2026 National ASO Survey

Understanding Arts Service Organizations in a Changing Arts Ecosystem (ASO Research) is a multi-phase research study which aims to understand the role, impacts and ongoing evolution of arts service, intermediary, and regranting organizations in the United States today.

Arts service organizations (ASOs) play a critical role in nourishing the United States arts ecosystem and have been doing so for generations. 

Primarily serving individual arts workers, including artists and collectives, as well as artmaking entities and the general public, ASOs frequently provide benefits to under-resourced artists and groups through capacity building, networking, advocacy, grantmaking, professional development, and/or industry research. As the arts ecosystem contends with the ongoing impact of the pandemic and a volatile societal, political, and economic environment that is driving a new crisis, it has become necessary for individuals and entities across the arts industry to better organize and understand their role in contributing to and repairing the current conditions in order to mitigate future losses and to care for the future of the arts and its people. 

 This research focuses on the ways in which arts service manifests within the framework of art as “industry,” and more specifically within the nonprofit industrial complex. It is vital to have a better understanding of ASOs role, impact, and ongoing evolution.

This research is national in scope, with a specific focus on ASOs and the individuals and entities who impact and drive their work, including: 

• ASO workers — as the individuals tasked with carrying the work of ASOs forward;

• Funders of ASOs (private and public) and policy makers — as the individuals and entities whose decisions impact the resourcing of ASOs and their ability to remain operational; 

• Arts workers and organizations — as the intended beneficiaries of the work ASOs do; and

• The United States arts sector — to provide greater visibility and information on the work ASOs do and how they might interact with them. 

This research is intended to serve as a starting point for sectoral organizing and provide insight into this segment of the field.

The outcomes of our research aim to articulate the history, evolution, characteristics and impacts of ASOs operating in the United States. More specifically, the research is intended to support:

• Connection: The tools and documents developed through this work will help artists, arts organizations and other beneficiaries and audiences find arts service providers around the United States. It is also meant to help ASOs find one another and thus strengthen their connection, collaboration and even impacts through learning, organizing and, potentially, partnership.

• Advocacy: ASOs are often invisible within the arts ecosystem, as their primary function is to serve artists, arts workers and entities that deliver the arts to communities. This research is meant to communicate the history and function of ASOs such that other members of the sector and the general public understand their presence, intention and impact.

• Funding: Related to advocacy, this research aims to educate the arts sector, and specifically public and private funders, about the presence, role and flexible nature of ASOs. Their ongoing ability to support a delicate arts ecosystem emphasizes a legitimate need for continued support even as many funders pivot priorities and competition for arts funding increases.

Phase 1 Background Research took place from May 2023 and concluded with the publication of findings in October 2024 which can be found by visiting the Resources & Tools section of the ASO website. 

Phase 2 National Scan began in January 2026 and extends through June 2027. The 2026 National ASO Survey opens on Thursday, July 30, 2026 and will close on Friday, October 9, 2026. 

For a detailed timeline of the research please refer to the ASO Research Overview.

Primary research activities are led by Alejandra Duque Cifuentes of ADC Consulting and Senior Research and Planning Consultant Carrie Blake, in collaboration with and a team of research and administrative assistants and an Advisory Cohort of arts workers. To learn more about the people making this research possible please visit the Meet the Phase 2 Research Team section of the ASO website.

The purpose of the Advisory Cohort is to ensure that the research is grounded in the realities of the arts ecosystem and the experiences of those primarily impacted by the outcomes of the study.

This year’s Advisory Cohort includes a mix of former and new members who are actively working within or alongside ASOs. Check out the full Cohort member list and bios by visiting: https://www.consultingadc.com/asoresearch/#advisorycohort

This study is anchored in ADC Consulting’s research values and principles. In practice, the application of these values across Phase 2 of the research process includes:

• Continuing a paid advisory cohort of members of the arts and cultural community. This includes a group of individuals across lived experience, expertise, and geography, and who actively engage in the work of ASOs in different capacities.

