6. Financials

Discover how budgets and access to funding influence organizational growth, financial health, and ability to meet demand for programs. 

Artwork of a girl angled away from the camera with her eyes closed
Two women in red dresses dance on a stage
Key Findings

In 2024, nearly half (47%) of organizations had an annual budget of below $100,000, while another 30% had budgets between $100,000-$499,999.

Key Findings

Overall, revenue portfolios appear diversified, with responding organizations receiving a median of 5 different types of funding sources (mean of 4.6)

Key Findings

Upon reporting a given funding source, organizations were asked whether revenue from that source had increased, stayed the same, or decreased since 2020. Their responses reflect experiences between 2020 and 2024, when the survey concluded.

Key Findings

When looking at financial health, most Latinx/é arts and culture organizations are operating on very thin margins. About 39% broke even in the last fiscal year, while roughly a quarter ended the year with a deficit and another quarter with a surplus. The near-equal split between deficit and surplus shows how tight finances are for many organizations.

Key Findings

Most organizations operated with few flexible dollars, greatly limiting their capacity.

6.4 Financial Challenges and Opportunities

Financial challenges affect Latinx/é arts and culture organizations of all sizes and primary activities. Most organizations (94%) reported struggling to raise enough funds to cover their operating costs. Many also reported challenges with building sustainable earned revenue (76%) and securing unrestricted funding (39%). Fewer than 1% reported having no financial challenges, showing that financial strain is nearly universal. 

Explore the Data

Highlight

Most organizations operated with few flexible dollars, greatly limiting their capacity.

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Artistic Disciplines

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Data Summary

  • A majority of all organizations cited Raising Funds That Cover Full Costs as major financial challenges.
  • The most common annual budget for all organizations for the last three years was as follows:
  • 2024: Under $100,000
  • 2023: Under $100,000
  • 2022: Under $100,000

Challenges

  • 78.1% of organizations said funding levels and cash flow are among the greatest challenges they face.

Financial Challenges

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Primary Activity

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2024 Annual Budget

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2023 Annual Budget

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2022 Annual Budget

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Image Credits

  • Image #1: Xelena Gonzalez, 2018 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grantee
  • Image #2: Contra-Tiempo, 2013 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grantee