Despite continued economic uncertainty, support from multiple sectors shows investment in the arts is always a priority. Wherever you are, an investment in the arts is an investment in a stronger economy.
The Impact of the 2013 Government Shutdown
The federal government’s shutdown of 2013 brought a halt to many arts-related programs and created ripple effects in our country’s economy and education. Facilities of the Smithsonian Institution, including museums, closed, inhibiting tourism, school trips, creative, and innovative learning opportunities, and ongoing preservation of arts and culture. President and CEO Robert L. Lynch was invited to discuss the impact of the sequester on PBS NewsHour’s Art Beat segment.
BCA Triennial Survey on Business Support for the Arts
The Business Committee for the Arts (BCA), a division of Americans for the Arts, released a new survey in 2013 highlighting increased business support of the arts. The survey showed that during 2009–2012, private sector giving increased by 18 percent. This upward trend looks likely to continue as 17 percent of businesses that support the arts expect to increase giving in the coming year, while 69 percent expect giving to remain flat. Unlike other studies on business philanthropy, the BCA survey examines the giving habits of small- and medium-size businesses, the largest business supporters of the arts.
Federal Arts Funding Coverage on CSPAN
This past November, Americans for the Arts' Vice President of Research Randy Cohen and the National Endowment for the Art's Sunil Iyengar came together to discuss federal arts funding on CSPAN. The federal government contributes about 1.2 percent of the nation’s arts funding.