A new survey released by the Vancouver Foundation highlights the financial pressures being felt by arts and culture groups across B.C.

A follow-up on last year’s Weathering the Storm survey, which examined the impact of the economic downturn on the B.C. non-profit sector, the new survey, After the Storm, included input from 1,030 non-profits and charities from across the province, working in a wide variety of fields.

“There’s a few different findings there,” said Catherine Clement, the Vancouver Foundation’s VP of communications. “The real lesson here is size matters, that the smaller charities generally across the board are the ones that are having the most struggles. And from a sector point of view, we find it’s both arts and culture and environmental organizations that took a disproportionately larger hit.”

Among other findings, the survey report notes that arts and culture organizations and environmental organizations (both sectors that have been denied gaming grants) were hardest hit, with 63 percent reporting decreased revenue, and that half of arts and culture organizations who received revenue from government reported it declined this year, compared to 38 percent for all organizations;. In addition, 54 percent reported their revenue from gaming declined, compared to 36 percent overall.

The smallest charities felt the most impact, a sector in which arts and culture made up the largest group, with 48 percent having budgets below $250,000, and 82 percent with budgets below $1 million.

While fewer organizations reported decreased morale compared to last year (33 percent in 2010 compared to 40 percent in 2009), it was arts and culture organizations that were the most likely to report a drop in staff morale, at 41 percent.

It is likely not just the loss of government funding that’s to blame for the survey results, said Clement. “Even last year, when we did the 2009 survey, we also found that it was a perfect storm of things,” she noted. “It was not only that government revenues had come down, but it was also the individual donations, corporate sponsorships, endowment fund income, foundation granting income. Everything had come down.”

In planning for the future, arts and culture were the most likely to say they are reducing programs and services, with 36 percent doing so this year. They also were the most likely to reduce staff or implement a hiring freeze, at 41 percent.

“Everyone is beginning to realize that it’s not going to be the same as it was,” said Clement. “A lot of organizations have recovered somewhat, but it’s a new economic reality. I think that’s the lesson we’re all taking away from this.”

Clement said the foundation will decide how to support the arts and culture sector once its board of directors has had time to go through the survey results. Following the 2009 survey, which showed arts and culture group disproportionately impacted by the economic downturn, the foundation more than doubled its contribution to arts and culture groups to $800,000 in 2010.