Ethics & Compliance Standards on Patronage, Sponsorship and Other Relations with Companies
Nxt Museum is committed to being self-supporting and generating its own financial resources. In addition to its own resources, funding for the museum could come from relationships with individuals, non-profit and commercial organisations.
Nxt Museum considers relationships with individuals and companies an opportunity to:
- develop the museum building, spaces and facilities;
- support its collections, exhibitions, programs, publications, events and other initiatives;
- draw a new audience to the museum, including the employees of its partner companies;
These ethical standards reflect “best practice” principles widely adopted by museums to guide relations with individuals and companies. The objective of these standards is to:
- support transparent and productive partnerships with sponsors for the benefit of Nxt Museum and its audience;
- provide a transparent and ethical framework for the negotiation of sponsorship agreements, ensuring that they are consistent with the vision and aims of the Nxt Museum, relevant legislation and museum industry ethical standards; and
- provide policies and guidelines to recognise the generosity of major sponsors and donors.
These ethical standards apply to any sponsorship of or donation to Nxt Museum.
1. Artistic Independence
Nxt Museum does not accept any intervention on the artistic content of its exhibitions, programmes or projects by an individual or company that has provided financial support for the said project in full or in part within the context of patronage or sponsorship.
The contents and presentation of any exhibition or program, the management of Nxt Museum’s collections and the interpretation of Nxt Museum’s mission to find and present what could, should and will be next in artistic expression. We seek forward looking art that uses modern tools to embody, capture and challenge modern times. remain exclusively within the sole discretion and control of Nxt Museum.
2. Ethical Fundraising
Nxt Museum carefully consider offers of financial support from individuals and companies. In that respect Nxt Museum seeks support from individuals and organisations whose ethical values are consistent with those of Nxt Museum.
Patronage or sponsorship as an image-enhancing investment as part of its communications strategy is only allowed if the ethical values are aligned.
3. Due diligence
Nxt Museum exercises due diligence in understanding the ethical standards of individual and commercial partners with a view to maintaining public trust and integrity in all museum activities. Nxt Museum ensures that all reasonable measures are taken to establish the facts of a case before deciding a course of action, particularly in identifying and understanding the full background of a donor or sponsor.
Nxt Museum shall not enter into patronage, sponsorship or museum space rental agreement with parties if due diligence demonstrates that associating with this party could be detrimental to the image of Nxt Museum.
4. Limitations on patronage or sponsorship
Nxt Museum reserves the right to not accept patronage or sponsorship from individuals or companies whose activities would be likely to leave any doubt as to a possible conflict of interest. An example are individuals or companies operating in the art market. The purpose is to never compromise the integrity of dealings Nxt Museum could have with those parties within the scope of its artwork acquisition policy.
Any form of patronage, sponsorship or museum space rental is part of Nxt Museum’s corporate communications strategy. Nxt Museum ensures that any patronage, sponsorship or museum space rental are in line with applicable law, for example legislation on advertising.
5. Naming Practices
Nxt Museum may rename a museum space after an individual donor or company in acknowledgement of a particularly generous act of sponsorship or patronage, whether or not for a limited period of time.
Nxt Museum ensures that the name it chooses to display on long-term or temporary media (for example artwork label, (digital) engraving, inscription on a plaque, posters, informational programs, press kits or banners) is correct and true in all respects. The name of a company shall be its company name, logo, or any other recognised name that represents the company identity or its industrial or commercial activity.
6. Environment: User Rights, Personal and Property Safety, Visual Disturbance
a) Nxt Museum ensures that any special benefits rewarded to an individual donor or company within the scope of an act of sponsorship, patronage or museum space rental does not in any way hinder normal public access to Nxt Museum’s cultural offering (for example prohibiting access to a room that is normally open to the public). In the event that this access is nevertheless in any way obstructed for a limited period of time (for example visitors are required to follow a detour), Nxt Museum shall provide the public with all the information needed to explain the nature and duration of the disturbance.
b) If, as part of an act of sponsorship, patronage or museum space rental, Nxt Museum accepts a venue request leading to modification of the normal use of a space, Nxt Museum ensures that:
- the safety of persons and of the artwork is guaranteed (for example liaise with local governmental authorities for permits);
- such party restores any spaces to their original condition as quickly as possible.
c) If, as part of an act of sponsorship, patronage or museum space rental, Nxt Museum accepts a venue request that creates visual or noise disturbance for the immediate surroundings, Nxt Museum is committed to:
- doing everything possible to keep it to a minimum;
- informing the residents of the surrounding areas and local governmental authorities in advance;
- providing the necessary information as to the nature and duration of the disturbance.
7. Respect for Artworks and for the Nxt Museum’s Image
Nxt Museum shall not allow any museum space rentals or other activity that might put the safety of exhibited artworks at risk.
Nxt Museum ensures that its partners respectfully use images of artworks in its collections.
Nxt Museum ensures that any use of the “Nxt Museum” name and brand by its partners as part of their communications policy is respectful of its image and the reputation of its employees.
8. Commercial or Artistic Activity
Nxt Museum may allow on-site commercial activity and allow a company to conduct commercial activity for the sale of products or services in the case of a museum space rental, provided these activities are compatible with Nxt Museum’s social mission or its image.
Nxt Museum shall allow any artistic or cultural activity as part of a museum space rental which is compatible with Nxt Museum’s social mission or its image.
9. Free rentals
Nxt Museum shall only make its spaces available free of charge to third parties (whether individuals, non-profit organisations, commercial organisations or (local) government entities) if the free rental objectively serves the interests of Nxt Museum and that it does not result in waiving paid rentals or compensation for acts of patronage or sponsorship.
10. Transparency
Upon their request Nxt Museum shall provide its stakeholders such as shareholders with the details of the special benefits obtained by all sponsors, patrons or donors within the context of sponsorship or patronage operations, provided that these shareholders agree to respect any and all confidentiality clauses by which Nxt Museum is bound.