City Council has asked Cultural Arts staff to look at revising or delaying its plan to significantly redistribute its limited pool of contracts toward groups that meet an increased focus on equity. At a Tuesday work session presentation, the proposed new funding structure was seen as too severe toward longtime recipients, especially legacy arts groups […]
Cultural Arts Division
Posted inAustin
City opens $2M grant program to assist creative sector nonprofits
The city has spun up another emergency relief program for arts organizations, with $2 million in federal aid available for nonprofit groups connected to local arts and cultural communities. The Arts & Culture Non-Profit Relief Grant will provide 100 grants of $20,000 to local groups in the creative sector that have had their fundraising and […]
Posted inAustin
City lays out diversity goals in next round of arts, tourism funding
Groups that have been historically overlooked and underrepresented in the city’s cultural community will have priority in the Economic Development Department’s spending for cultural and tourism programs in the next budget year. During an online meeting held last Saturday, the heads of three EDD divisions that allocate money from the Hotel Occupancy Tax – Heritage […]
Posted inAustin
Arts Commission to decide on next year’s funding, with deep cuts for all
Arts groups that have received contracts from the city’s Cultural Arts office in recent years will likely see significant decreases next year, with some groups in line to lose more than half of the funding they received in their most recent contracts. The Arts Commission will vote Friday on a revised funding matrix for the […]
Posted inAustin
Hotel taxes forecast to fall by $36M, leading to expected deficit in city arts funding
With the city projecting a $36 million decrease in Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue because of lower hotel bookings due to the Covid-19 pandemic, arts funding for the current budget year is expected to see a $1.5 million shortfall. The Arts Commission learned Monday that the city will cover all of the contracts to local artists […]
Posted inAustin
Arts community hears feedback on city’s diversity goals for cultural funding
The initial summary of feedback on how the city should consider diversity and equity in funding decisions for Cultural Arts found a wide array of concerns shared from more than 600 participants in recent community input sessions. The presentation Saturday at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex in East Austin was attended by roughly 100 people, […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Arts, music groups target underserved communities with $12M for creative spaces
The first draft of guidelines for how the city will allocate $12 million in bond money for creative spaces shows that priority will be given to historically underserved communities and groups that have a track record of working with marginalized people. The public got a look at the long-expected recommendations Saturday at a joint meeting […]
Posted inBudget
City grants crucial funding to arts organizations
Austin’s art advocates are breathing a little easier since Thursday afternoon, when City Council approved a resolution to award crucial funds to eligible arts organizations for Fiscal Year 2018-19. A total of $8,602,688 will be distributed among the organizations listed here. The awards were requested by the city’s Arts Commission because of the lack of […]
Posted inAustin
Cuts to arts groups brings call for changes to funding mechanism
Local arts groups facing dramatic cuts in their funding levels from the city could get some relief this budget year, and possibly an earlier heads-up in future budget years if their funding allocations appear headed for a decrease. The city’s Arts Commission voted 9-0 at Monday’s meeting to reconvene a working group focused on the […]
Posted inBudget
Arts space assistance doubles in new budget, but is it enough?
The city has revived the Arts Space Assistance Program that was created in 2017 and received overwhelming demand from local arts groups facing a loss of space, but was discontinued in the current budget due to lack of funding. The Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget passed last week by City Council includes funding for a variety […]
Posted inAustin
Bloomberg awards let arts groups focus on growth, and affordability
More than two dozen small and mid-sized arts organizations in Austin have been awarded two-year grants totaling more than $1 million from the Bloomberg Philanthropies foundation, with the promise of comprehensive training and other tools to help in their future growth. In all, 26 local groups were named in the latest round of grants that […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Memo points toward cultural trust to save arts spaces
It appears City Council will move ahead with the creation of a cultural land trust and an economic development corporation in the coming months, both attempts to combat the rising cost of real estate for residents and local artists. A new memo from the Economic Development Department details the options for the possible structure of […]