, Edinburgh International Book Festival, The Hay Festival, Henley Literary Festival, Stratford Literary Festival, Wigtown Book Festival and Wimbledon BookFest calls for increased support, warning that without funding many will struggle.
They state: "Amidst intense discussion around arts funding and challenges to our continued flourishing, we have joined forces to share this message on our mission and purpose, and a call for increased support . . . As charities and non-profit organisations, all our festivals operate mixed-funding models that rely on public funding, corporate sponsorship and individual giving. Without this, festivals cannot continue to thrive and engage new audiences."
The group said their collective efforts over the past year have sold £1.5m of books, issued 464,000 tickets, engaged 64,000 school children in free activities, offered 99,000 free or subsidised events and reached audiences across all 121 postcodes of the UK. The statement continues: "We are an essential part of an open society—civic spaces where writers and readers, old and new, come together to be inspired, provoked and entertained, with nuance and depth."
The festivals are calling for support to "help build a better world", publishing a collective “mission” to improve public discourse, support writers, develop new readers through school and outreach work, embrace diversity and multiplicity, forge connections and democratise culture.
“Year on year, our platforms grow and evolve. Recent editions for all of our events have shown increased audience engagement, showing a resilient demand," the statement reads.
The Publishers Association has backed up the statement, saying that it "emphatically supports the mission and purpose of book festivals and endorse their statement today. It adds: "Book festivals are of huge importance to our culture and society, as well as being an integral part of the publishing ecosystem. They are essential to public discourse and the free expression of ideas. Their support for writers in connecting with audiences and developing readers is crucial. Many play a vital role in reaching young people through schools and education programmes.
“The significant funding pressures festivals have found themselves in are of profound concern. To continue to thrive and serve communities across the country, festivals must be able to craft a strong and reliable future. That can only be achieved through a mixed model of earned revenue, public funding, corporate sponsorship and private philanthropy."
Baillie Gifford’s sponsorship of the Edinburgh International Book Festival goes back 20 years. It had supported Hay since 2016, with the backing offered to the Wales-based festival thought to have been in the region of £130,000 each year. The Bookseller understands it has supported other smaller festivals with sums around £25,000 annually. Stratford Literary Festival revealed in early June that Baillie Gifford’s sponsorship amounted to 50% of its funding.
Meanwhile, Cheltenham Literature Festival said Baillie Gifford had contributed to almost 20% of its corporate funding. Wimbledon BookFest described Baillie Gifford as its “second biggest funder”.
In response to Bloomsbury’s £100,000 donation, Julie Finch, Hay Festival Global c.e.o., said: "We are very grateful to Bloomsbury Publishing for their generous donation, recognising the critical role festivals play in connecting writers with readers and opening access to culture. Festivals continue to face unprecedented financial pressures. Donations like this are an essential part of mixed funding models, which enable our continued flourishing."
