American cultural policy is made and executed by multiple governmental entities, with a large part of direct public expenditure coming from sub-national governments rather than the central government. Much the largest share of government support is provided by tax concessions for gifts to not-for-profit enterprises that are the predominant producers of the subsidized arts, and by tax concessions to private owners who agree to preserve their heritage buildings and sites. The multiplicity of government decision makers and the reliance on "arms-length" relations between government and not-for-profit private providers of cultural services results in cultural policy that appears to be and is incoherent, but is characteristic of American public policy in many spheres.
