[malauxyeux]

> and largely funds the same club of favored people

Without taking a side, I have an anecdote that might be able to shed some light on why that's the case.

While living in Canada, I met a woman in charge of administering publicly funded contemporary visual art grants. She said those grants only go to successful artists. "Why do already successful artists need the grants?" I asked. Her answer was that the point was to raise their profile – and Canada's – internationally.

From the government's perspective, it's a bid for soft power, like funding athletes who have a shot at winning an Olympic medal.