to: museum-l
 
John Purdy asked about the percentage of operating expenses
paid from various sources such as Museum Store, Admissions,
Charitable Gifts, etc.
 
I keep track of such statistics, since my company provides
consulting and research in museum economics. The only recent
study that collected percentage of income by source for non-
profit museums in general was the 1989 National Museum
Survey organized by AAM (they only included museums that
have a professional staff and are open to the general public
at least 120 days per year). Their findings are:
 
% of FY88 Operating Income by Source
Parent/Friend Organization                              9.9%
Government Sources                                     32.6%
Private Sources                                        15.3%
Investment Income                                      11.5%
Earned Income                                          30.5%
 
Unfortunately, I don't have much faith in these figures.
Survey response rates were extremely low for some questions
and types of museums, and the statistical weighting of the
replies was incorrect. AAM has declined to release the
survey data (very unusual for government-sponsored
research), so we cannot correct for these errors or measure
them precisely.
 
The Institute of Museum Services' 1992 National Needs
Assessment produced much more reliable results (I did all
the statistics myself). Unfortunately, it didn't ask for
percentage of income by source.
 
David S. Reed
Reed Public Policy, Inc.
Number 210
3509 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC  20008
fax: (202) 986-2495
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