Business sponsorship of the arts rose in 1999, according to a new report published yesterday. Business2Arts, the former Business Council for the Arts, said respondents to its latest survey invested £10.8 million (#13.71 million) in arts projects in 1999. This represented only a marginal increase from the £10.2 million committed in 1997, but the body said the latest study was compiled from 371 responses to a questionnaire, fewer than those used in the previous study. Sponsoring firms had an average arts sponsorship budget of about £39,500 in 1999, up from about £27,000 in 1997.