Cultural groups vie for funds, cut back as recession deepens
The tough economic times have hit arts and cultural organizations across the region, spurring cutbacks and new fund-raising efforts.
"I don't think any of the nonprofits are coming through unscathed," said Barbara McGowan, marketing director for the Essex National Heritage Area.
Facing an unanticipated $93,750 state funding cut, that group responded by suspending its partnership grants program, which supports educational, interpretive, and preservation projects in local communities. As much as $70,000 in grants won't be awarded in the cycle that begins next month. There's no word on when the program might resume.
"It was a decision we had to make," McGowan said. There have been no staff cuts, but "we're all tightening our belts," she said.
The Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport will go a year or more without replacing its executive director because fund-raising and attendance are down. Greg Smith left the position during the summer to take a job in California.
"Because of the economy, we can't replace him, and we don't anticipate being able to do so for several [more] months," said board member Deirdre Girard. In the meantime, board members and the handful of other staff are pitching in to keep the center going.
The results of the current Firehouse fund drive are instructive. Girard said twice as many appeal letters as usual have been sent out to raise the usual amount of money from smaller donors, doubling the center's cost per donation. While about 40 percent of the money raised usually comes from a short list of larger donors, there's not been one donation of more than $1,000 this year, she said.
"People who rely on their investments for income are cutting back," she said. "Large donors have basically disappeared. I was stunned."
Large donors aren't the only ones hurting. While usually all of the theater's holiday offerings sell out, Girard said, this year she has heard a lot of people say, "I can afford to bring my family to one show this year."
One pleasant surprise: the big turnout for the kid-friendly Frosty Festival, which was an affordable $10 ticket.
The Firehouse situation is also sobering for those looking for work in the arts. Although they won't post Smith's job until summer or early fall, there already have been many applicants, Girard said, including people who have managed much larger facilities.
"The arts have been hit so hard," she said.
The Center for Performing Arts in Wakefield got the bad news when it was already well underway on an $800,000 construction project to transform an old lecture hall at Wakefield Memorial High School into a theater. Officials learned a few weeks ago that a $250,000 earmark in the state budget for the project had been cut back - by $187,000 - as part of statewide cuts, said Philip McCarty, cochairman of the nonprofit corporation.
An earlier $375,000 appropriation was received from the state and construction started last summer, so there is still hope to finish the theater this summer. But now, organizers must find a way to offset the state cut, even as they push ahead with a previously planned fund drive to furnish the 275 seats in the theater by "selling" them for $250 apiece to supporters who'll get a seat nameplate in return.
"We're scrambling right now to make up the difference," said McCarty, who said the group is exploring everything from charitable foundation gifts to a naming-rights deal. "It's not the best time . . . but we're fully committed to raising the money, whether it's a thousand dollars by a thousand dollars, or nickel by nickel."
Not everyone is in such a tough position.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem recently announced it would close on Mondays beginning next month. That was in large part a practical decision to allow for maintenance and exhibit installation, but the economy was a factor. However, no staff cuts or other economy-related changes are underway, according to a museum spokeswoman.
"We are constantly examining what we need to do to streamline operations expenses, especially now," April Swieconek said via e-mail. "I can tell you with certainty that we have absolutely no plans to make changes to our planned exhibitions and programs."
There are a few smaller institutions that say they've yet to feel a pinch.
"No bad news to report yet," said Susan Halter, executive director of LynnArts. But the group, which promotes the arts in the Lynn area, is just beginning its next round of grant requests, she noted. Speaking of those at other nonprofits, "I am consistently hearing that people got half as much as in the past," Halter said.
The Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, just down the street from the Firehouse, has yet to encounter a problem. That may be because of the careful way the organization is climbing from a low point in its history, said Custom House board chairman Mark Guay. Two years ago, the nonprofit went into "survival mode," becoming an all-volunteer institution and tackling major physical plant needs, including $100,000 in new windows. Now it is run with a "working board that has rolled its sleeves up," Guay said, and a zero-based budget. Fall fund-raisers have met expectations.
Also helping: The museum closes for the winter to prepare for the rest of the year. The Custom House is actually looking at "ramping up" its operations next year, Guay said. 