@p @codinghorror it's only charity if you consider any form of welfare state spending to be charity.

But also, the giver benefits financially:

for every €1 Ireland invested in the artists during the three-year pilot, €1.39 was returned to the economy

I'd give a lot more to charity if I got £1.39 back for every £1 I gave. At that point, it's simply a sensible investment.