Latino arts and culture organizations across the United States face both successes and failures in regards to finances, programs, and sustainability.
The nonprofit National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) surveyed almost 500 groups in 2024. NALAC spent two years compiling the new report to examine how they’re faring with factors ranging from financial stability to leadership structures.
A Mirror and a Map: Nurturing Organizational Realities and Navigating Change among Latinx/é Arts and Culture Organizations grew out of an earlier 2019 survey that launched just before the pandemic.
Mari Hernandez, NALAC’s president and CEO, said the report highlights critical information on Latinx arts organizations that have been historically underrepresented in research and data collection.
“We see this as filling a gap. We knew that the data, the findings that came out of it, were going to be a resource with us,” Hernandez said. “We have these findings that can be translated into resources and we are going to get a broader understanding of our field.”
The report found Latino arts and culture organizations are primarily driven by volunteers. Over 80% of Latino these groups do not own their own facilities and nearly half work with annual budgets that fall below $100,000.
Hernandez said the report highlights several commonalities that even NALAC could relate to.
“It’s validating to know that we’re not alone here, right?” she said. “But at the same time, it raises a lot of questions as to why? Why are we encountering the same issues?’
View the report A Mirror and a Map below:
