A diverse coalition of 34 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

Cultural institutions applaud City Council budget advocacy for arts and culture
April 4, 2024

On behalf of the cultural institutions that receive funding from the City, thank you Speaker Adams, Finance Chair Justin Brannan and Culture Chair Carlina Rivera for committing to fight hard for culture in this year’s budget response. Arts and culture are powerful economic drivers and lifelines to our communities. This vital sector, that provides tens of thousands of jobs, many of them union, is the reason New York City is the greatest in the world. We commend Speaker Adams on her vision for a more inclusive and prosperous future through investment in arts and culture and call upon Mayor Adams to reverse his damaging cuts to this sector and fully fund our institutions and organizations this budget year.

#NoCutsToCulture #CultureForAll

NYC Cultural Institutions Implore Mayor Adams to Restore Arts Funding
January 10, 2024

Leaders of New York City’s cultural institutions from across the five boroughs released today a public letter to Mayor Adams strongly urging the City to invest – not cut – funding for culture. Signed by senior executives and board chairs from NYC’s Cultural Institutions Group the letter celebrates Mayor Adams for his wise investment in the cultural field over the first two years of his administration and details the importance of keeping this momentum.   

“Simply stated – culture delivers. A mere two years ago, as you took office, you correctly identified that New York City could recover from the economic devastation of COVID only by realizing a return of the tourism economy,” begins the letter.  It continues: “[R]ecent budget cuts to the Department of Cultural Affairs, the CIGs, and program groups are unwise and profoundly counter-productive for the financial recovery of New York.“ 

City funding for culture represents a mere .2 percent of NYC’s $107 billion operating budget – yet the culture sector generates over $22 billion in economic activity. Noting recent budget restorations from the Adams administration to law enforcement, sanitation, and education, NYC CIG leader and BAM Vice President Coco Killingsworth said: “Culture funding delivers jobs, large and unique economic activity, and private philanthropy – and, most importantly, brings joy and wisdom to New Yorkers and our millions of visitors. The tens of thousands of employees who work for City cultural institutions can only make New York the greatest city in the world if we are able to retain this small, yet critical amount of City funding.” 

#NoCutsToCulture #CultureForAll

Cultural Institutions Group is proud to support the local New York culture and arts community in the daily 'Culture@3pm' calls, led by vice-chair Taryn Sacramone, Queens Theater.
The Daily Call That 200 Arts Groups Hope Will Help Them Survive. In a sign of the pandemic’s toll, New York’s cultural institutions, large and small, feel compelled to share their woes and tactics in strategy sessions.

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.