One Percent for Culture

About Us

OUR MISSION

One Percent for Culture is a non-partisan, grassroots, five-borough campaign whose mission is to demonstrate the value of culture to New York City. The campaign will generate support for an increase in the city’s financial commitment to the nonprofit cultural community, including artists of all disciplines, to a full one percent of the municipal expense budget.

THE CASE

Nonprofit culture is essential to the economy and identity of New York City. More than 24 million tourists are drawn to our city’s world-class cultural offerings each year, $7.6 billion in economic activity is generated by nonprofit cultural institutions, and nonprofit culture creates more than 54,000 jobs. Despite the measurable value of nonprofit cultural organizations to the city’s fiscal health, public support for these organizations totals less than one-fourth of one percent of the overall city expense budget.

Our city is home to over 1,200 cultural organizations and thousands of artists spanning across all five boroughs, neighborhoods, and city council districts. These organizations and individuals bring jobs to our families, customers to our merchants, revenue to our small businesses, and vitality to our city. They stimulate our minds and provide supplemental education to millions of New York City students. These organizations range from performing arts centers, art galleries, and dance troupes to orchestras, nonprofit theater companies, museums, and zoos. Who can imagine a New York City without the American Museum of Natural History or the West Indian Day Carnival? Without the LAByrinth Theater Company or the Bronx Zoo?

THE COALITION

The One Percent for Culture campaign is a diverse coalition of cultural, business, civic leaders and artists of all disciplines who will address the fiscal constraints on the city’s cultural sector. The coalition will garner public support in order to illustrate the important contribution culture makes to New York City.

To join the coalition go to: m.oneforculture.org/join

THE ACTION

Together we will demonstrate that New Yorkers all across this city are in support of committing one percent of the city expense budget to New York City’s cultural community. We will exhibit public support by collecting individual signatures and letters of support within each city council district. We will inform the 2013 municipal candidates of their constituents’ support of the One Percent for Culture campaign and ask them to pledge to increase city funding for nonprofit culture to a full one percent of the municipal expense budget.

To sign the appeal go to: m.oneforculture.org/sign