The 2011 Portfolio, the third installment in the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance ’s Portfolio series, used CDP data from 405 Pennsylvania arts and cultural organizations to provide the “first comprehensive look at the effects of the recession on Southeastern Pennsylvania’s nonprofit arts and cultural organizations.”

Longitudinal data from the Pennsylvania CDP enabled the Cultural Alliance to conduct an in-depth analysis of how the economic downturn had impacted a cohort of 278 organizations, comparing their data from 2007 to that of 2009. As expected, the recession brought significant challenges for these organizations. Revenue from corporate, foundation and government sources was down, and almost half of organizations were in the red for 2009.

But there was good news, as well: in the depths of the economic downturn, individuals throughout the Philadelphia region stepped up to support arts and culture. Attendance, memberships and subscriptions increased, and individual donations rose 20 percent. Meanwhile, volunteers accounted for almost 30 percent of the total work hours at arts and cultural organizations. The region’s organizations responded to the challenges with a variety of strategies, described in more detail in the report.

To learn more about the 2011 Portfolio, read key findings, or download a copy, click here.