Governor’s Budget Proposes Ongoing Funding for the Arts

January 17, 2025

The Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget proposal released today by Governor Hobbs includes an ongoing $1 million General Fund appropriation for the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Since 2011, the State’s investments in the arts have been one-time single year appropriations.

“We celebrate the Governor’s vision, integrity, and commitment to supporting a robust and vibrant arts and culture sector in Arizona.” said the Arts Commission’s Executive Director, Christina You-sun Park. “This ongoing $1 million state appropriation provides a strong beginning foundation for supporting the vibrancy of Arizona’s communities with steady and dependable public funding for the arts.”

Supporting a Statewide Arts and Culture Sector

One of 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies in the United States, the Arizona Commission on the Arts receives and administers funds from the State of Arizona and the National Endowment for the Arts and directs this funding to programs that contribute to the growth and stabilization of a statewide arts and culture sector.

State arts agencies like the Arizona Commission on the Arts play a crucial role in the larger arts and culture ecosystem, ensuring broad access to public funds, especially in rural, historically overlooked, and nascent communities.

In the current fiscal year, thanks to a $2 million one-time legislative appropriation, the Arizona Commission on the Arts awarded 477 grants totaling $2.5 million in 62 cities/towns across fourteen of Arizona’s fifteen counties. These grantees collectively serve over 10 million individual arts experiences each year.

Modest Investment; Major impact

According to Park, “these arts and culture organizations, individuals, festivals and arts learning programs enrich our state in myriad ways, strengthening communities, driving local economies, supporting our youth, and improving personal health and well-being.”

According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, arts and culture are a major economic driver in Arizona, contributing $14.2 billion to the state’s economy in 2023 and employing over 84,000 Arizonans.