This article seeks to analyze the resilience of arts and cultural nonprofit organizations in France during the Covid-19 crisis. A broad survey and multiple logistic regressions highlight the resources availability, the crisis impact, the NPOs’ needs and the reforms they conducted during the first French lockdown. This study shows that the resilience of these NPOs must be differentiated between activity continuity and organizational persistence. Resilience in culture and the arts is specific, based on reforms, and requires special support from partners.

The Covid-19 crisis has placed non-profit organizations in a new operational, human, financial, and economic situation. In France, “associations” (grassroots volunteer organizations, as specific NPOs) have experienced three lockdowns and numerous restrictive measures. The study of their resilience is therefore necessary, and contributes to the knowledge of the concept. A large-scale survey of 10,926 NPO leaders showed that French organizations are still suffering one year after the crisis began. Their recovery is still difficult and their dependence on their resource-providing stakeholders disadvantages them. A cubic analytical framework is also proposed to synthesize the research dedicated to non-profit resilience.

COVID-19 became a global health crisis affecting all collective spheres. French nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are trying to participate in the crisis response, but they are suffering from the consequences of the crisis and a structural lack of re- sources. The aim of this article is to understand how they reacted to the crisis and how they coped with the associated lack. It is based on an extensive survey of French NPOs during the first lockdown. The results show that NPOs consider- ably reduced their activity while trying to maintain social links. Despite the reorganization of working arrangements during COVID-19, the economic impact of the crisis was very strong. RÉSUMÉ La crise sanitaire du Covid-19 devient une crise globale qui touche toutes les sphères collectives. Les associations fran- çaises tentent de participer à la réponse à la crise mais, en dépit de cet engagement, elles subissent de plein fouet les conséquences de la crise et souffrent du manque de ressources qui est déjà structurel chez elles. L’objectif est de com- prendre comment elles ont réagi à la crise en composant avec ce manque. L’article s’appuie sur une enquête de grande ampleur auprès des associations durant le premier confinement. Les résultats montrent que les associations ont consi- dérablement réduit leur activité, tout en essayant de maintenir des liens sociaux si possible. L’impact économique est cependant très fort, malgré la réorganisation des modalités de travail.

No abstract

No abstract