Art and culture play a central role in societal development, whether through promoting social cohesion, democratic participation, regional development, critical reflection, identity formation, or international exchange. At the same time, actors in the arts and culture sector are increasingly under pressure to legitimize their work and face growing demands for sustainable organizational and funding models. This creates the challenge of making their impacts transparent and developing them based on evidence.

The Center for Nonprofit Organizations and Social Impact focuses on the societal impacts of arts and cultural activities, beyond purely economic effects, as well as the organizational and institutional frameworks of cultural work. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of impact research are employed, including social impact analyses and social return on investment (SROI) approaches. Additionally, we address governance, financing, and management issues in the cultural sector. The focus is on nonprofit organizations, hybrid organizational forms, and public funding structures, as well as the role of cultural policy and funding bodies.

The goal is to connect solid scientific findings with high practical relevance and to contribute to the development of an impact-oriented and future-proof cultural sector. The work of the center in this research field is designed to be interdisciplinary, practice-oriented, and dialogue-driven. In close collaboration with cultural organizations, administration, funding institutions, and academic partners, projects are carried out that meet scientific standards while also providing concrete action impulses for practice and policy. Thus, our activities contribute to improving the decision-making basis for cultural management, cultural funding, and cultural policy strategies.

References:

SROI European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024
Workshop on Film Festivals
Impact Analysis of the International Children's Film Festival (completed 2023)
Impacts of the Cultural Activities Abroad of the Ministry of Culture (completed 2020)​​​​​​​

Contact:

 Stefan Schöggl

Katharina Wankat

Christian Grünhaus