NYC Cultural Affairs Study Reveals Lack of Staff Diversity In City's Cultural Nonprofits

New York, the city of immigrants, is the most culturally diverse spot on earth. There are more ethnic groups represented and more languages spoken in New York than anyplace else in the world.

It is also America's central hub for the cultural and performing arts, however the results of a new study released by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs show that the staffs of New York's nonprofit institutions do not reflect that diversity.

The 2010 census breaks down the city's population as 67% people of color and 33% white, non-Hispanic. However, New York's nonprofit cultural staffs break down as 38.48% people of color and 61.52% white, non-Hispanic.

The complete breakdown by ethnic groups is displayed in this pie chart:

Further breakdowns reveal white staff members hold 55% of junior staff positions, 68% of mid-staff positions and 74% of senior staff positions.

The statistics for New York's non-profit theatres show that the lowest percentage of white staff members, 76%, work in support/administration, with steady increases in the fields of programming (77%), marketing/PR (77%), retail/merchandise (79%), leadership (79%), membership/constituents (80%), technical/production (81%), designer (81%) and development (83%).

In regards to gender, the statistics stay closer to the city's breakdown of 52% female and 48% male, with women holding 52.55% of total positions, but only 46.80% of board positions. Those who do not identify as male or female make up less than 1%.

Though Cultural Affairs requested information on the number of staff members who self-identify as having a disability, a statistically insignificant number of groups provided responses.

"Our city is the cultural capital of the world for one reason: we recognize and embrace that there is more than one kind of talent," says Mayor Bill de Blasio. "When it comes to making sure that every resident has an equal opportunity to contribute to our extraordinary cultural community, we need to lead by example. This survey gives us an opportunity to take a hard look at how we could do better when it comes to fostering a creative sector that opens doors for every New Yorker regardless of his or her background. I applaud these efforts and thank our partners who have joined us to make sure that pathways are wide open for the next generation to find fulfillment through the arts."

In response to these findings, the Department of City Planning's Theater Subdistrict Council is exploring a funding opportunity of up to $2 million in grants for the development and training of theater professionals, with preference given to programs that encourage participation from people currently underrepresented in the professional theater community.

In addition, the city is preparing to commit up to $1 million to fund proposals from members of the Cultural Institutions Group that support diversity efforts at their organizations and is working closely with partners, including the City University of New York and private philanthropies, to build and support new pipeline programs that create internship and employment opportunities at cultural organizations, and to develop leadership within these organizations.

Visit nyc.gov for the full report.