New research released on June 8 by American for the Arts indicates that the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $264 million in annual economic activity in the seven-county Central Florida region. According to the Arts & Economic Prosperity IV (AEPIV) national economic impact study, local arts and culture also supports 8,966 full-time-equivalent jobs, and generates $36 million in local and state government revenues. The most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted in the United States, AEPIV was conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education.
“The arts foster economic development and education, and bolster tourism,” said Flora Maria Garcia, President & CEO of United Arts. “The arts also attract and retain high-level businesses and improve the quality of our lives—in short, support for the arts is a terrific investment in the betterment of our community, and this AEPIV research backs that up.”
The Central Florida Region includes nonprofit organizations and their audiences in the counties of Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Volusia, and the cities of Orlando and Winter Park. For more information about this project, as well as breakout reports for select participating counties and cities, please visit http://tinyurl.com/UAresearch.
Nationally, the numbers are huge – the Arts & Economic Prosperity IV study reveals that the nonprofit arts industry produced $135.2 billion in economic activity during 2010. This spending—$61.1 billion by nonprofit arts and culture organizations plus an additional $74.1 billion by their audiences—supported 4.1 million full-time-equivalent jobs and generated $22.3 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues.
“This study shines a much-needed light on the vital role the arts play in stimulating and sustaining economic development,” says Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Contrary to popular belief, the arts are a bustling industry that supports a plethora of diverse jobs, generates significant revenues for local businesses and to federal, state, and local governments and provides quality of life that positions communities to compete in our 21st century creative economy.”
The Arts & Economic Prosperity IV study was conducted by Americans for the Arts and supported by The Ruth Lilly Fund of Americans for the Arts. Americans for the Arts’ local, regional, and statewide project partners contributed both time and financial support to the study. The full text of the national statistical report is available at AmericansForTheArts.org/EconomicImpact.
No mention of the Zora Festival. White people will never get it