This report provides a comparative perspective on financial support for the arts in six western European countries, the United States, and Canada. It was designed so that American support for the arts could be compared with governmental support for the arts in other countries, whose philosophies and governmental systems might be similar or quite different from the United States. Chapter I deals with the issue of what is defined as art for the purpose of public funding. Chapter II details the organizational structure of arts funding in each country. Chapter III gives financial estimates of public support for the arts in each country. Chapter IV deals with the levels of private funding for the arts. Chapter V presents findings from a more detailed study of 32 arts institutions, the goal of which was to understand the perspective from the bottom up as well as from the top down. Appendices provide detailed financial data on each country and results from studies on the distribution of operating income within various artistic disciplines. A bibliography of sources of information about arts funding in each country is also included. (IS)