When do arts organizations merge? A window of opportunity for nonprofit mergers.

Negative repercussions of the COVID‐19 pandemic have escalated a continued interest in mergers. Research on the reasons or preconditions for merger implementation remains insufficient, however. This study focused on mergers involving arts organizations ("arts mergers") and identified a set of conditions that open up a window of opportunity for nonprofit merger implementation. Two arts mergers have been studied using grounded theory. This study finds that nonprofit mergers are implemented when a shared concern for long‐term financial viability is coupled with foreseeable merger benefits and provision of merger support by external sources. Additionally, this study reports new findings on arts mergers and their unique traits. Findings suggest that support for mergers or similar types of interorganizational integration can be an effective means for strengthening the long‐term sustainability of nonprofits and the sector at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]