I conducted my first survey of local arts agencies in 1991. It was all paper in those days. We didn’t even ask for fax numbers because too few had one! Over the years we have fielded dozens of local arts agency (LAA) surveys—some were short and easy to fill out and provided useful information, but lacked adequate depth; others were comprehensive and extremely informative, but were too long and hard for respondents to complete. While the paper surveys became online surveys and technology has made distribution more expansive, what remains as pressing as ever is the need for reliable, relevant, and easily accessible information about the LAAs—research that provides early alerts about new trends, drives discourse about how the industry is evolving, and simply allows LAAs to see how they compare to their peers.

In 2018, Americans for the Arts implemented a new annual survey to accomplish just this—The Profile of Local Arts Agencies. The Profile collects a core set of LAA indicators—budget trends, partnerships, community impact programs, policies and programs—and supplements those with rotating modules that enable deeper dives into specific and timely issues. The first two modules focused on (1) grantmaking and equitable investment in the arts, and (2) salaries, compensation, and demographics of LAA staff.

Read the full article about local arts agencies by Mr. Randy I. Cohen at Americans for the Arts.