21st-century patronage is not measured solely in figures. In a context where social inequalities, the climate emergency, and urban loneliness challenge companies and foundations, philanthropy is mutating towards a more relational model, based on the creation of alliances and the transfer of knowledge. Today, the most transformative social projects are not born solely from large donations, but from strategic collaborations that combine resources, capabilities, and purpose.
"Patronage should not simply be a matter of fundraising, but includes a component of raising awareness, cultivating. It's not about going around with a piggy bank asking, but about seeking solid and stable alliances, that allow companies to get involved in the construction of solutions," defends Juanjo Ortega, director of Obra Social Sant Joan de Déu. In Catalonia, the work of Sant Joan de Déu takes hospital form but also social services, with lines of action ranging from mental health to care for homeless people —with 700 residential places in the province of Barcelona—. Through its programs, they employ 500 people with intellectual disabilities, with a mental health diagnosis or from environments of social exclusion, as highlighted by the director of Sant Joan de Déu Serveis Socials, Salvador Maneu, alongside Ortega.
"Alliances are a core element in Sant Joan de Déu's strategy, both with the public and private sectors, through patronage," remarks Maneu: "We always try to create strong alliances, because the ultimate goal is to increase the impact generated in society." Thus, the aim is to articulate a network of complicities that leads to "a more sensitive and committed society." In fact, patronage has been clear for the entity since its origin in the 16th century: "Back then there was no welfare state, and everything worked based on donations," Ortega points out. But he insists: the economic component is not the main reason they bet on patronage: "The work we do as an entity necessarily has to be done jointly with society, with a community and a network that shares the same vision."
And how is this stable collaboration concretized beyond economic support? In the case of Sant Joan de Déu, one of the possibilities is to collaborate as a company with labor inclusion programs. "If you have a company that makes a good economic contribution but then does not hire people in vulnerable situations, you are only chronicling the situation," Ortega warns. From his point of view, companies have the co-responsibility of being part of the solution. And it is that "the short term can be resolved with money, but the long term requires building more resilient communities that generate opportunities for everyone," as Maneu points out.
With this same objective of generating opportunities for all, the Grupo Sifu Foundation works to also provide employment to people with disabilities, and goes further by emphasizing art. "We realized that many companies help athletes with disabilities, but very few are dedicated to helping people with disabilities linked to the artistic field," Cristian Rovira highlights from the foundation. Given this lack of patrons, the entity proposed to create scholarships for artists with disabilities, especially linked to music. Now the scholarships reach their eighth edition, with more than 100 people having received scholarships so far.
Throughout these years, the foundation has not stopped at the economic support of the scholarships, but has gone further. Faced with the reality that 30% of people with disabilities cannot play any instrument precisely because of their disability, the foundation set out to reverse this figure, and has promoted the creation of instruments that can be played by anyone. "We are currently contributing to creating four new instruments," explains the director of the entity, which finances initiatives promoted by other actors in this regard. A paradigmatic example is the eye harp, an instrument played with the gaze promoted by the UPC and supported by the foundation for five years. Two eye harps were some of the protagonists of the inclusive concert organized by the foundation with musicians with disabilities, which was held at the Teatro Real in Madrid and which in November will return to the Liceu.
"Companies should take a step forward to promote initiatives by artists with disabilities"And in the same way that the Fundació Grupo Sifu acts as a patron for these musicians, the entity also seeks patronage resources to maintain its work, especially after going through the Fundació Catalunya Cultura program. "We have seen an accelerated recognition of our foundation, and it has translated into financial contributions from companies that have helped us boost our activity," highlights Rovira, who calls on more companies to support artists with disabilities. "There is a great disproportion between how companies support athletes with disabilities and how they help at a social and cultural level,"alert: "Companies should be compensated and step forward to promote these initiatives."
Still from music, although from another angle, the promoter of the Sinèrgic project, Martí Sancliment, shares this call to companies. "The Patronage Law helps, although it could also be more ambitious," highlights the project promoter, who brings music to hospitals to accompany hospitalized people. "Many bridges are missing between the social and cultural sphere and that of private enterprise to find collaborations," adds Sancliment. However, Sinèrgic is in itself a bridge between business, culture and social initiative: Sancliment promoted it from his music production and creation company, Neardental, after a period of accompanying his grandfather while he was hospitalized. "I saw that the best way to communicate with him was music, and it ended up becoming the idea that is now Sinèrgic." In 2019 they began to perform intimate concerts in hospitals with a very positive response from patients, and the project has been expanding with participatory concerts and music therapy, with renowned artists such as Jordi Savall, Guillem Roma and Judit Nedderman.
The project, in constant search of funding sources, has continued to expand through hospitals and has even gone beyond the hospital world to also land in the penitentiary, with workshops for inmates. It is not the only artistic initiative that jumps its walls: entities such as the Setba Foundation also work to bring art closer to groups that usually do not receive it: "Culture is powerful and transformative, and putting it in the hands of people is powerful," highlights the director of the foundation, also artist Cristina Sampere. Through social entities, the foundation brings art to people with mental health disorders, and to unusual spaces for culture, such as women's prisons. "We are a benchmark in the world of prisons, and we strongly believe in collaboration. Our intention is to have a cultural program in women's prisons." To do this, they have forged alliances with centers such as Escac, with a main protagonist: photography. Hand in hand with top-level professionals —including the National Photography Award 2023, Laia Abril—, photography reaches inmates as a form of expression, through workshops to get started and deepen in it.
Photography is also the center of gravity of Sonda Internacional, promoted by the renowned photographer Santi Palacios to disseminate and raise awareness about the climate emergency, which embodies another case of patronage —or, in this case, micropatronage—. Constituted as a non-profit organization, it is financed by donations from individuals and small organizations. "It starts from a crowdfunding concept, with many people making small contributions," explains the award-winning photographer.
Thus, small contributions can acquire large dimensions; they can even translate into multitudinous events. This is something that Sant Joan de Déu has achieved with its Magic Line, a solidarity walk that in its last edition raised 500,000 euros. Born in Barcelona 15 years ago, the initiative has been extending to other cities, and is "a celebration of solidarity and an invitation to society as a whole to be part of the solutions," according to Maneu. And just as there are no donations too small, there are no companies that are. "Alliances with a multinational are as important as with a neighborhood store, both can be agents of change"; as an example, the 1,500 establishments they have in Barcelona, through which they have articulated a network against unwanted loneliness, as businesses willing to chat with whoever wants to do so. "More than getting specific donations, the goal is to achieve alliances and mutual loyalty," with companies that fit the values and vision of each entity. And Ortega still gives it a twist: "Alliances with companies also represent an opportunity to change the perspective of the company itself, and that is transformative."