Bethann Steiner, Public Affairs Director
Cultural Organizations: Help Us Compile Compelling Data for Advocacy
Since March 2020 Mass Cultural Council has surveyed cultural organizations four times to document the economic impacts of COVID-19 on the Commonwealth’s cultural sector. In November Massachusetts cultural organizations reported a staggering loss of more than $484 million in revenue and that more than 30,000 cultural sector jobs have been affected due to COVID-19 related cancellations and closures.
These dire figures helped to secure new state spending to bolster the sector, including level funding for the Agency in the FY21 state budget and the $10 million Cultural Organization Economic Recovery grant program.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of this pandemic, and the disruption and devastation it has wreaked on every aspect of our lives, Mass Cultural Council launches a fifth COVID impact survey for cultural organizations. The data we collect will be shared broadly throughout Massachusetts and directly inform our continued advocacy efforts for public investment to fund cultural sector recovery needs. We urge all Massachusetts cultural organizations to respond to this survey by March 1, 2021.
Our partners in state government look to Mass Cultural Council for reliable updates on the cultural sector; it is necessary to begin the new legislative session with updated COVID-19 economic impact data. Whether the topic is the FY22 state budget, the FY22 capital spending plan, newly filed legislation, or how to disseminate future federal COVID recovery funds in Massachusetts, Beacon Hill will soon be making incredibly important decisions. Our goal is for these decisions to be made with a full understanding of the cultural sector’s needs.