3. Organizational Setup

Discover insights into staff composition, leadership structures, benefits offered, and challenges faced by staff members. 

A woman with a headress of roses poses on stage with her right hand outstretched
Artwork of a young girl with her head cradled in her hands wearing a headdress
Key Findings

Latinx/é arts and culture organizations mobilize a large and diverse human workforce, driven primarily by volunteers and board leadership. Across missions and disciplines, most organizations operate with limited full-time staff and rely heavily on volunteers for staffing support.

Key Findings

Latinx/é arts and culture organizations are largely comprised of Latinx/é individuals: 78% of staff within each staffing category identified as Latinx/é, whereas 88% of full-time staff and 82% of part-time staff identified as Latinx/é.

Key Findings

A substantial portion of Latinx/é arts and culture organizations are led by Latinx/é leaders, reflecting strong representation within the field.

Key Findings

Latinx/é arts and culture organizations tend to prioritize flexibility and basic paid time off benefits for full-time employees.

Key Findings

The data show that staffing challenges are widespread, structural, and persistent across budgets and disciplines, shaping how organizations operate and grow.

3.1 Staffing and Organizational Teams

Latinx/é arts and culture organizations rely on a mix of volunteers, board members, and limited paid staff to operate. While higher budgets allow for larger paid teams, most Latinx/é arts and culture organizations reported operating with no paid staff or a small number of paid staff, heavily relying on volunteer labor to keep their programs running.

Explore the Data

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Latinx/é arts and culture organizations mobilize a large and diverse human workforce, driven primarily by volunteers and board leadership. Across missions and disciplines, most organizations operate with limited full-time staff and rely heavily on volunteers for staffing support.

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Artistic Disciplines

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Data Summary

  • When asked, all organizations reported having an average of 4.56 full-time staff, 4.40 part-time staff, 1.61 interns, and 19.73 volunteers.

Opportunities

  • Provide resources for growth and professional development to support locally rooted organizations in hiring enough staff, supporting their current programs, meeting their community needs, and growing their capacity for the future.

Total Staff Size

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Total Full-time Staff

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Total Part-time Staff

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Total Interns

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Total Volunteers

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Latinx/é arts and culture organizations are largely comprised of Latinx/é individuals: 78% of staff within each staffing category identified as Latinx/é, whereas 88% of full-time staff and 82% of part-time staff identified as Latinx/é.

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Artistic Disciplines

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Data Summary

  • Organizations reported having on average 4.19 Latinx/é full-time staff.
  • Organizations reported having on average 3.53 Latinx/é part-time staff.
  • Organizations reported having on average 1.46 Latinx/é interns.
  • Organizations reported having on average 14.30 Latinx/é volunteers.

Latinx/é Full-time Staff

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Latinx/é Part-time Staff

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Latinx/é Interns

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Latinx/é Volunteers

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Image Credits

  • Image #1: CONTRA-TIEMPO, 2017 NALAC Fund for the Arts Organization Project Grantee
  • Image #2: Juan Hernandez, 2023 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grantee
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