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Arts advocates ask for $3 million to sustain Georgia Council for the Arts grants program
Summary
Georgians for the Arts asked the appropriations subcommittee to provide $3 million to the Georgia Council for the Arts to continue a grants program that used expiring pandemic-era funds and to avoid service interruptions across the state's nonprofit arts sector.
Georgians for the Arts told the House appropriations subcommittee that the Georgia Council for the Arts received temporary pandemic relief funding that will expire at the end of FY 2025 and urged a $3 million state appropriation for FY 2026 to prevent an interruption in grants and services.
The group’s executive director told the committee that the pandemic-era funds enabled the council to award hundreds of grants across most of Georgia’s counties and that the temporary program supported thousands of jobs and millions of attendees at nonprofit arts and culture events. The presenter said Georgia ranks last in per-capita state arts funding (about $0.14 per person) and that a loss of state-level funding risks reversing recent recovery gains for the sector.
Advocates provided data from the Georgia Council for the Arts showing $4.7 million awarded historically, 344 grants awarded in the most recent reporting period, 19,734 jobs supported in the nonprofit arts sector and 16.6 million attendees. Georgians for the Arts also asked the committee to consider recurring revenue measures such as a voluntary tax-refund donation option and a specialty vehicle license plate to help sustain funding.
Committee members had no immediate questions; advocates said they were available for follow-up.
