Metro Boston's Arts and Cultural Nonprofits
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
VitalSigns_cover 2 11/15/07 11:36 AM Page 1 UNDERSTANDING BOSTON Vital Signs: Metro Boston’s Arts and Cultural Nonprofits 1999 2004 Vital Signs: Metro Boston’s Vital Signs Metro Boston’s Arts and Cultural Nonprofits 1999 and 2004 The Boston Foundation The Boston Foundation 75 ARLINGTON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02116 617-338-1700 WWW.TBF.ORG The Boston Foundation The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, is one of the oldest and largest community founda- tions in the nation, with assets of almost $900 million. In 2007, the Foundation and its donors made more than $92 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and received gifts of $90 million. The Foundation is made up of some 900 separate charitable funds established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. The Boston Foundation also serves as a major civic leader, provider of information, convener, and sponsor of special initiatives designed to address the community’s and region’s most pressing challenges. For more information about the Boston Foundation, visit www.tbf.org or call 617-338-1700. UNDERSTANDING BOSTON is a series of forums, educational events, and research sponsored by the Boston Foundation to provide information and insight into issues affecting Boston, its neighborhoods, and the region. By working in collaboration with a wide range of partners, the Boston Foundation provides opportunities for people to come together to explore challenges facing our constantly changing community and to develop an informed civic agenda. Publication Credits Authors Susan Nelson, Principal, TDC Ann McQueen, Senior Program Officer, The Boston Foundation Additional Research Anne Freeh Engel, TDC Rebecca Ginns, TDC Kate Greene, TDC Report Editor Emily Hiestand, Elements Communications Design Kate Canfield, Canfield Design Cover Illustration: Rendering of the Huntington Theatre Company’s Virginia Wimberly Theater, located in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts Courtesy Wilson Butler Architects Second printing. Copyright © 2008 The Boston Foundation. All rights reserved. Contents Preface . 5 Executive Summary. 6 Introduction . 9 Context . 9 The Questions . 10 The Data . 11 The Healthy Sector . 12 Vital Signs . 14 CHAPTER ONE The Sector in Context . 15 National and State Trends . 15 The Arts and Culture Sector in Metro Boston. 15 CHAPTER TWO The Innovative Marketplace . 16 Are Mergers the Answer?. 17 Evidence of Churn and Innovation in the Marketplace . 18 Activity or Institution—What is the Difference? . 18 More Shakespeare? Another Nonprofit? . 19 Key Findings . 21 Art, History and Culture Consolidated . 22 CHAPTER THREE The Supportive Environment . 25 Key Findings . 29 CHAPTER FOUR The Engaged Audience . 30 Against the Odds . 32 Key Findings . 36 Matching Art and Audience—Today and Tomorrow. 37 CHAPTER FIVE The Right-Sized Organization . 40 Financial Health Isn’t One Size Fits All . 40 The Dynamic Small Nonprofit . 41 What are Unrestricted Net Assets?. 41 The Squeezed Middle. 42 Building to Scale . 43 The Resource Rich Top. 45 Is a Staffing Crisis Looming?. 45 Key Findings . 46 Growth in a Competitive Environment . 48 CHAPTER SIX Conclusion . 50 Looking Ahead . 51 A Final Word . 52 APPENDIX A Data Sources . ii APPENDIX B Supporting Data, 1999 and 2004 . v APPENDIX C Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund Grants. xiii APPENDIX D Bibliography . xvii APPENDIX E Advisors . xix ENDNOTES. xxi CHARTS AND FIGURES FIGURE 1—Changing Economic Indicators . 11 FIGURE 2—The Boston Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area . 12 FIGURE 3—Each Vital Sign is Grounded in Multiple Data Sets. 13 FIGURE 4—Each Vital Sign Has Positive and Negative Indicators . 14 FIGURE 5—Components of Metro Boston’s Arts/Culture Sector in 2004 . ..