Fact Sheet: Benefits of the Arts
- The nonprofit arts industry generates $134 billion annually in economic activity, supports 4.9 million jobs, and returns more than $24 billion in total government revenue. (Arts & Economic Prosperity, Washington DC: Americans for the Arts 2002.)
- The arts industry attracts tourism dollars--today's fastest growing economic market in the country.
- Sixty-five percent of U.S. travelers include cultural events on their trips. These travelers spend an average of $38.05 per event in addition to the cost of admission - 75 percent more than their local counterparts - on event-related items such as meals, parking, and retail sales. Local attendees spend an impressive $21.75 per person per event. (Arts & Economic Prosperity, Washington DC: Americans for the Arts 2002.)
- The arts industry, with the support of NEA, stimulates local economies and improves the quality of civic life throughout the country.
- The support given by the NEA to the arts community supports programs that enhance community development, promote cultural planning, stimulate business development, spur urban renewal, attract new businesses, and improve the overall quality of life in our cities and towns.
- The NEA makes the arts accessible to all Americans.
- The NEA supports projects in all states; including isolated, rural areas, inner cities and military bases. Programs are spread across racial, geographic, and socio-economic lines, thus helping to keep the arts from becoming an activity for only the "well-to-do".
- Arts education is a vital component in preparing America's children for the future.
- Through direct grants, partnerships, research, and initiatives, the NEA has led efforts to make the arts a part of the core education for all pre-K through grade 12 students and to increase opportunities outside of school settings for additional arts learning. In the past 10 years (1996-2005), the NEA has awarded more than $221 million to 7,193 projects involving arts education. In 2005 alone, the NEA awarded more than $38 million to 1,515 projects involving arts education.
- Our countries high-tech industries indicate that they seek employees possessing the skills provided by a comprehensive education in the arts. Arts education has been proven over and over to help students increase cognitive development, inspire motivation and discipline, develop confidence and inventiveness, and
hone communication and problem-solving skills. In addition, children who study the arts continue to outperform non-arts students on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs). According to a study conducted by the College Entrance Examination Board in 1995, students who studied the arts more than 4 yearsscored 59 points higher on the verbal and 44 points higher on the math portions of the SATs than students with no coursework or experience in the arts.
- The NEA encourages private contributions to the arts industry.
- Recipients of the endowment grants are required to match federal money and serve as a fundraising catalyst. On average, the NEA grant generates at least seven dollars from other sources.
- Private support cannot replace the role of government cultural funding.
- Government cutbacks in many social service areas, organizations have to turn to the private sector (individual, corporations, and foundations) for additional support. The private funding sources are responding to multiple requests from all sectors of the nonprofit community. In order to contribute to all these requests, giving to the arts is decreasing dramatically. Individual giving and volunteering have declined sharply since 1989. Corporate contributions have been up slightly according to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. However, corporations only represent 4.7% of total giving to nonprofits. Arts organizations cannot rely principally on corporate funding since it fluctuates greatly depending on current economic conditions. In recent years, foundations grants have increased their giving to human service organizations. This has lowered the arts' share of the foundation dollars down from 14% to 12.7%. In addition, for the first time since 1986, total private giving has fallen below 2% of the GNP.
- Scientific research validates the benefits of the arts.
- A study done by University of California (Irvine) proved that a link exists between music and human intelligence. The authors state, "music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking."
(Begley, Sharon. "Your Child's Brain." Newsweek 19 Feb. 1996: 54.)
- Most importantly, the American public supports federal funding for the arts.
- The latest public opinion poll on the arts, researched by Louis Harris concludes that:
- 79% of the American public support the government's role in funding the arts
- 61% would pay $5 more in taxes to support the arts
- 56% would pay $10 more in taxes to support the arts
- 86% of adult Americans participated in the arts in the last year
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