56%
of arts organisations reported in the Financial Year 19/20
An overview of the arts and cultural landscape in Australia by showing the size, location, activities, primary focus and key characteristics of organisations.
Scroll for Insights
The Arts and Cultural Profile gives us insights into the financial and demographic characteristics of the arts and cultural sector in Australia.
The Giving Attitude 2 survey results indicated that 70% of arts and cultural organisations in Australia have a turnover of less than $250,000. Of the organisations that participated in the survey, 30% of organisations are based in New South Wales and 26% in Victoria which reflects the concentration of the sector in these states.
Arts and cultural organisations are multidisciplinary, with 63% having secondary art forms in addition to their primary art form. There are also more organisations reporting that they have paid staff, 58% compared to 38% in Giving Attitude 1.
Additionally, 56% of the sample reported on financial year 19/20, capturing the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 44% reported on calendar year 2019 which was not affected by the pandemic.
Of these 44% are micro-organisations with turnover that is less than $50,000, and 26% are small organisations with turnover between $50,000 and $249,000. For organisations that reported a decline in turnover, the average percentage of decline was 45%.
A comparison of the ACNC’s Annual Information (AIS) for 2017 and 2019 shows no significant changes in the turnover composition of the industry for organisations whose main activity was either cultural or artistic.
Total earned income
The dominant primary cultural area or art form activity in the sample is the performing arts (39%), followed by museums and galleries (14%), and visual arts activities (9%).
Primary focus of organisation
The sample shows that majority of arts and cultural organisations have been operating for over 10 years (86.3%).
Number of years organisation has been in operation
There are more organisations reporting that they have paid staff, 58% compared to 38% in Giving Attitude 2018.
The sample shows that Giving Attitude 2 captured a trend in unpaid board type structures, with an increase from 79% in 2018 to 91% in 2020, and an 11% decrease in no board types.
Is organisation board paid or unpaid
From 2018 there was a 1% decrease in Aboriginal and Torress Strait Island organisations.
Is organisation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
The final four months of the 2019/20 financial year were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a time of significant challenge as 55% of all arts and cultural organisations reported a decline in overall revenue of an average of 45%.
of arts organisations reported in the Financial Year 19/20
of arts organisations reported in the Calendar Year 19
A financial breakdown of private sector support for the arts and cultural sector for the 2019 calendar year and 2019/ 2020 financial year.
Up NextExplore the data from Giving Attitude 2 to compare across surveys, analyse trends, and share your insights using our interactive Giving Attitude dashboard.
Explore dataRead a detailed presentation and analysis of the survey results by downloading the Giving Attitude 2 PDF Report.
Download PDF Report