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Research Services
Economic Impact: Sign Up Now!
Americans for the Arts seeks 100 communities to participate in Arts and Economic Prosperity II—our latest national economic impact study of the nonprofit arts industry. In addition to being part of a national study, participants will receive a tailored economic impact study. Our economist will build an econometric input/output model that is customized to your local economy. This proven methodology will describe both the direct and indirect impacts of your community’s nonprofit arts industry in your community.
How is economic impact measured?
Our economist will build an econometric input/output model that is customized to your community’s economy. This proven methodology—an industry standard in the field of economics—will describe the impact of the spending by arts organizations and audiences in terms of four key economic indices:
- Number of full-time equivalent jobs supported
- Amount of household income generated for residents
- Amount of local government revenue (city and county) generated
- Amount of state government revenue generated
What must the local partner communities do to participate?
We require that our customers are active participants in our projects. This achieves three goals: (1) it leverages your staff’s knowledge of your community’s arts community, (2) it ensures your engagement in the project and awareness of project status, and (3) it contributes significantly to our discounted project fees. These requirements include that you:
- Pay the subsidized participation fee
- Provide a comprehensive list of the eligible arts and cultural organizations in your community
- Designate a staff liaison as Americans for the Arts’ primary contact and the local project leader
- Collect a total of at least 800 “audience-intercept” surveys at local arts events
What will Americans for the Arts provide to participants?
Americans for the Arts will provide participants with an entire suite of economic impact products and services including:
- Web-based collection of spending and attendance data from each community’s arts organizations
- Audience surveys for you to disseminate to your local arts audiences
- Training and technical assistance so you can effectively and efficiently collect your local data
- An econometric input/output model customized for your community by our economist
- Comparisons of your findings with those of other study participants
- National and local visibility for your community and local arts industry
- Technical assistance with data interpretation and press release/events
What products will participants receive from Americans for the Arts?
Upon completion of the customized study, participants will receive a CD-ROM containing copies of the following project delivearbles:
- A detailed, easy-to-understand report customized specifically for your study area (20 pages).
View a sample report (pdf, 3.3MB) - Color report cover for the study area
- One-page summary of findings in your study area
- Our latest full national report with the national findings, study background, detailed methodology, frequently asked questions, frequently used terms, survey instruments, and detailed data tables for community comparisons (150+ pages)
- Summary report of the national findings with background, scope, and methodology
- Pamphlet highlighting national findings
- Custom insert for the pamphlet devoted to the findings of your study area
- A customizable PowerPoint presentation of the national findings with talking points and quotes
- Sample advocacy tools (e.g., press release, op-ed).
View an op-ed example (pdf, 2MB)
How much does it cost?
| If Study Region Population Is More than 100,000 |
If Study Region Population Is Less than 100,000 | |
| Participant Fee for Arts and Economic Prosperity II study | $6,500 | $3,500 |
Options available for an additional cost include Americans for the Arts’ staff participation in a study release event in your community upon publication of the findings ($750 plus travel expenses) and a customized package of the 2007 Creative Industries standard, detailed, and trend reports for your community ($800).
Project timeline
June–October 2005:
Recruitment of communities
January–December 2006:
Survey arts audiences
April–June 2006:
Survey nonprofit arts organizations to collect audited 2005 financial data
January–April 2007:
Economic analysis and report preparation
June 2007:
National and local roll-out of Arts and Economic Prosperity II reports
View a detailed project schedule (pdf, 26KB).
For information on how to participate
Contact us or call 202.371.2830.