Dear Colleagues,
As promised, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs is providing you with the results of the survey of non-profit arts and cultural organizations substantiating the COVID-19 financial and job losses for the month of March. Based on the data from the COVID-19 Survey of Impact on Miami-Dade County's Cultural Community for the month of March, the COVID-19 pandemic has a total financial impact of $22.8 million on nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and has affected 1,700 arts and cultural jobs.
KEY FINDINGS FOR MARCH 2020
Here are key findings of the March Survey which accounts for responses from 201 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations:
$5.7 million REVENUE LOSS: CULTURAL FACILITY AND ARTS VENUE CLOSURES
$14.8 million REVENUE LOSS: EVENTS AND PROGRAMS CANCELLATIONS
$2.3 million COVID-19 EMERGENCY RELATED EXPENSES
$22.8 million TOTAL FINANCIAL IMPACT
1,700 TOTAL JOBS AFFECTED (EMPLOYEE REDUCTIONS AND JOB LOSSES)
With the closing of the cultural community, earned revenue associated with such sources as admissions, ticket sales, contracted services, and gifts shops and concessions sales stopped and donations have diminished significantly. In addition, before facilities closed and events were cancelled, organizations spent additional funds on such items as additional cleaning services, supplies and personnel.
TOP FINANCIAL CONCERNS
In addition to confirming the substantial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability of cultural organizations to generate earned revenue and contributed income, the Survey also reveals their most immediate financial concerns:
• 49% of respondents indicated that “Administrative and Artistic Salaries/Fees” is their #1 Financial Priority; and
• 47% of respondents indicated that “Reduced/Eliminated Earned Revenue and Contributed Income” is their #2 Financial Priority
This confirms that the impact on people and on organizational survival are the top two concerns.
These Survey results have been carefully reviewed by the Department of Cultural Affairs to ensure their accuracy.
The financial and jobs impact documented by this data demonstrates the enormous and traumatic effect that this public health crisis is continuing to have on the operations of arts and cultural organizations and the lives of cultural workers. These somber results confirm the anecdotal evidence garnered through our conversations with you over the past few weeks. The Department will be sharing the Survey data with our local, state and national arts funder colleagues and partners.
It is important to describe this quantitative impact; however, the effect of COVID-19 also has a tremendous effect on the spirit of our community which has been defined and enriched by the very quality and diversity of our vibrant arts and cultural life. These “numerical” losses are deepened by the loss of that essential connection that we share of coming together to experience and celebrate dance, music, theater, the visual arts, the sciences, history and other cultural expressions. In these uncertain times, as we remain safer at home for an indeterminate amount of time, the resulting sense of isolation is a loss that can feel immeasurable.
APRIL SURVEY AND BEYOND
The April Survey will open next week, as we will be collecting financial impact information on a monthly basis. We know that many of you are applying for COVID-19 relief support from various sources (for example, Payroll Protection Program funds, National Endowment for the Arts CARE Act grants, etc.). The April Survey will include a question regarding resources that your organization has applied for and/or received from public and private sources at the local, state and/or federal level.
We look forward to beginning to have conversations with you about the future timing of reopening and restarting our cultural life. I look forward to hearing your ideas about how the arts can play a role in the restoration of the economy. In the meantime, we are grateful for the infinite and virtual ways that our intrepid artists, innovative arts institutions and resilient cultural groups are finding to continue to lift our spirits, entertain our families and keep us all connected.
Please know that we are here to support you during this difficult time and will continue to share meaningful opportunities and resources with you.
Stay safe and healthy!
Michael
Michael Spring
Senior Advisor to Miami-Dade County Office of the Mayor and
Director, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs
The most reliable way to contact us continues to be through email. You can find a staff directory at https://www.miamidadearts.org/about/staff-councils.
Please check the County’s web site for more COVID-19 information and for regular updates: miamidade.gov/coronavirus.
To view a comprehensive list of all the previous cultural updates on COVID-19 click here.