05/17/2012

D.C. Arts Funding Increased to 2009 Levels

"In its fiscal 2013 budget introduced yesterday, the D.C. Council increased the amount allocated to the District's Commission on the Arts and Humanities by $6.8 million, pushing funding for that agency to its highest level since 2009.

The increase, which was first reported by Arts Desk, would increase DCCAH's total funding for the fiscal year beginning October 1 to $11.9 million. A White House-proposed transfer of $2.5 million federal funds currently designated for the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs grant program would increase that number to $14.4 million—a sum written into the D.C. budget—but recent history suggests it is unlikely that transfer would ever come to pass.

But the bump in local funding for the arts is as unexpected as it is large. Arts funding from District coffers has been whittled away at since 2009, sinking to less than $4 million for fiscal 2012. During recent budget deliberations, several arts organizations lobbied for more than the $5.1 in local funds proposed by Mayor Vince Gray."

DCist.com 05/16/2012