Since 2016, recipients of the General Operating Support (GOS) Grants have been asked to complete a survey with information about key indicators. This helps staff, members of the Arts Commission, and City Council understand the impact of the Cultural Grants Program and do a “temperature check” on the health of the cultural community. This year’s survey examines indicators of the fallout and recovery from the pandemic.
A note: the survey captures general measures and averages. This does not always work the same for every discipline and every type of organization; there is variety in the criteria gathered when evaluating an organization. The data relies on each organization to make some judgments and provide the most accurate information possible.
About the GOS Grants in 2022
- $748,000 was distributed for General Operating Support to 37 organizations. Grants were provided in amounts that range between $8,000 to $50,000 depending on the size of the organization’s budget.
- Among small organizations, the portion of an organization’s total budget that comes from this grant is between 42% and 8%. For medium, large, and extra-large organizations that number ranges from 8% to less than 1%.
Programming
Office of Arts and Culture staff asked arts organizations how many programs they offer including performances, exhibitions, participatory events, festivals, screenings, artist talks, and more. Education classes and private functions are separated out. The data shows a steady increase over the years right up to the start of the pandemic when closures in March 2020 stopped all in-person programming for a time. That traumatic decline was mitigated by online programming. In 2021, venues began to reopen, and the public became more comfortable with gathering for group events. By the end of 2022, audience size appears to have recovered to surpass any previously measured levels, though that is inconsistent among different organizations.
Budget
Compared nationally, most Boulder organizations would fit in small or medium-sized budget categories. Nonprofits in Boulder vary widely within disciplines or types. Even with the wide range of data, we can make some assumptions. Budgets vary greatly, with a median of about $250,000. With that in mind, the data shows that grants from local, state, and federal government, in addition to gifts from private foundations, continued to be an effective form of relief in 2022. The large increase in the last year is concentrated in a handful of organizations that received significant one-time funds, such as Create Boulder’s relief grants at end of 2021.
The practice of maintaining a standard operating reserve may be the key for a nonprofit to stay resilient. The average operating reserve has returned to be slightly above pre-pandemic levels. Only eight nonprofits reported little to no operating reserve.
Another measure of financial health is cost per person. This is a simple calculation of the annual budget divided by the number of people served. The continued increase here may be impacted by rising inflation, new safety measures and rehiring. Venue rentals have started to return to pre-pandemic numbers, highlighting a return to in-person events and additional staffing to manage venue rentals.
Workforce
After a loss of ~300 jobs among the 37 GOS organizations in 2020, there appears to be recovery that far exceeds pre-pandemic levels. Volunteer jobs also returned, though remained lower than 2018 numbers. Perhaps organizations have started hiring staff in place of a well-meaning, but potentially inconsistent, volunteer workforce.
More Perspective
Below are other studies and assessments on the impacts that the pandemic, health restrictions and recession had on the arts and the creative sector of the economy, as well as current research on the state of the arts in Boulder: