Montana Arts Council asks for federal match increase, outlines statewide grants and services

The Montana Arts Council asked the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education to support a modest general‑fund increase so the agency can meet a federal matching requirement and continue a statewide grants program.

The council’s executive director, Chris Holmes, told lawmakers the Arts Council’s FY2027 biennial request is roughly $1.7 million — an increase of about 2.1 percent from the FY2025 base — and that the agency is seeking a $55,000 per‑year general fund increase to cover a federal match for its Strategic Investment Grants program.

Holmes framed the council’s work as lean and widely distributed. “So this little sliver of the state budget turns into a lot of joy and growth and personal development and community vitality and economic benefit all across Montana,” Holmes said, recounting programs that bring artists and arts education to rural schools and small communities.

Budget and program mix Alexandra, the committee’s budget analyst, summarized the requested budget and said personal services would increase slightly while operating expenses drop; she said the council’s FY2025 base stood at about $1.66 million and the FY2026–27 request centers around $1.7 million, driven in part by the proposed federal match. She noted grants in the upcoming biennium are projected to rise by about $110,000 while operating expenses would decrease by approximately $65,000.

Counsel, service and examples beyond grants Committee members asked whether the agency’s reported personal services and operating totals represented an unusually high overhead relative to grant dollars. Kristen Berger, the council’s deputy director, said the agency delivers many non‑grant services that do not show up as grant payments: professional development, technical assistance, a poet laureate program, a teaching‑artist registry, creative aging programs, and other statewide initiatives. Berger said the agency’s assistance and programming are part of the reason the council can oversee grants effectively.

Holmes gave concrete examples of impact, citing arts workshops for students with special needs, a seventh‑grade band student inspired to pursue science after attending a symphony and associated lectures, and community‑run events in small towns. Holmes noted research showing the creative industries contribute substantially to Montana’s economy and that public funding is a small but catalytic portion of arts organizations’ budgets.

What the committee will consider Alexandra confirmed the $55,000 per‑year decision package is in the executive budget; Holmes said the council will provide a one‑page summary of non‑grant services and programs to the committee as requested. No formal votes were taken during the hearing.

Ending The subcommittee did not act on the Arts Council’s budget at the hearing. The council asked lawmakers to consider the federal match proposal and supplied additional material on the non‑grant services that accompany its grants program.