Ten Reasons to Support the Arts - 2017 update

Highlights from the 2015 public opinion poll, Americans Speak Out About the Arts, conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Americans for the Arts. 

Support for the nonprofit arts is a mosaic of funding sources—a delicate 60-30-10 balance of earned revenue, private sector contributions, and government support.  The chart above provides a snapshot of what the average revenue picture looks like for a nonprofit arts organization in the U.S.

The arts and culture sector is a $730 billion industry, which represents 4.2 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—a larger share of the economy than transportation, tourism, or construction—according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.  

The arts have outperformed the overall United States Balance of Trade, increasing its surplus tenfold from 2006 to 2013, while the United States goods and services trade as a whole has registered a deficit every year over the same period. 

In 2015, private sector giving to the arts, culture, and humanities—by individuals, foundations, and corporations—was $17.07 billion, up 7.0 percent (6.8 percent when adjusted for inflation) from a revised $17.23 billion in 2014. This marked the fourth consecutive year of growth and makes 2015 the highest arts contribution year ever, even when adjusted for inflation. 

With billions in arts funding, businesses play a key role in ensuring the health and vitality of the nation’s arts sector.  Business support for the arts is less driven by a charitable focus than it is targeted on how the arts impact the communities in which their employees live and work.

The nonprofit arts, unlike most industries, leverage significant amounts of event-related spending by their audiences. Attendance at arts events generates related commerce for hotels, restaurants, parking garages, and more.

Cultural travelers—both domestic and international—are ideal tourists.  They spend more money and stay at their destinations longer.

Schools and employers rank a degree in the arts among the most significant indicator of a job candidate’s creativity and innovation skills.