A joint project of PA Humanities, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and PA Museums

How has the pandemic impacted Greater Philadelphia's arts and culture industry?

In mid-2022, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, PA Humanities, and their partners conducted the Cultural Recovery & Regrowth Survey exploring COVID-19’s impact on the cultural sector and how organizations are supporting recovery and growth. 142 organizations participated from the five counties of southeastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia).

Together we learned that the cultural sector:

continues to be affected by the pandemic, especially revenue & attendance (performing arts was hit hardest)
creatively adapted, finding new ways to engage audiences/keep people connected
is not expecting normalcy until at least 2023
is embedded in our social fabric and sustains vital services and relationships
needs additional funding to fully recover

Explore our findings below >

"The longer-term effects of COVID continue to impact museums and the economy, in terms of staff shortages, a struggle to return to pre-COVID revenue levels, and a focus on survival rather than sustainability. "

"The pandemic demanded a kind of flexibility and adaptability that was previously hard to imagine, but [we] and many other arts institutions were able to transform challenges into opportunities."

[The cultural sector] pivoted and achieved newfound presences online, through virtual programming, virtual exhibitions, and social media. Many learned new ways to develop and produce content, and experimented with new forms of audience engagement. Lessons learned through these endeavors will no doubt serve organizations well now, and into the future."

"The pandemic demanded a kind of flexibility and adaptability that was previously hard to imagine, but [we] and many other arts institutions were able to transform challenges into opportunities."

COVID-19 had a greater impact than the Great Recession and hit performing arts organizations hardest.

-12%

Great Recession revenue decline
(2008-2010)

-34%

COVID-19 revenue decline
(2020-2022)

-13%

museum jobs (currently)

-24%

performing arts jobs (currently)

Cultural orgs continued to sustain important community relationships.

partner with community organizations

87%

partner with K-12 schools

56%

partner with parks or rec centers

42%

20% of organizations partner with Food Pantries, Community Gardens, Farmers Markets

Photo credit: The Woodlands

When do they expect to return to pre-pandemic levels of activity?

How has their capacity changed?

Change in Capacity

Reduced Capacity (less programs/staff)

44

Normal Capacity (same programs/staff)

37

Increased Capacity (more programs/staff)

30

Modified Capacity or other (different programs/staff)

24

Economic impact:
29,000 jobs lost at the height of the pandemic

68% of surveyed organizations have budgets under $1.5 million.

Size of Organization

Under $150,000

37

$150,000 – $499,999

32

$500,000 – $1,499,999

27

$1,500,000 – $4,999,999

21

$5,000,000 – $9,999,999

10

$10,000,000 and above

10

N/A or unknown

5

Zip Codes with Survey Participants

Participating Organizations

entries per page

Search:

Participating Organizations	County	Region
Bucks County Childrens Museum	Bucks	SE
Bucks County Historical Society	Bucks	SE
Historic Fallsington, Inc.	Bucks	SE
La Fiocco	Bucks	SE
Lenape Chamber Ensemble	Bucks	SE
PA Historical and Museum Commission site	Bucks	SE
PACSCL (Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collection Libraries)	Bucks	SE
Palisades Community Chorus	Bucks	SE
Arts Holding Hands and Hearts	Chester	SE
Association for the Colonial Theatre	Chester	SE

Showing 1 to 10 of 142 entries

Greater Philadelphia Cultural Recovery & Regrowth Survey

A joint project of PA Humanities, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and PA Museums

How has the pandemic impacted Greater Philadelphia's arts and culture industry?

Together we learned that the cultural sector:

continues to be affected by the pandemic, especially revenue & attendance (performing arts was hit hardest)

creatively adapted, finding new ways to engage audiences/keep people connected

is not expecting normalcy until at least 2023

is embedded in our social fabric and sustains vital services and relationships

needs additional funding to fully recover