March 9, 2021
The Honorable Michael Rodrigues, Chair
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
Delivered via email to: michael.j.rodrigues2@state.ma.us
The Honorable Aaron Michlewitz, Chair
House Committee on Ways & Means
Delivered via email to: aaron.michlewitz@state.ma.us
Dear Chair Rodrigues and Chair Michlewitz:
On behalf of the governing Council and staff of Mass Cultural Council I am pleased to offer our testimony and feedback on Governor Baker’s FY22 H1 budget recommendation for the Agency.
As you know, Mass Cultural Council is an independent state agency that promotes excellence, inclusion, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences; fosters a rich cultural life for all Massachusetts residents; and contributes to the vitality of our communities and economy. The Agency pursues this mission through a wide range of grants, initiatives, and advocacy for artists, communities, organizations, and schools.
It is through the Agency’s annual state budget appropriation that the Commonwealth makes its primary investment into the arts, humanities, and sciences – three disciplines which together comprise the Massachusetts cultural sector.
Governor Baker’s FY22 H1 proposes funding Mass Cultural Council’s line item, 0640-0300, at $16.3 million, representing a 10.4% reduction from our current FY21 state appropriation of $18.2M. Mass Cultural Council urges the Committee to make a significant investment in the cultural sector in FY22. We are seeking a total appropriation of $20 million in the coming fiscal year.
The once booming Massachusetts cultural sector has been economically devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our stakeholders: artists, communities, nonprofit cultural organizations, and students, will further suffer from reduced programming and grantmaking activity if Mass Cultural Council’s funding is cut as proposed by the Governor’s H1 spending plan. Reducing the Mass Cultural Council’s line item to the H1 recommendation at this time of economic crisis is untenable.
Just yesterday Mass Cultural Council announced the data collected in our fifth COVID economic impact survey of the cultural sector. Our data shows that 981 nonprofit and municipal cultural organizations have lost an overwhelming $588,334,079 in revenue since March 2020, while 2,951 artists, teaching artists, and scientists/humanists cite $30,403,616 in lost personal income due to the pandemic.
Total Lost Revenue Reported by 981 Cultural Organizations (in millions)
These cultural organizations, located in every region of the Commonwealth, have been financially devastated by the closures and cancellations necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic:
| Region | # of Organizations Reporting | Total Lost Revenue |
| Greater Boston | 314 | $423,496,199 |
| Central | 97 | $28,272,317 |
| MetroWest | 69 | $10,042,000 |
| Northeast | 120 | $25,921,761 |
| Southeast | 189 | $51,628,955 |
| Western | 192 | $48,972,847 |
| Total | 981 | $588,334,079 |
On average, Massachusetts cultural organizations are dealing with the loss of $599,728 each. Difficult decisions have been made to contend with this new reality: 65% of the organizations with employees have, or plan to, lay off, furlough, or reduce the hours and/or wages of their employees. Across Massachusetts, 30,009 individual cultural sector employees have seen their jobs impacted by COVID-19 in these ways.
| Region | # of Organizations Reporting | Total Jobs Impacted |
| Greater Boston | 314 | 13,348 |
| Central | 97 | 1,877 |
| MetroWest | 69 | 2,088 |
| Northeast | 120 | 2,963 |
| Southeast | 189 | 4,729 |
| Western | 192 | 5,019 |
| Total | 981 | 30,009 |
Massachusetts’ creative professionals are also facing dramatic financial loss from the pandemic. A total of 2,951 artists, teaching artists, and scientists/humanists who live and work in every region of the state responded to Mass Cultural Council’s four COVID impact surveys. These individual practitioners report more than $30.4M in lost personal income ($30,403,616) and 67,986 cancelled gigs/jobs since March 2020.
Total Lost Income Reported by 2,951 Creative Individuals (in millions)
On average, an individual artist, teaching artist, or scientist/humanist in Massachusetts has lost $10,303 in personal income and 23 cancelled jobs/gigs due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the past year.
| Region | # of Individuals Reporting | Total Lost Income | Total Lost Gigs/Jobs |
| Greater Boston | 1,134 | $12,709,292 | 24,177 |
| Central | 252 | $2,307,415 | 6,862 |
| MetroWest | 163 | $1,620,553 | 3,845 |
| Northeast | 326 | $3,473,184 | 6,881 |
| Southeast | 518 | $5,391,489 | 14,593 |
| Western | 558 | $4,901,683 | 11,628 |
| Total | 2,951 | $30,403,616 | 67,986 |
Public investment in the arts, humanities, and sciences through Mass Cultural Council delivers significant returns to the Commonwealth. Whether in Greater Boston, Cape Cod, the Berkshires, or in between, nonprofit cultural organizations drive local economies in every region of the state. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the cultural nonprofit organizations supported by Mass Cultural Council:
- Generated $2.3 billion in annual economic activity across the Commonwealth.
- Supported more than 71,000 full time equivalent jobs
- Produced more than $128 million in new revenues for Massachusetts, and
- Every dollar awarded was leveraged to raise an additional $157 in private funds.
Mass Cultural Council’s annual programs and services are a major stabilizing force for the cultural sector. Our stakeholders, and the overall state economy, will suffer further economic distress if these state services are diminished due to reduced funding for the Agency in the FY22 state budget.
Mass Cultural Council History of Funding Over Time (in millions)
I urge the Committee to fund Mass Cultural Council at $20 million in FY22. This level of support will make a demonstrable impact to the state economy and among Massachusetts’ cultural stakeholders. With this funding the Agency will continue to invest in artists, communities, cultural nonprofits, and students and provide meaningful, core services to help stabilize the sector as it continues to recover, rebuild, and renew post-COVID.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership with Mass Cultural Council. Together, we will continue to advance the power of culture across the Commonwealth. Please do not hesitate to contact me, or Bethann Steiner, our Director of Public Affairs, if you require additional information.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Bobbitt
Executive Director