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Arts Commission requests $7 million to boost operating support, festivals and regional hubs
Summary
South Carolina Arts Commission Director David Platts told the subcommittee the agency seeks $7 million to expand operating support grants, establish a festival grant and fund six regional ArtsHub coordinators to increase arts access across the state.
David Platts, executive director of the South Carolina Arts Commission, told the Economic Development Budget Subcommittee the agency is seeking $7 million in new funding to expand operating support for local arts organizations, create a festival grant program and fund six regional ArtsHub coordinators.
Platts said the arts cluster contributed about $14.1 billion annually to the state economy in the most recent economic impact study, supporting roughly 123,550 creative‑sector jobs and generating about $360.2 million in estimated annual tax revenues. He described fiscal year 2024 accomplishments, including 722 grants awarded statewide totaling about $18.4 million, expansion of arts‑in‑schools and arts‑therapy partnerships, and designation of three new cultural districts.
The Arts Commission’s budget request included $3.5 million for operating support grants to community arts providers, $3 million for a newly established festival and cultural‑district grants, and $500,000 for the ArtsHub regional delivery model. Platts said demand for operating support has risen; the agency received 34 additional operating‑support applications in the most recent cycle and could not increase per‑grantee award amounts without additional funding.
Platts also requested two federally funded FTEs be moved to state funding and one FTE be shifted to general operating support to align staffing with program expansion. Committee members asked the agency to review existing funded vacancies and coordinate with legislative staff about whether any new FTEs might be covered by current position vacancies.
Platts closed by offering to provide legislators with county‑level grant maps and applicant details to illustrate where funding is awarded across the state.
