A diverse coalition of 39 nonprofit museums, performing arts centers, historical societies, zoos, and botanical gardens located in New York City.

No other city in America, and few in the world, offer so great a wealth of cultural resources as New York. The members of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) are prominent among these cultural treasures. The CIG is a diverse coalition of institutions—big and small, in all five boroughs—that operate and serve as stewards of City-owned facilities and parkland.

The City’s relationship with the CIGs is based on the premise that the CIGs are privately managed organizations operating in public facilities established and maintained for the provision of cultural services and programs to the people of New York City. In return, the City provides the CIGs with operating, capital, energy, and other support. Through this public partnership, CIGs protect, maintain, and improve over five million square feet of city-owned building space and over 700 acres of city property. This long-standing partnership between the City and the CIGs has positioned New York City as a world-class cultural hub and leader in science/arts education and public programs.

A Citywide Impact

*Source: 2017 CIG impact report

Latest News

NYC Cultural Institutions Group Taps New Leaders

December 10, 2025, Hyperallergic — “Stephanie Hill Wilchfort of the Museum of the City of New York and Atiba Edwards of the Brooklyn Children's Museum will lead the coalition of city-funded institutions.”

Organizations in 5 Boroughs Get a Boost With City Funds

September 30, 2025, New York Times — “The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs announced on Tuesday the largest expansion of the city’s Cultural Institutions Group program in nearly 50 years with the addition of five new members across the boroughs.”

Maloney, Nadler Lead Request to Support Arts and Cultural Sector in Next Coronavirus Response Package
In their letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the Members write that, “while [social distancing] orders are absolutely necessary to protect public health and stop the spread of COVID-19, they are having a devastating impact on the nonprofit arts and cultural community. Nonprofit cultural institutions derive the majority of their revenue from patrons, and consequently face serious economic difficulty as they remain closed indefinitely. Without patronage, the earned revenue stream of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations – which includes fundraising, charitable donations, admissions ticket sales, and venue rentals – has completely disappeared. […] By providing additional emergency funding for the arts and cultural sector, we can enable our nation’s museums, libraries, theaters, performance halls, arts programs, and cultural institutions to outlast this pandemic and continue their invaluable roles in preserving American art, history, and culture.”

City’s Art World Assesses Wreckage of Coronavirus—Every Afternoon Together
”What we do have is each other to talk through,” Taryn Sacramone, Vice Chair of the Cultural Institutions Group, tells Crain’s New York Business. “‘In the absence of perfect information, how are you going about your decision making?’”

New York on Display: Artifacts from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center Show City’s Cultural Richness
“It demonstrates the importance of culture to both the economic viability of the city but most importantly,” said John Calvelli chairman of the Cultural Institutions Group, and Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Wildlife Conservation Society, “the countless communities that benefit from cultural and educational services and are inspired by our programming.”

New Exhibit Featuring Cultural Institutions Group Opening at Museum of City of New York on Oct. 18
The exhibit will feature images, objects, and ephemera from the almost three dozen members of the group. Named Cultivating Culture, it will commemorate the 150th anniversary of this unparalleled public-private initiative.

A Victory for All New Yorkers: New York City Invests in Culture
The New York City Council voted to adopt the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, which includes more than $50 million in funding to the cultural community. “The cultural and arts organizations supported by this funding provide creative and innovative programming that strengthen the diverse fabric of the city,” said John Calvelli, Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Chair of the Cultural Institutions Group.