• Acknowledging the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the current rise of fascism and state-sanctioned violence. This includes its impact on the research process, the people who are a part of the process, and the cultural sector.

• Acknowledging the ways in which capitalism, white supremacy, war, genocide, economic precarity, and climate change continue to impact the arts and culture sector and, therefore, the outcome of this study. This includes the roles members of the arts ecosystem including ASO’s, research leads, and research participants, play in benefitting from, exacerbating, upholding and/or being oppressed by these systems and their outcomes.

• Engaging in a multi-phase research process that is iterative and considers multiple modalities, perspectives, and adapts to learning and contemporary contexts. This includes, adjusting timelines as needed, and pausing where necessary to address potential harms, new learnings, or additional approaches. 

• Exhausting all possible resources to ensure a large cross-section of members of the community are able to contribute to the research process. This includes sharing their stories, ideas, and areas of expertise through interviews and focus groups, and through that process, seeking their consent, compensating them for their time, and communicating transparently about the purpose and use of their information and/or contributions.

• Providing a variety of accessible opportunities for participation in the data collection processes. This includes providing written and oral forms of digital data collection alongside closed captioning, ASL interpretation and/or other types of accommodations so research participants can engage in methods that best align with their access needs, time, and capacity.

• Creating tools for the public to interact with, download, and analyze/interpret the data themselves. This includes providing access to normalized/clean data sets, and using a platform that allows for user-generated versions of the data to promote transparency and encourage additional analysis of the data. 

• Understanding that research alone cannot solve all of the problems it aims to observe, explore, or influence, including acknowledging our limitations as humans and researchers. This means working with institutions and individuals to spread the word of the study and to advocate for the application of its findings in ways that advance collective goals of liberation and well-being for arts workers, arts entities, and their communities.

Yes! ADC Consulting is working with a wide range of individuals and organizations to make Phase 2 of the research possible. This includes an administrative team of research and administrative assistants; an Advisory Cohort of arts workers; Voices for Creative New York as a research partner; several communications partners; and a slew of independent consultants offering pro-bono services to ASOs. 

You can learn more about all of the people and organizations playing a role in advancing this research by visiting the ASO website.

The research process is anchored in ADC Consulting’s research values and guiding principles, which positions open-source data infrastructure as a fundamental part of strong cultural communities. These data infrastructures often require specialized knowledge, tools, and financial resources that can make them cost prohibitive for arts workers and small entities to access. To address this need and maximize the public utility of the ASO research process, ADC Consulting created Research Partnerships. 

Research Partnerships create opportunities for arts entities, advocates and/or coalitions to better understand segments of their community and gather additional specialized data through the Phase 2 National Scan data collection process. Identified research partners contributed 5 questions to the ASO survey that are specific to their constituents and are not required to be completed by all survey takers. 

For Phase 2 of the research, Voices for Creative New York is the research partner. As a result, entities based in the state of NY will answer additional questions specific to them. 

Communications Partners are helping amplify awareness of the 2026 National ASO Survey and ensuring that arts service organizations and sector leaders nationwide know about the opportunity to participate.

These partners lead or are connected to networks of ASOs and those who directly influence, support, and strengthen the field. Through their outreach and engagement, they are helping us reach a broader and more representative community of respondents.

We are grateful for the support of:

• Creative States Coalition

• Creative West

• Grantmakers in the Arts

• National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

• New England Foundation for the Arts 

• South Arts

• Springboard for the Arts

Our list of Communications Partners continues to grow.

The first phase of Understanding Arts Service Organizations in a Changing Arts Ecosystem was made possible with leadership support from the Mellon Foundation. The second phase of the research is made possible with the generous support of the Ford Foundation. The research, its process, outcomes, and/or publications are independently led and created by ADC Consulting and are not commissioned by either funding entity nor do they represent their views.

Yes, Phase 2 National Scan will also include focus groups. They are scheduled to occur at some point between November 2026 and December 2026. Timing for the focus groups is subject to change. You can express your interest to be considered for a focus group by completing the interest form.