The Metropolitan Opera accepted a plan to receive up to $200 million from Saudi Arabia, intended to fund performances in February in Riyadh and cover most of the opera house’s financial needs through at least 2032. The decision was supported unanimously by the board despite concerns about repressive aspects of the Saudi regime. After the deal was announced in a memorandum of understanding phase, Saudi Arabia canceled it in April, citing the war in Iran. The cancellation occurred alongside broader Saudi funding pullbacks affecting other cultural and tourism initiatives, including LIV Golf and Neom. Other Western arts organizations also rely on Saudi investment under Vision 2030, such as the Centre Pompidou’s €50 million agreement in 2024.
"Other western arts organizations are also banking on Saudi investments - part of the kingdom's Vision 2030 plan to grow its cultural and tourism industries - including the Centre Pompidou, which entered a €50 million agreement with the kingdom in 2024. “The Met didn't pivot to Saudi Arabia because the lights were going out in New York but because they were being turned on in Riyadh,” says Tess O'Dwyer, a fundraising consultant for nonprofits."
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