Public Benefit or Private Gain? A Comparative Analysis of Administrative Practices in Nonprofit Art Museums

Although the nonprofit form affords many advantages for arts organizations in the U.S., inequities persist in arts education, practice, and consumption. Framed by legal frameworks that mandate a public orientation for nonprofit arts organizations, this study uses empirical evidence to examine the relationship between administrative characteristics and associated public benefit in visual art museums. Using data from the Cultural Data Profile, regression analysis reveals differences related to earned and contributed revenue, educational programs, and institutionalization between art museums with culturally specific missions and those without. The authors conclude by discussing the implications of these differences and proposing a plan for future data collection necessary in the nonprofit museum sector. Results offer concrete strategies for nonprofit art museums to examine how they can increase public benefit.