We finance arts and culture because they contribute to society by connecting ideas and people, and reflecting, stimulating and encouraging positive change.

Arts and culture play an important role in the personal development of individuals and the cohesion of society as a whole. Creative expression provides new perspectives, inspires and connects people.

We have set priorities about what to finance and how to extend our impact through our activities based on our experience and expertise in these sectors.

‘Connection’ is central to our vision in the cultural sector. Triodos Bank finances artists and cultural institutions that bridge, and connect, with society.

This usually involves a combination of high artistic quality and broad accessibility. Connecting with the community is done in many ways: by reaching broad audiences, and by dealing with other parties, such as sponsors, businesses, social institutions and banks. In addition, there is a connection with amateur practitioners who are active in the local area and contribute to social cohesion.

For these reasons, and to provide a richer picture of what financing the arts and culture sector means in practice, we publish the number of people reached at venues financed by Triodos Bank. This is not intended to be the last word on impact in the cultural sector. Indeed qualitative evidence of impact, illustrated through the case studies published here, offer a better picture of the difference Triodos Bank makes. A single, focused arts project may also have a profound impact on a smaller group of individuals rather than a more superficial, popular artistic work on a much larger audience. Nevertheless, we hope the combined ways we communicate impact provides an increasingly rich picture of the impact of our activities.

We aim to be a leader in impact-driven reporting in the financial industry. Our focus is on managing impact in ways that improve people’s quality of life and on communicating this impact to our stakeholders.

Arts and culture play an important role in the personal development of individuals and in social cohesion. They reveal new perspectives and inspire and connect people. Based on its long-standing commitment to art and culture, Triodos Bank has a leading position in the sector. It develops innovative finance instruments such as guarantee funds. To do this we work together with governments, industry associations and consultants.

In 2022, Triodos Bank financed 1,513 relations active in the cultural sector (2021: 1,450), from individual artists to large cultural institutions. Approximately 36% of the portfolio relates to cultural centres.

Based on historic data we have estimated that our finance in 2022 helped make it possible for approximately 25.8 million visitors (2021: 9.9 million) to enjoy events at cultural institutions such as cinemas, theatres and museums. The number equates to approximately 34 cultural experiences enabled per Triodos Bank customer. The 2021 figure was considerably lower due to the lockdowns during the pandemic.