In 1988, New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs received 36 cents for every $100 of total taxpayer spending. Today, its share of the city’s operating budget is just 20 cents, an all-time low. In a city where the arts provide thousands of jobs, enrich communities, enliven public spaces and give voice to immigrant and low-income residents, 20 cents is not enough.

In this New York Daily News op-ed, CUF Senior Researcher Adam Forman urges New York City policymakers to better support individual artists and cultural organizations, providing three recommendations to reach small and midsize nonprofits, help reform the granting process, and ensure that New York remains the arts capital of the world. 

Click here to read the op-ed.

The op-ed builds on Creative New York, a 2015 CUF report that identifies the creative sector as one of New York City’s most important economic assets, while recognizing that the city’s working artists, nonprofit arts groups, and for-profit creative firms face a growing number of challenges.