S.C. Arts Commission budget request clears hurdles 1 and 2

Additional funding heads to the House floor in March

The FY20 state budget is making its way through state government on schedule, and it includes an increase for the S.C. Arts Commission.

When arts advocates from around South Carolina gathered at the Statehouse two weeks ago for Arts Advocacy Day, they were hoping to convince legislators to include additional recurring funding for the S.C. Arts Commission for a total of $865,000, of which $785,000 would head back into the state as grant funding.

Specifically, requested funds will:

• Help keep pace with growth in the statewide network of community arts providers through Operating Support Grants to local arts organizations ($350,000);
• Maintain and build upon promising new approaches to arts development in rural, high-poverty counties ($110,000);
• Provide learning and career development opportunities for working arts professionals and artists ($75,000);
• Respond to increasing demand for expanded arts education in K-12 schools statewide and build upon promising new models for summer learning through the arts that have been piloted in some of the state’s most challenged rural school districts ($250,000)

 Together, these grant funds will help the Arts Commission make significant progress toward the goal of $1 per capita for grants. Currently we have $0.59 per capita, and this new investment would bring that figure to $0.75. An additional $80,000 would help the agency pay an additional staff member.

Last week, first the S.C. House Ways and Means education development subcommittee and then the full Ways and Means Committee both approved the SCAC request and sent it to the House floor for deliberations to occur beginning March 11.

Monitor The Hub and/or South Carolina Arts Alliance for updates.