We found that since 2020, nearly three in four (74 percent) Latino arts and culture organizations have experienced increased demand for programming and services. Many now function as a form of civic infrastructure for their communities, despite nearly half (48 percent) saying that limited resources and other challenges are keeping them from fully meeting demand.

“Latino arts and culture organizations are clearly positioned to do more, even well outside of their original scope,” said Gwendolyn Rugg, the project’s principal investigator and a senior research scientist in The Bridge at NORC. “Our data show real demand and real capacity. What’s needed is sustained, flexible investment to meet both.” 

Many factors have led to an under-representation of Latino arts organizations in national databases and datasets. In 2019, NALAC sought to rectify this oversight by conducting an initial survey using NALAC’s existing directory of Latino arts organizations. Five years later, NALAC partnered with NORC to expand its directory and update and conduct the survey to better understand the state of the Latino arts and culture field post-pandemic and ensure input from as many relevant organizations as possible.

Drawing from NORC’s expertise in survey design and in locating specific, hard-to-reach populations and NALAC’s deep subject matter knowledge and community ties, we collaborated to redesign the survey and recruitment methods.

We conducted the survey in two waves, first surveying organizations in NALAC’s existing network. Next, we employed a three-part approach to recruit additional survey respondents:

• Purchasing lists of Latino-owned businesses from a commercial vendor
• Inviting Wave 1 respondents to refer peer organizations through a snowball sampling process
• Running a NALAC-led communications campaign that invited organizations to self-identify and participate

Thanks to our joint efforts, the survey—available in both English and Spanish—resulted in a sample that was substantially larger and more comprehensive than the 2019 survey.

Ninety-six percent reported that their most senior leader identifies as Latino and that the median tenure for senior leaders is a decade, a sign of remarkable continuity given the pressures many such organizations face.

A majority of the Latino arts and culture organizations have also expanded well beyond arts and culture. Since 2020, 72 percent have partnered with organizations in other sectors, leading to programming in youth development, health, and immigration. Our survey did not inquire why they expanded in these directions, but the pattern is striking: organizations whose core mission relates to arts and culture are voluntarily connecting their communities to a much broader range of resources, playing a connective role in the civic infrastructure of Latino communities.

About half (51 percent) of organizations reported a significant increase in demand for their programs since 2020, and a third reported an expanded reach of programs and services during the same period. However, 48 percent said they could not fully meet these needs due to shortfalls in funding, staffing, or other resources. Nearly half of organizations said they operated on $100,000 or less annually, and the median had only one full-time and two part-time staffers, relying more heavily on volunteers. Despite their modest size, these organizations have a broad reach: 85 percent run programs locally, 50 percent operate statewide, and 32 percent work at the national level.

Organizations reported drawing on a median of five revenue streams, including government sources, foundation grants, and earned program income. Despite this deliberate diversification, they reported thin financial margins. Only 27 percent had a surplus, 39 percent broke even, and 27 percent ended with a deficit in their most recently completed fiscal year.

More than three-quarters (78 percent) said that their leading operational challenge was funding or cash flow. Unrestricted funding was scarce, curtailing their ability to respond flexibly to emerging needs or opportunities without seeking additional targeted support. About a third (34 percent) reported cuts in government funding as a top concern.

“These findings provide a nuanced view from within and highlight poignant opportunities to collaborate with and meet the needs of the Latinx/é arts and culture sector,” shared NALAC director of programs Cat Rodríguez. 

Our findings provide the most comprehensive data to date on the operations and needs of Latino arts and culture organizations nationally. To ensure that these findings reach a broad audience—including Latino arts and culture organizations themselves, the communities they serve, and policymakers and funders who support their work—NALAC has translated survey findings into a bilingual interactive website. The mirrorandmap.nalac.org contains six major themes:

• Organizational Landscape
• Connections to Community
• Organizational Set Up
• Ownership & Community Access
• Changes & New Directions
• Finances

Each section pairs the data with practical resources organizations can use in board conversations, sustainability planning, and funder pitches.

Our full report, A Mirror and a Map, is available on both NORC and NALAC websites. Conducted before major shifts in federal funding in early 2025, our study provides an important baseline for the field.