Resources

The Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington offers its organization and individual members a wide range of resources that support our mission to Research, Advocate, Convene, and Serve. These resources help us build and nurture the creative environment crucial for artists and arts institutions to thrive while connecting them with sound organizational principles and interested, talented businesspeople.

Reports & Studies I Arts Administration I Elected Officials, Arts Councils & Commissions

Reports & Studies

2007

Arts & Economic Prosperity III: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences in Greater Washington


2006

Arlington County, Virginia Public Art Policy (.pdf)
Arlington's Public Art Master Plan reflects the County's commitment to public art as a key tool for promoting design excellence and creating high-quality public space.

How Cultural Heritage Organizations Serve Communities: Priorities, Strengths, and Challenges
By Carole E. Rosenstein. This Urban Institute study examines the role cultural heritage organizations play in building and sustaining communities.

Promoting Arts and Culture in the Capital Region (.pdf)
In the summer of 2006, the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, in partnership with The Washington Post Companies, convened a meeting of grant makers, arts councils and commissions, arts and cultural organizations, and selected tourism authorities to review CAGW's recommendations for collaborations to promote arts and culture in the Washington metropolitan region. The report contains the presentation from the meeting.

2005

Arts, Culture, and the Social Health of the Nation 2005 (.pdf)
By the Institute for Innovation in Social Policy, Vassar College. This project was designed to monitor the artistic and cultural experiences of Americans by looking at changes in arts participation since 2002. The report finds that Americans value the arts in their own lives and in the lives of their children, yet participation levels have declined slightly since 2002, both for adults and for children. Differences in participation by income level also remain a serious problem.

CAGW Arts Education Survey: 2004-2005 School Year (.pdf)
In fall 2005, the CAGW conducted a survey to identify the scope and nature of arts education programs that its member organizations provide. See the executive summary or the full report.

Consumer Spending on Performing Arts 2005 (.pdf)
From the National Endowment for the Arts. The year 2005 saw gains in U.S. gross domestic product and personal consumption spending, but such growth eluded consumer spending on live arts events. Consumer expenditures on arts performances reached $12.7 billion, but when adjusted for inflation, year-over-year spending held steady.

2004

Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Debate about the Benefits of the Arts (.pdf)
By Kevin F. McCarthy, Elizabeth H. Ondaatje, Laura Zakaras, and Arthur Brooks. "Understanding the benefits of the arts is central to the discussion and design of policies affecting the arts. This study addresses the widely perceived need to articulate the private and public benefits of involvement in the arts. The findings are intended to engage the arts community and the public in a new dialogue about the value of the arts, to stimulate further research, and to help public and private policymakers reach informed decisions."

Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement (.pdf)
This report is a product of the Harvard School of Public Health–MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement, a program of the Center for Health Communication at the Harvard School of Public Health. As baby boomers reach retirement, there is tremendous opportunity to involve them in strengthening community life as volunteers. This report recommends actions by key sectors of society—including government, nonprofit organizations, business, philanthropy, faith-based institutions, and the media—that can stimulate the growth of new initiatives.


2001

The Economic Impact of the Arts and Culture in Greater Washington
A summary of the CAGW study.

Arts Administration

CAGW print publications include the CAGW Membership Directory, The Paper Chase: Nonprofit Filings, Forms, and Record Keeping and Marketing. The Tools of the Trade.

Succession Plan Template
By the Center for Nonprofit Advancement. The template includes plans for short-term, long-term and permanent executive director changes that allows organizations to place important scattered information into one document, creating a vital resource in the event of an emergency.

StayExempt.org - Free Tax Resources for Nonprofit Organizations
The Internal Revenue Service website offers free resources and information for nonprofits with 501(c)(3) tax status. Nonprofit professionals can receive free online training in topic areas including: steps to retaining nonprofit status, managing unrelated business income, employment, filing error-free returns, and managing disclosures. The site's resource library offers important forms and publications for download.

Elected Officials, Arts Councils & Commissions

Council Members
District of Columbia, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia

Local Arts Councils
Local arts councils and contact information

Government Officials
Washington-area government officials and contact information