Author: Mittenthal, Richard A. and McAdam, Terry

Publication Year: 1977

Media Type: Report

Summary:

Few people would argue with the notion that New York City is the major cultural center in the . In fact, people all over the world look to our city for creativity, leadership and standard setting in the performing and visual arts. As New York's community foundation, the New York Community Trust has a special responsibility to try, within its limited resources, to help our city remain preeminent.

Abstract:

Introduction:
Few people would argue with the notion that New York City is the major cultural center in the . In fact, people all over the world look to our city for creativity, leadership and standard setting in the performing and visual arts. As New York's community foundation, the New York Community Trust has a special responsibility to try, within its limited resources, to help our city remain preeminent.

This presentation will:

• Highlight the importance of the arts in New York City.
• Mention the major problem areas facing institutions today.
• Examine the contribution to city institutions made by Federal, State and City agencies.
• Suggest a strategy that has been developed for the expenditure of the New York Community Trust's all-purpose funds.

We looked earlier at the composition of New York Community Trust's arts and culture grants. We saw that 88 percent of the monies were founder advised and designated and that only 12 percent were all purpose. The last analysis indicated that most of the monies were spent for general support.General support is essential to institutions. When it is spent, however, the institution is often in no better condition than before it was received. Over the past several months, as we have learned more about the arts in general and reexamined the arts programs at The New York Community Trust, we have explored ways to spend our all-purpose grant monies with a more sharply-defined focus. We believe that the arts and culture grants at the Trust should be looked upon as investments in the sense that a recipient will ideally be in an improved administrative, financial or artistic condition at the end of the grant period when contrasted to that which existed prior to the receipt of the grant.

Funds will be allocated with three objectives in mind (listed in no particular order):|To increase the earned income of arts institutions. Over the past several years, corporations, foundations, government and individuals have greatly increased their support of the arts. At the same time, huge deficits, particularly in the performing arts, have continued to mount. The Trust is interested in projects that will increase the earned income base of institutions, e.g. subscription drives for theatre, membership campaigns for museums. To increase the accessibility of arts institutions to non-users. This would include performing and/or visual arts programs in areas of the community which are underserved as well as exposing people previously unexposed to our City's cultural institutions. To encourage institutions to improve management of existing resources. This would include supporting arts service (technical assistance) organizations as well as cooperative efforts in subscription campaigns, space utilization, purchasing or other administrative functions.

CONTENTS
About the New York Community Trust.
About the occasional paper series.
A discussion of the possible cash flow problems of nonprofit voluntary agencies.
Technical assistance in New York City.
The New York City fiscal situation.
The economic impact of the Blackout, the first 3 weeks, August 1977.
Housing in New York City: a role for the New York Community Trust.
Health care in New York City: a role for the New York Community Trust.
A survey of arts-in-education in New York City.
Introduction.
New York City - our nation's cultural capital.
The types of institutions that exist. (Chart)
Total attendance at arts & cultural institutions (1976) Attendance.
The economic impact of the arts in New York City. (Graph)
Sources of support for New York City arts and cultural institutions (1976).
How New York City institutions are financed.
The financial crisis in the arts.
Inflation.
Salaries.
Loss of important foundation support.
Poor management.
Public misconceptions.
Underutilized facilities and performances.
Inadequate federal government support. (Chart)
Operating deficits of arts institutions in New York State (1974-75 to 1976-77).
National Endowment for the Arts:
     Expenditures by program in total and in New York City.
     The contribution of the National Endowment for the Arts.
New York State Council on the Arts:
     Expenditures in New York City.
     The contribution of the New York State Council on the Arts.
     State Council on the Arts total giving in New York City by borough.
The contribution of New York City government:
     Expense budget assistance to 22 major institutions.
     Capital budget assistance to 23 major institutions.
     Department of Cultural affairs program.
     Provision of services.
Strategy for the arts and culture program at the New York Community Trust.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Private Sector