National Center for Arts Research

Nearly every nonprofit sector of the arts in America faces serious challenges. The National Endowment for the Arts’ 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts revealed double-digit declines in the percentage of Americans who attended the arts from 2002 to 2008, as well as increases in average audience age over the same period. Personal spending in arts and culture has fallen significantly over the past decade, resulting in a net loss of $45 billion for the sector. Donations to the sector have also declined over the past 20 years by about $8 billion.

The impact of these trends is clear:

• From 2008 to 2010, over 40% of arts organizations failed to break even
• Operating deficits require organizations to go into debt or dip into cash reserves and endowments

The National Center for Arts Research was formed to address these challenges. NCAR will explore and analyze the issues of decreasing arts patronage and the declining fiscal health of arts organizations with a goal of finding ways to improve both. We aim to be the leading provider of data-based insights that will enable arts and cultural leaders to overcome challenges and increase their impact.

Learn more at the National Center for Arts Research site