Otis College Launches New Arts Nonprofit Dashboard and Report on Challenges Facing L.A.’s Nonprofits

Organizations work to avoid layoffs and expand programming and partnerships while federal and local funding—as well as private donations—decrease.

Los Angeles, CA, Oct. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Panel discussion during Spring 2025 Otis College Report on the Creative Economy launch event. Photograph by Sarah Galonka/Otis College of Art and Design 

Otis College of Art and Design will unveil focused research and a first-of-its-kind Dashboard highlighting the performance of the creative nonprofit sector in California at a launch event on October 29 at 9:00 a.m. PT at the Getty Center in Los Angeles as part of its nationally recognized creative economy research program. 

The new findings and interactive dashboard provide real-time insights into the scope, impact, and challenges facing California’s nonprofit arts sector, offering policymakers, journalists, funders, cultural leaders, and the general public the ability to explore revenue and key trends across regions. 

To mark the launch, Otis College will host a public release event at the Getty Center featuring remarks  by Joan Weinstein, Director of the Getty Foundation, and renowned artist and Otis alum Kohshin Finley. Westwood Economics and Planning Associates will then present the new nonprofit arts dashboard and key findings from its latest research.

The launch event will also feature an engaging panel discussion, “Creative Capital: Fueling the Next Wave of L.A.’s Nonprofit Arts Growth,” moderated by Mandalit del Barco from NPR West. Panelists include: 

• Jason Foster, President and CEO, Destination Crenshaw
• Gustavo Herrera, CEO, Arts for LA
• Naima Keith, VP of Education and Public Programs, LACMA 
• Thor Steingraber, Executive and Artistic Director, The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts 

The event will be livestreamed. 

Key Trends Shaping California’s Nonprofit Arts Sector

• The number of creative nonprofits in Los Angeles County increased by 21 percent between 2018 and 2023; L.A. County is now home to more than 900 creative nonprofits, accounting for roughly 30 percent of California’s creative nonprofit ecosystem.
• Half of the nonprofits stated that private donations have decreased and 66 percent reported that their governmental funding has also been lower in the last year.

ABOUT OTIS COLLEGE REPORT ON THE CREATIVE ECONOMY

Developed in partnership with Westwood Economics and Planning Associates, the fall report maps the size and scope of L.A.’s nonprofit arts industry, explores current trends and challenges, and offers insights to help inform policy that supports creative nonprofits. The interactive Creative Nonprofit Dashboard, a new feature of the Otis Creative Economy Dashboard, will provide detailed, county-level data on the size, financial health, and growth of California’s creative nonprofit sector across seven key service categories. 

Now in its 19th year, the Otis College Report on the Creative Economy is a vital resource that explores the economic impact of creative industries in Los Angeles and California. This ongoing research program is centered around an interactive digital dashboard and complemented by timely research examining creative industries and emerging trends. Learn more at www.otis.edu/creative-economy. 

ABOUT OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN 

Established in 1918 as Los Angeles’s first professional school of the arts, Otis College of Art and Design is a non-profit 501(c)3 institution and a national leader in art and design education. Otis College educates a diverse community of 1,300 creative students to become highly skilled, well-informed, and responsible professionals—empowering them to shape the world. Alumni and faculty are Fulbright, MacArthur, and Guggenheim grant recipients; Oscar winners; legendary costume designers; leaders of contemporary art movements; entrepreneurs; and design stars at influential companies including Apple, Ralph Lauren, Pixar, DreamWorks, Mattel, Nike, and Netflix. 

Media Contact: press@otis.edu 

Contact Info

Anna Raya
araya@otis.edu
+1 323-350-0500

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