Giving to arts, culture, and humanities organizations was down by 6.4 percent in 2008 compared to 2007.
The loss to arts is roughly the same as losses to some other sectors, such as environmental and animal welfare organizations and education organizations (down 5.5 percent) or health organizations (down 6.4 percent). International affairs organizations, which include relief programs, rose by 0.6 percent and religious organizations went up 5.5 percent. Added together, total charitable giving shrank by a moderate 2 percent.
Looked at in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), charitable giving is little changed because of the recession. Estimates for 2008 are that giving was 2.2 percent of GDP and in 2007, it was 2.3 percent. However, GDP shrank in 2008 and continues to shrink so far in 2009.
These figures are in nominal dollars. Adding in inflation, the decrease in arts giving is very close to 10 percent in buying power. Not-for-profit theatres that have a strong connection to their communities can withstand budget cuts as small as 10 percent. Marginal theatres, as we've seen, are having money problems and in some cases going under.
This comes from research by Giving USA and the Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy, using the IRS 990 forms which not-for-profits must submit each year.
