Final report: Baltimore area Arts Service Organizations and grantmakers
In early 2026, the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund engaged Stone Strategies to collect data on Baltimore area Arts Service Organizations and the grantmakers who support them. The goal of this work is to gather and share information on programs, projects, services, and resources available to directly support arts workers and arts organizations in the region.
The report contains findings from the survey results and an analysis of the current state of greater Baltimore’s arts service ecosystem. These results show average grant size awarded to artists, arts organizations, and ASOs; the most common and least common services offered by ASOs in the region; the number and value of grants made to artists, arts organizations, and ASOs; and more information that sheds light on the region's arts ecosystem.
Key observations from the report include:
In the Baltimore area, only 15% of available arts funding supports ASOs. This appears to be lower than comparable regions, but additional research is needed to benchmark this number.
Because of this relatively low level of available funding, ASOs raise nearly all of their collective budgets (91.2%) from sources besides Baltimore area grantmakers.
While many Baltimore area grantmakers do not fund the arts, those that do still award the majority of their funds (67.2%) to non arts grantees.
Only 8 of 24 grantmakers surveyed in greater Baltimore support ASOs.
The Maryland State Arts Council plays an outsized role in funding the arts in greater Baltimore. MSAC is the top grantmaker (in terms of value and number of grants) for artists, arts organizations, and ASOs in greater Baltimore (with the exception of the Baltimore Community Foundation, who provides more grants to artists).
Arts Districts play an important role in funding artists, providing nearly 25% of grant funds received by artists.
The services most commonly offered by ASOs, including organizing convenings and promoting events and opportunities, require minimal overhead expenses and credentialed skills.
The services least commonly offered by ASOs, including insurance, legal support, and fiscal sponsorship, include substantial liability risk and technical and financial overhead.
73.3% of ASOs engage in advocacy, primarily at the state level through Maryland Citizens for the Arts. Surveyed ASOs conduct minimal advocacy at the local level.
Baltimore area ASOs employ 338 people, which is comparable to several subsets of the office worker sector, including financial clerks, order clerks, couriers and messengers.
Baltimore area ASOs contribute approximately $93 million to the local economy, comparable to the Baltimore Running Festival, a major convention, and half a season of Ravens home games.
Pittsburgh area grantmakers provide three times the amount of funding per capita as Baltimore area grantmakers.
These findings come from data collected from more than 50 Baltimore area Arts Service Organizations and grantmakers.
View the Baltimore Area Arts Service Organization and Grantmakers Survey Findings Report PDF here.
