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Advocates ask the state for $3 million to sustain Georgia Council for the Arts grants
Summary
Georgians for the Arts urged the appropriations subcommittee to authorize $3 million in state funding to replace expiring federal pandemic relief grants that have supported nonprofit arts organizations across the state.
Wadudda (presenter spelled in transcript as "Wadudah") Mohammed, executive director of Georgians for the Arts, asked the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development to appropriate $3 million to the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) to prevent a lapse in grant funding when pandemic‑era federal funds expire at the end of FY 2025.
Mohammed said GCA used the federal relief funds to disburse grants across the state and that the temporary funding helped leverage arts activities, support jobs and reach communities statewide. He told the committee Georgia ranks last among states in per‑capita arts funding, and that the pandemic relief funds—totaling $3 million distributed over three years—are set to expire.
The presentation cited GCA data showing hundreds of grants awarded and economic‑impact figures for nonprofit arts and culture in Georgia, including jobs supported and attendance numbers. Georgians for the Arts also requested that the legislature consider non‑appropriation mechanisms to support arts funding in future sessions, such as a tax refund donation option and a specialty motor‑vehicle license plate to benefit GCA.
Mohammed said the group is advocating to restore sustainable funding for the arts across all 159 counties and provided committee members with handouts summarizing the economic impact and grant distribution.
