Art community searches for the next generation of philanthropists

The National Post took a look at Toronto’s philanthropist-in-training clubs, like the AGO’s Next and the ROM’s Young Patrons’ Circle, which are both designed to lure young professionals looking for cultural enrichment. YPC and Next organize cocktail receptions with lectures by curators, parties and guided after-hours tours, which, in addition to offering an opportunity to expand one’s mind, provide an equal opportunity to expand one’s Rolodex. With memberships costing $600 a year, both YPC and Next attract a similarly well-heeled clientele, though everyone involved is quick to dismiss any notions of a rich kids’ club. As the Post argues, a membership is slightly less than joining a gym, and free drinks, art parties and hobnobbing with the city’s young elite is more appealing than grunting away on the elliptical for an hour.

• How to grow a patron [National Post]