Arts Council warns continued cuts would damage programs, downtown recovery
The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge said proposed FY2026 cuts to City‑Parish support would reduce staff and programs, jeopardizing school arts, public art maintenance and downtown events; the mayor and council questioned funding composition and suggested maintaining FY25 levels where possible.
The full story
Jonathan Grimes, president and CEO of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, told the Metropolitan Council that the agency has reliably drawn philanthropic and grant support while City‑Parish supplemental funding has helped close operating gaps. He said the agency’s City‑Parish allocation fell about 12% for FY2025 and the FY2026 proposal would reduce the city allocation to $250,000 — a 25% reduction — with the risk of $0 in FY2027 under current trends.
Sign up to keep reading.
Your free newsletter brings you what your city council, county, and school board discussed and decided.
Keep reading for free
Create a free account to finish this story and see the video, transcript and key details.
Continue with GoogleContinue with emailAlready have an account? Log in