Frequently Asked Questions
Why should people be concerned about the National Galleries of Scotland’s relationship with Baillie Gifford?
On 2 July 2024, NGS issued a statement that doubled down on its continued sponsorship by investment management firm Baillie Gifford. Baillie Gifford holds £60 million shares in Babcock International. Babcock International develops, delivers and maintains ground-based air defence systems and electromagnetic warfare systems in collaboration with Israeli military companies, including Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. These companies provide the means by which Palestinians are murdered, and Palestinian land and infrastructure is destroyed.
Who signed the open letter?
The signatories are a decentralised group of artists and audiences who are expressing deep concern at the National Galleries of Scotland’s ongoing relationship with investment management firm Baillie Gifford. We include local members of the Scottish art-going public, artists, curators, and other cultural workers. In short, we are concerned members of the public demanding change.
What are the signatories’ demands?
The signatories are seeking NGS to change in three ways:
Transparency: We demand NGS make public its investigation into the ethics of Baillie Gifford’s investments linked to Israeli arms manufacturing. We also demand NGS staff be allowed to speak up about this issue internally and in public, without fear of workplace pressure or reprisals.
Responsibility: We demand NGS use its long-standing relationship with Baillie Gifford to demand divestment from companies that profit from fossil fuels, war crimes, apartheid, and genocide.
Accountability: We demand NGS account for the divisive nature of pursuing sponsorship deals that run counter to the ethics of the communities it works with. NGS’s Ethical Fundraising Statement states that corporate support “should not damage the integrity or reputation of the National Galleries of Scotland.” NGS’s relationship with Baillie Gifford has caused and continues to inflict such damage. To repair its relationships with artists and audiences, NGS must advocate for the divestments described above. If these divestments don’t happen, NGS must refuse the sponsorship of Baillie Gifford.
Are other cultural institutions accepting support from Baillie Gifford?
A number of high-profile cultural institutions recently ended their relationships with Baillie Gifford – including Fruitmarket Gallery, Collective and Stills Centre for Photography – following protests against Baillie Gifford’s investments in the fossil fuel industry and in companies with links to Israel’s illegal occupation, apartheid regime, and acts of genocide. We know that public pressure works.
What can I do?
Sign the letter and amplify the call for the National Galleries of Scotland to change its relationship with Baillie Gifford. There are a number of ways to do this:
Use your voice. Contact the NGS directly to raise your concern about their sponsorship deal with Baillie Gifford, and urge NGS to meet the demands of this letter.
Speak out on social media platforms and in other public forums about the toxic relationship between Scotland’s national cultural institutions, the fossil fuel industry, and Israeli arms dealing. Screenshot and/or circulate links to this website within your networks. Encourage others to sign this letter. Share information, resources, and personal perspectives to raise awareness and keep up the pressure on NGS to take action.
Keep applying pressure. Continue to engage with organizers, cultural policymakers, and stakeholders to advocate for meaningful and ethical change. Keep writing NGS until you get an answer. Persistence and sustained pressure works.
How can I contact you?
You can write to concerningNGS@proton.me