Today, Dance/NYC releases its report State of NYC Dance and Corporate Giving. With it, we continue to reveal the activity, economics, and labor of New York City dance, and dive more deeply into the state of corporate giving to the art form than ever before. By spotlighting this revenue stream, we aim to inform private sector practices and create entry points to the sector for artists and companies.

Click here for the full report. (Photo Credit: Jordan Matter)

The study represents a new role for the Cultural Data Project to serve not only as a data collection resource, but also as a thought partner in the cultural sector's research efforts. Dance/NYC commissioned the CDP to provide analysis and develop the recommendations included in this report. Ongoing research that utilizes CDP resources, and the cultural sector’s use of benchmarks that the CDP has established, would be powerful outcomes of this effort.

Findings underscore the value of dance groups in the CDP sample. For instance, with thousands of performances locally and on tour, millions of paying attendees, and $276 million in aggregate expenditures, dance is contributing to the fabric of the city in a real and vibrant way. With 82% of total expenditures going to programming, dance puts resources to use efficiently. Such data can be used for making the case for investment to corporations and additional stakeholders.

Despite the demonstrated contributions of the study sample and the importance of corporate giving, such giving is limited and diminished significantly over the five-year (2008–2012) period studied, which included a recession. The total annual amount received “in donations from corporations, including grants, funds and matching gifts” (source: CDP) totaled $5.9 million, nearly 5% of contributed income.

Corporate giving to the dance sample declined 62% in the aggregate since 2008, a primary finding that calls out for enlarging and stabilizing this source.

Snapshot (now) and trend (over time) analyses are segmented by available data on group budget size, type, and geography to address equity in the distribution of resources.

By Type: Snapshot analyses show 80% of total corporate dollars invested in the sample is focused on groups who create and perform dance. Presenters experienced the most significant decline in corporate giving as a share of their contributed income, from 14% down to 3%.

By Size: The largest dance groups, with budgets of more than $5 million, receive 76% of total corporate support and (at 6%) a marginally higher share of their total contributed income from this source than smaller groups. Only 19% of those with budgets of less than $100K report income from any corporation. Groups of all sizes faced declining corporate revenue, but for midsize groups ($500K–999K) the losses (at 82%) were the most substantial. These findings invite strategy focused on introducing the smallest groups to businesses and on increasing private sector engagement with dance along the continuum of budget sizes.

By Borough: The vast majority (94%) of corporate gifts are made to groups based in Manhattan (71% of the total sample), but the difference in corporate income as a share of contributed sources for groups in Manhattan and Brooklyn is negligible. Only Manhattan-based groups experienced evident declines from 2008 to 2012, and groups in the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island collectively reported increases.

While focused primarily on financial contributions, the study points out examples of in-kind resources that corporations may be making available, including space, marketing, technology, concessions,a??travel, and legal and accounting services. Creative exploration of nonfinancial resources to complement corporate dollars is requisite.

The equity issues examined in this study will need to be monitored over time, and Dance/NYC both advocates for and seeks more inclusive data to ensure the relevance and cultural competence of its research and policy positions.

The research is well timed, coming nearly one year into a new mayoral administration and City Council. For public officials, it can be a tool for developing policies and programs to increase cooperationa??with the private sector and incentivize business participation in the arts. For corporate funders, it is a call to action to invest in their communities. For artists and companies, it is a management tool and resource to advocate and build awareness.

Join us in advancing private sector practices and dance and culture in New York. Read the full report and weigh in online @DanceNYC.

Please also join us February 22, 2015 for the Dance/NYC Symposium, when we will discuss findings and work toward solutions. Click here to register now.