US cities that increased culture funding during Covid rebounded faster: DataArts report
A report from DataArts at Southern Methodist University reveals that U.S. cities that boosted arts funding during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced quicker recoveries. Phoenix notably increased its support for local arts agencies from 0.85% to 4.2% of its budget. Atlanta's Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs raised its funding from approximately 1%, while Sacramento's Office of Arts and Culture increased support from under 5% to over 8%. In contrast, Philadelphia's local government support plummeted from 7% to 1%, resulting in a 47% drop in full-time staffing and a 26% revenue decline.
Key facts
- DataArts at SMU released a report on ten US cities' arts funding from 2019 to 2024.
- Cities that increased municipal arts funding during Covid rebounded more quickly.
- Phoenix increased local arts agency support fourfold, from 0.85% to 4.2% of budgets.
- Atlanta's Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs increased support from about 1% of expenses.
- Sacramento's Office of Arts and Culture increased support from under 5% to over 8%.
- Philadelphia saw local government coverage drop from 7% to 1% of expenses.
- Philadelphia's full-time staffing fell 47% and revenues declined 26%.
- New York City's Covid-19 Response and Impact Fund collected over $100m from private funders.
Entities
Institutions
- DataArts
- Southern Methodist University (SMU)
- The Art Newspaper
- Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs (Atlanta)
- Office of Arts and Culture (Sacramento)
- Bloomberg Associates
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
- New York City's Covid-19 Response and Impact Fund
Locations
- Atlanta
- Cleveland
- Des Moines
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Sacramento
- Seattle
- Dallas
- United States