Arts funding is concentrated in wealthy institutions

By Helicon Collaborative, this 2017 report documents funding patterns in the arts, its negative impact on cultural pluralism, and why addressing diversity and equity in the cultural sector matters more than ever.

Findings

• Despite attention, the distribution of arts funding nationally got more concentrated in institutions that already have the most resources. 2% of all cultural institutions receive nearly 60% of all contributed revenue, up ~5% points over a decade.

• Local funding patterns mirror national ones. In Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York City, San Francisco, the Twin Cities and Washington, DC, arts funding is highly concentrated in the hands of a few large institutions.

• There is a significant lack of diversity among cultural philanthropy leaders, which influences funding policies and distributions.

• Cultural groups, both urban and rural, whose primary mission is to serve BIPOC and/ or lower-income communities face distinct challenges.

  • Less capacity to generate contributed income.

  • Less capacity to generate earned income.

  • Less access to larger grants. About 50% of all arts foundation funding is awarded through grants of $500,000 or more. Because the size of most arts grants is tied to the size of the organization’s budget, large grants are out of reach of smaller organizations.

  • Less capacity to develop reserves and generate investment income.

  • Lower percentages of full-time staff. Less than half the work conducted at these organizations is performed by full-time employees.