March 26, 2025
This report presents the findings of an evaluation of the Artist Employment Program, a project of Creative Rebuilds New York.
Creative Rebuilds New York (CRNY) launched the Artist Employment Program (AEP) in 2022 with three main goals. First, it aimed to mitigate negative economic impacts on artists of the COVID pandemic, during which many were unable to earn income due to mandatory closures of public in-person programs. Second, the AEP sought to address structural challenges that artists and organizations face in the arts and culture industry, including the contingent employment of artists, which leads to unstable income and health care coverage, as well as inadequate funding of non-profit organizations, particularly those operating in underserved communities. These structural challenges undermine the sustainability of the work of artists (as artists) and of arts organizations. Third, the AEP sought to promote stronger connections among artists, organizations, and communities, by providing funding for the recruitment of and collaborations with artists and organizations from underserved communities.
A total of 307 artists participated in the program and 126 community-based organizations partnered with the artists in 98 collaborations from July 2022 through July 2024. Under the AEP, participating artists received a salary of $65,000 per year, and organizations received between $25,000 and $100,000 per year to support their collaborations with the artists. The evaluation presented in this report aims to assess the extent to which the AEP achieved its goals. For this report, researchers conducted surveys and interviews of artists and organizations that participated in the AEP, building on the findings of a recent evaluation of the AEP by the Urban Institute, and on evaluations of guaranteed income programs for artists in Ireland and Finland, which all found positive impacts of financial stability on the overall wellbeing of program participants.
Artists’ Wellness and Practice
Funding received through the AEP provided artists with reported financial stability and ability to meet their basic needs, which were intended effects of the program as it aimed to address the unstable employment and incomes of artists. Most artist survey respondents (86 percent) indicated that the salary they received through the AEP—$65,000 per year for two years—enabled them to meet their basic needs, and 91 percent reported that this salary provided them with a sense of financial safety and security. Interviews reflected quality of life improvements, such as the ability to pay off debts, secure housing, and even make significant purchases like vehicles or home appliances. For many, the regular income also allowed them to take their first “true (paid) vacations” without financial loss. And, for most artists surveyed, the program improved access to healthcare, easing the burden of medical appointments and emergencies.
Of additional importance, financial stability enabled artists to focus on their practice, instead of taking on temporary projects (or gigs) that they considered undesirable but necessary as sources of income, and for many it supported individual transitions into more fulfilling professional lives (e.g., helping artists establish studios or businesses). The AEP improved reported worklife balance, with intentional time for personal life and artistic exploration, and provided a sense of stability and recognition as artists, boosting confidence and mental health. Financial stability provided AEP artists with the time, tools, and confidence to expand their practices, validate their identities, and improve their quality of life more broadly.
Organizations’ Financial Wellness and Work Culture
For most community partner organizations that responded to the survey, the program provided adequate funding to sustain or expand operations and strengthened their ability to support better wages for artists. With the funding and support provided through periodic check-in meetings and conflict resolution resources, the AEP helped organizational leaders achieve better work-life balance for their staff and improve their workplace culture. It also strengthened the organizations’ relationships with the communities they serve and enabled them to expand into new communities by empowering them to develop more public programs and by emphasizing a goal of recruiting artists from Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities.
Strengthening Community Connections
CRNY’s emphasis on recruitment of AEP participant artists and partner organizations from underrepresented communities drove transformational changes, as these artists helped to expand the reach of their partner organizations into new communities and increase access to the arts for underserved populations. Seventy-nine percent of participating artists in the AEP self-identified as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). By collaborating with these artists, organizations were able to deepen or expand their connections with BIPOC communities. Seventy-seven percent of organizations’ surveyed reported greater visibility in their community, and 73 percent reported deeper engagement with their communities. This not only helped elevate the organizations’ profile, but also helped bridge cultural and social gaps.
Our interview data show that the engagement of AEP artists of color in collaborative projects with organizations that had not worked with communities of color in the past further helped raise awareness about issues of racism, equity, and representation. Artists helped their partner organizations build a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of those in marginalized communities, encouraging open dialogue about racial and other systemic inequities, incorporating inclusive practices, and fostering partnerships with diverse communities. By embedding themselves in these organizations, artists of color acted as agents of change, helping organizations to make diversity, equity, and inclusion central to their mission and practices.
Factors Aiding Successful Collaborations
A majority of AEP artists (57 percent) and organizations (60 percent) that participated in this evaluation research indicated that their working relationships as partners improved over the course of the program. Eighty-eight percent of artist survey participants and 85 percent of organization survey participants agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that they did good and impactful work with their partners under the program. Key factors driving success in these areas were the alignment of expectations and clarity of roles at the start of the collaborations and the construction of mechanisms to purposefully integrate artists into the organization (e.g. frequent check-ins and artists’ participation in staff meetings and retreats).
Challenges and Reflections
The program’s short-term nature leaves questions about the long-term sustainability of its impact on participating artists and organizations. Artists felt empowered by the one-time subsidies, but acknowledged ongoing systemic gaps in funding and support for freelance artists. Despite the benefits of the AEP, many artists who participated in this evaluation through surveys and interviews are either settling back into the typical form of artist employment—working as independent contractors—or are planning to pivot careers and seek more stable paths post-program. While many artists and organizations wanted to continue working together, most collaborations lacked the resources to continue as they were. The AEP served as a demonstration of a stable employment approach to support artists, leaving a lasting impression on the lives of participants and their communities while emphasizing the need for more permanent solutions to the challenges related to the contingent nature of artists’ work and to the limited resources and funding that their organizations experience.
Based on the analysis and findings, this report advances the following recommendations:
As this research found that the majority of AEP artists who participated in our evaluation returned to their pre-AEP typical employment pattern as independent contractors, policy recommendations also include labor regulations to address the contingent nature of artists’ work, the resulting instability of their income, and the lack of labor and employment protections. As recommended in previous research on the AEP and on artists in New York State more broadly, advocates might consider the extension of wage and hour, anti-discrimination, and health and safety protections to independent contractors, as well as the establishment of portable benefits systems to avoid gaps in artists’ coverage for health care and other benefits.
An important new state-level policy for providing protections for artists is the Freelance Isn’t Free Act of 2024. This law amended the New York State Business Code to protect the right of freelancers to be compensated fairly and in a timely manner for their work and for advocating for fair pay without fear of retaliation. Active dissemination and educational efforts about this new law would help its implementation and enforcement, as artists across the state are not yet widely aware of the new protections it provides, according to previous research.
