The arts play a critical role in bringing vitality to our economy.

According to Robert L. Lynch, president of Americans for the Arts, the country’s 100,000 nonprofit arts groups employ some six million people and contribute $167 billion to the economy annually. The American Recovery and Reinvestment bill was approved last week by the House Appropriations Committee, and plans to offer $50 million to the National Endowment for the Arts to distribute to state and local nonprofit arts organizations. The bill goes to the House for a full house vote on Wednesday, according to National Endowment of the Arts leaders. We urge support for it.

An American for the Arts research study, The Arts & Economic Prosperity III, released in 2007, indicates that nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year; support 5.7 million jobs; and return nearly $30 billion in local, state, and federal government revenue every year. The vitality of the arts is a balance between three sources of support: corporate funding, foundation and government assistance, and earned income.

Arts Leaders Urge Role for Culture in Economic Recovery: The New York Times

Local Impact of the Arts: artshum.org

American for the Arts research study: Economic Recovery Factor