State Budget includes $6.8 million Permanent Increase in California Arts Council Funding
SACRAMENTO - Today, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed a state budget that includes a $6.8 million permanent increased funding allocation for the California Arts Council.
The budget also includes an additional $750,000 ongoing allocation to directly support increased arts programming for youth engaged in California's juvenile justice system, as well as an additional $2 million increased allocation for California's Arts in Corrections program.
The $6.8 million permanent funding increase will extend the reach of the California Arts Council's competitive grant programs to more sustainably meet the needs and demand for arts and cultural experiences benefiting diverse communities across the state. These programs serve California communities by funding local nonprofit arts activities with a focus on arts learning and engagement; equity and access; cultural and community development; and technical support and resources for the arts field.
The overall California Arts Council budget also includes approximately $1.1 million in annual federal support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and approximately $2.5 million in annual funds from sales and renewals of California's Arts License Plate and voluntary state tax return contributions to the Keep Arts in Schools Fund. With all sources combined, the Arts Council's total 2017-18 budget will be approximately $19.48 million, plus an additional, separate $8 million state allocation for Arts in Corrections.
"We are grateful to Governor Brown and our state legislators for their belief in the power of the arts to enrich our lives and foster safe, healthy, and vibrant California communities," said Donn K. Harris, California Arts Council Chair. "The state's increased investment in culture and creative expression has helped to grow arts programs benefitting Californians at all levels of society, and demonstrates clearly who we are and what we value as a state."
Timeline: Recent California Arts Council State Funding Allocations
California's investment in the arts has been steadily increasing since fiscal year 2013-14, as outlined in the chart below. According to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, California ranked 40th out of 50 states in per capita state arts funding for 2016-17.