In communities of all sizes, United Arts Ffunds (UAF) are working to broaden the base of support for the arts, promote excellence in the arts and arts management, and to ensure that arts organizations are financially stable.

Report illustrates important evidence that supports the effectiveness of UAFs as a component of local arts funding

Since 1976, Americans for the Arts has published annual reports on contributions to the arts through united arts funds (UAF) campaigns and related trends. UAFs are federated campaigns that raise funds for operating support of at least three separate arts organizations in a particular community or region. Includes data on the following:

During winter 1997, Americans for the Arts sent surveys to 70 UAFs to collect detailed data about their 1996 fundraising campaigns, revenues and expenditures and programming. This report is based on responses from 59 of the UAFs- an 84 percent rate of compliance.

Studies and experience show that individuals are willing to give to the arts. The key question: How do we reach them? Door-to-door solicitations tend to be inefficient, direct mail is costly and telemarketing often offends potential benefactors. With increasing success, United Arts Funds (UAFs), organizations and local arts agencies (LAAs) are turning to workplace giving campaigns to expand individual support for the arts.

About this Report:

A report published in 1997 about the activities of United Arts Funds across the United States.

Over the past 48 years more than 90 communities across the country, both large and small, have established UAFs. Unlike United Way, no two UAFs are exactly alike. They are custom-made to meet the unique needs and resources of the communities which they serve. While UAFs are different, they do share some common characteristics.

Public funding for the arts has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, particularly at the national level, due to the federal budget deficit and the controversial nature of some artwork funded by federal grants. Such concerns led Congress to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) by nearly 40 percent in FY 1996, and Republican leaders in the U. S. House of Representatives have pledged to eliminate all NEA funding by 1998. To assess the impact of these cuts in North Carolina, the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research studied trends in public and private support

Fifty-seven united arts funds (UAFs) responded to the 1995 fund-raising survey conducted by the National Coalition of United Arts Funds (NCUAF), an affiliate of Americans for the Arts. United arts funds (UAFs) collectively raised $80.3 million, an increase of approximately $909,000 over the $79.4 million reported by 56 UAFs in 1994. With the inclusion of additional sources of income (non-campaign sources), UAFs generated $95 million in 1995. Of this $95 million, approximately 85% was distributed to thousands of arts and cultural groups in communities across the nation. About 12% was