Arts and the Economy
ArtsFairfax and Arts & Economic Prosperity 6
ArtsFairfax is the Fairfax County partner with Americans for the Arts for Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), the most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry conducted in the United States.
Participation in this research will help ArtsFairfax and Americans for the Arts quantify the economic impact of the arts and culture industry in Fairfax County. The customized report will reveal numerous insights, including analyses of arts and culture jobs throughout the County, and how spending differs between resident attendees and cultural tourists.
About AEP6
The Arts & Economic Prosperity® series is conducted approximately every five years to gauge the economic impact of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and the event-related spending by their audiences. AEP5, conducted in 2017, revealed the following:
- The arts drive commerce to local businesses. The arts leverage significant amounts of event-related spending by their audiences. In 2017, arts attendees spent $31.47 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, and lodging—vital income for local businesses.
- Arts travelers are ideal tourists. They stay longer and spend more to seek out authentic cultural experiences. One-third of attendees travel from outside the county in which the activity takes place and spend an average of $48 per person. (69% say they traveled specifically to attend the activity.)
- Small investments. Big returns. In 2017, the combined $5 billion in direct arts funding by local, state, and federal governments yielded $27.5 billion in government revenue
Organization Survey Details & Participation Incentives
Fairfax organizations have received a survey link specific to their organization. The information is shared directly to Americans for the Arts to provide critical data to leverage increases in local, state, and federal arts funding.
PARTICIPATION INCENTIVES
- Immediately after submitting the online survey, you will receive an email providing direct access to a new customizable advocacy and fundraising tool. Use it to generate a custom Fact Sheet with your organization’s name and logo that can be used for marketing and promotion. The email will also contain a PDF of the answers you provided.
- After the results of the AEP6 study are released in October 2023, we will share with you a detailed report that is customized for our community. Using a free calculator in the report, you will be able to compute your organization’s unique impact on the community, providing valuable information for fundraising and advocacy.
- The report will include easy-to-digest information about the economic and social impacts of the arts and culture—providing an entire menu of talking points to support your organization’s sustainability and growth.
