$2.65 Million Award to Arts & Culture Programs Across Arizona
State’s total investment in nonprofit arts sector up $500,000 over last year
Approved in May as part of the State of Arizona’s $10.4 billion fiscal year 2019 budget, an additional $2 million investment in arts and culture is already making its way to communities across Arizona.
Derived from interest accrued on Arizona’s Rainy-Day Fund, the State’s $2 million allocation represents a 33% increase over funding assigned to the Arizona Commission on the Arts in the previous fiscal year.
“With their action in the FY2019 state budget, Governor Ducey and state legislative leaders made a strong statement about the value of arts and culture in Arizona,” said Jaime Dempsey, Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. “Their message is clear: Arizona’s arts sector has a significant role to play in unleashing our state’s boundless potential, with its wealth of positive outcomes on community and economic resilience, lifelong learning, and individual ingenuity. Arizona creativity is a wise and productive investment.”
At their quarterly meeting in June 2018, the Governor-appointed board of the Arizona Commission on the Arts approved $2.65 million in grants to Arizona nonprofit arts organizations, festivals, schools, and community-based programs throughout the state. This action represents the allocation of 80% of the Arts Commission’s annual grant budget, with several other grant programs running throughout the year.
