Federal funding for the arts, distributed primarily through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has changed the face of the arts and culture in America. It has also provided an important, cost-effective incentive for making our communities more livable and more profitable. Each federal arts dollar has leveraged more than ten additional public dollars at the state and local levels. This year, the $99.5 million invested in the NEA by the federal government stimulated state governments to contribute more than $280 million and local governments to provide more than $675 million to the arts.

Nonprofit cultural organizations used this public money to leverage ten times more again in private dollars that are being used to support local programs. This delicate balance of federal, state, local, and private financing has been carefully cultivated since the NEA's inception more than 30 years ago. A weakening at the federal level affects the entire ecosystem. The nonprofit arts industry generates $36.8 billion of business annually and supports 1.3 million full-time jobs. This fertile cultural activity has seeded community development by attracting new businesses, encouraging urban renewal, and improving quality of life in cities and towns throughout the country.

The arts and cultural events are frequently cited as a prime attraction for tourists, making tourism the fasted growing economic market in the today. Our most rural areas are not left out. For example, the popular Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, created with a seed grant from the NEA, has become a popular festival able to generate millions of dollars annually.

Compelling evidence exists to demonstrate how federal funding for the arts combined with private sector and other public sector support has had a profound impact upon the health, education and economy of our nation. Business leaders are taking the opportunity to build upon the strong networks and partnerships, the broad access and cultural diversity, and the economic stimuli and social problem-solving abilities created by the arts to nurture further growth at the local level. The arts enrich the lives of all Americans because they speak to our economic, intellectual and spiritual well-being. Critics say that we cannot afford to fund the arts at the federal level. The argument here is that we cannot afford not to when the arts clearly enhance community livability which, in turn, attracts industry, provides jobs, increases the tax base, and enriches us all. (p. 1)

CONTENTS
Executive Summary.
A Federal investment in Culture: The Arts Mean Business in America.
The Current Debate.
Federal Dollars Produce Multiple Local Gains.
Economic Impact.
Access.
Local Development.
A stronger workforce.
Art to Market.
Tourism and trade.
Business leadership position.
Fact sheet.
About Americans for the Arts.
About Americans for the Arts Policy Board.
Americans for the Arts National Policy Board list.

Critics say that we cannot afford to fund the arts at the federal level. The argument here is that we cannot afford not to when the arts clearly enhance community livability which, in turn, attracts industry, provides jobs, increases the tax base, and enriches us all. (from abstract)