The project aims at improving the current relationship between arts & business in Bulgaria. The idea for the project emerged after meetings with the business community in Bulgaria incurred by SCA Foundation's work on the directory "Business Support for Culture and the Arts in Bulgaria". In our meetings it became clear that, irrelevant of the current economic situation and tax legislation, businesses are interested in supporting artistic projects as a tool for projecting their corporate image or reaching the diverse and dynamic audience of arts projects. At the same time, it was underlined that artistic organizations lack the necessary skills and knowledge to communicate with business and to present their ideas and projects as a "communication channel for the business message".

We have identified the following needs:

1. Artists and artistic organisations need to understand the business point of view when financing an artistic project ("We don't finance a project, we buy a communication channel", Tzvetelina Alexandrova, Orbitel BG)
2. Artists and artistic organisations need skills and knowledge to present a project as a sponsorship proposal
3. There is insufficient information on successful examples of arts - business relationships (why and how an event/project is sponsored), which hinders the learning process both for the arts and the business.

The crucial problem, which is evident and widely accepted, is a lack of resources, mostly financial, with a lot of ideas for new creative projects bound not to come true. At the same time the ways of financing projects and activities are hardly changing. Though criticizing and unsatisfied, artists and artistic organizations rely mostly on the state and on some NGO's funding the sector. As most of the assets are still or until recently have been state-owned and generally poorly managed (the actions and activities being confined to the central budget frames), there has not been a way for the independent artists, groups and art-managers of gaining experience and knowledge in their management.

Searching for sponsorship is often perceived nearly impossible task done by people in need asking the business to help a good cause. Often that way succeeds but culture and the arts are thus put in the same group with social causes, healthcare or education.

As the community involvement and general positive will of businesses to support culture and the arts (among other spheres) is identified the different nature of the needs of culture and the arts is still very poorly utilized The work of the artists and artistic organizations is not perceived as a product, which can and should be sold. Or to be more precise there is lack of skills and knowledge how to market it to potential sponsors and donors. If the businesses are shown that the arts are very effective PR & communication channel and there are art people who can handle this, it will lead to establishing mutually beneficial and long-term partnerships.

A number of businesses who took part in the first research on Business Support for Arts and Culture have been asked how they perceive the need for such a training and information provision. All of them said that the training is much needed and warned that it should be very well prepared and focused. A number of specialists also showed interest in participating in the On-Line Expert Support Forum. "Business need information about what the other companies do, in order to place themselves in the context and to evaluate their position and interests"

(1) Setting up an informational pool of experts and expertise, electronic recourse of project data, etc. to assist both arts and business.

(2) Equipping arts & culture organisations with the necessary knowledge for building useful partnerships with businesses.

(3) Enhancing the essential role the arts can play in communicating the "business message" and the added value arts can offer in terms of customer and public relations

(4) Provide the conditions for an ongoing learning process of arts organisations

(5) Provide information and visibility to successful arts & business relationships in the country