Arts and culture have seen almost a whopping 50% increase in charitable contributions over the past year, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy's 10th annual Philanthropy 400 survey. Indeed, private support to arts and culture was over a billion dollars, with 22 organizations receiving the lion's share.
The seven arts organizations that headed the list were the Metropolitan Opera Association ($94,136,000); Detroit Institute of Arts ($78,755,744); Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts ($42,583,472); the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ($35,517,684); the Boston Symphony ($30,702,000); the San Francisco Orchestra ($28,317904); and the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta ($26,705,286).
Interestingly, Public Broadcasting, a prominent arts booster, also grew (admittedly, by only six percent) thanks to private contributions, garnering $597,175,830.
The boom in private contributions to the arts is part of a larger trend of enhanced charitable gifts. In fact, the nation's largest charities have grown 13% over the last year.