Membership schemes have long been a major revenue stream for public institutions. At the National Gallery in London, for instance, memberships contribute more than GBP 7 million a year to the museum’s coffers. And, as state subsidies dwindle and potentially problematic corporate sponsors come under greater scrutiny, such schemes are perhaps more vital than ever.

Now, a new type of membership scheme is cropping up among commercial organizations – many of which are looking for alternative ways to monetize art and galvanize new audiences in a slower market. Earlier this month, Frieze’s membership scheme Frieze 91 was rebranded as Frieze Connect in line with an expansion in year-round programming, while Art Basel also offers a range of premium passes, with additional benefits, for its various global fairs.

Commercial galleries, too, are getting in on the act. Several membership schemes that offer access to multiple galleries, art fairs and museums have existed for some time. Among them The Cultivist, which launched in 2015 and grants special access to the most sought-after shows in the world, and Ocula Magazine’s online gallery platform, which was established in 2013 and relaunched earlier this year to bring renewed attention to the programmes of its gallery members. They include Gagosian, David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, Sadie Coles HQ and Victoria Miro, among many others. Prices start at US$ 245 a month, for which galleries gain access to a collector base via editorial and exhibition content. Sales enquiries are fielded by the platform.

Forging a new type of membership as a way of providing revenue and aimed at a younger demographic is the London gallery Saatchi Yates, which was cofounded in 2020 by Phoebe Saatchi Yates – the daughter of advertising mogul and mega-collector Charles Saatchi – and her husband, Arthur. For GBP 80 a month, the Saatchi Yates membership, which was founded in June, offers ‘everything from home-cooked dinners at artists’ studios to late night theater performances in an art gallery setting,’ according to a statement. Alongside private events and openings, members are also privy to art history classes ‘with legendary tutors’ and darkroom experiences with photography experts. For GBP 800 a month, the more deep-pocketed can subscribe to a ‘big kahuna’ membership, while a ‘free tier’ membership grants access to a WhatsApp group chat. Uptake has been substantial among a young London art crowd. So, could Saatchi Yates’s scheme be the model millennial and Gen Z donors have been looking for?

The philanthropy adviser and podcast host Scott Stover thinks so. As he points out, young givers today make fewer distinctions between the public and private spheres, preferring instead to engage in more self-sustaining and entrepreneurial initiatives. According to Stover, the membership model also ticks many of the boxes that next-gen philanthropists look for when choosing how to spend their money when it comes to supporting the arts: ‘It is relatively affordable, it prioritizes experience over transaction, and it seeks to build community over the longer term – one that is not just limited to the art world,’ he says.

However, young givers also want evidence that their donations are having a meaningful impact in areas including the climate and social justice – something the Saatchi Yates scheme lacks. The gallery declined to answer specifics, but it seems unlikely that there are any beneficiaries beyond the business itself.

According to new research on next-gen philanthropy undertaken by UBS, younger collectors are ‘increasingly driven by personal values and a desire to make meaningful impact.’ As Christl Novakovic, Head of Global Wealth Management EMEA at UBS, writes in the latest Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report: ‘The year 2024 saw an evolution in the art market that arguably marks a turning point in the culture of collecting. Wealthy collectors are taking more time to research and reflect, and when they purchase, they do so with specific intentions.’

She notes how the Great Wealth Transfer is driving changes in the art market and has the potential to significantly alter the future of the philanthropic landscape, too. According to the UBS Global Wealth Report 2025,  USD 83 trillion will take place over the next 20 – 25 years, with women benefitting from both intra- as well as inter-generational shifts as some USD 9 trillion of this total transfers between spouses. Over USD 74 trillion will be vertical, between generations, so roughly 12%.

Despite these huge sums, giving to the arts remains relatively miniscule. In Britain, it has hovered at around 2-3% of total donations for the past 5 years, according to the Charities Aid Foundation. Unlike in the US, where tax breaks are generous, tax incentives are still an issue for donors in the UK and even more so in Europe, where countries rely more heavily on the state, although this too is changing.

As the UBS research identifies, a hands-on approach, the environment, and social equality are some of the issues that top the agenda for donors under 35. The New York-based collector Will Palley, who is a co-chair of the Museum of Modern Art’s Young Patrons scheme, says he is particularly focused on supporting Queer and female artists. ‘That shows up in how I deploy my resources – providing targeted support for exhibition funding and acquisitions that fulfil that mission and education programs for LGBTQ+ teens,’ he says.

Palley, who hosts the podcast Art from the Outside, is now developing a fund that will support arts-based learning programs for LGBTQ+ teens across the US. ‘At a time when young LGBTQ+ people are especially vulnerable, we’ll be funding arts museums to build teen engagement programs to build young people’s personal, social, and creative confidence through art,’ he says.

Other key factors driving young donors are transparency and accountability – something digital natives have come to expect from the organizations they support. ‘We want to understand how our dollars are driving specific outcomes. Is an organization fulfilling its mission? Is it driving the results that we expect?’ Palley says. ‘Sometimes it feels like art museums are a black hole: you throw something in and it gets gobbled up, but you never know how exactly those donations were used and what their impact was.’

The young collector thinks the market has a role to play in aligning with ‘more socially engaged orientations,’ pointing to the launch of the Premiere section at Art Basel this year, which focused on socially relevant topics. ‘We are so conscious of these issues, so we’re far more inclined to align what we buy with our values,’ Palley says.

In a changing art world, the commercial sector is increasingly defining the philanthropic landscape, often to the benefit of the whole ecosystem. The South African Goodman Gallery, which also has spaces in London and New York, has operated in a socially conscious way since it opened in Johannesburg in 1966.

‘More than just being a commercial gallery, Goodman has always been a space for dialogue, for gathering, for reflection,’ says the gallery’s founder Liza Essers. ‘During the apartheid, our doors were open to artists and art lovers of all races. That ethos continues today. We see the gallery as a platform to build meaningful connections, not just between artists and collectors, but across communities, institutions, musicians, chefs, thinkers… you name it.’

The gallerist notes that the culture of museum-going or museum philanthropy is not as entrenched in Africa as it is in other parts of the world. ‘We’re really committed to helping shift that by supporting education and access,’ she says, pointing to the gallery’s involvement in the BMW Young Collectors Co., an initiative dedicated to fostering the next generation of African art collectors.

With public funding at an all-time low, both museums and non-profits are feeling the strain, both in the Global South and Global North. Such times call for new models – and, crucially, new ways of engaging younger audiences. As Essers says: ‘We have to be adaptive. Across the art world, I think there’s a growing sense of shared responsibility and a need for creative problem-solving. We’re all trying to pull together and make it work, whether that’s through finding the next generation collector or the next generation philanthropist, it still boils down to finding the next generation art lover.’