US state arts spending holds steady

IFACCA/Artshub, 07 February 2005
USA

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies in America has reported that legislative appropriation to state arts agencies has held steady for the 2005 fiscal year, despite a high degree of fiscal uncertainty in many states. Of the United State’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts bodies, 44 reported that their funding had remained stable for the year, whilst twelve reported decreases. Of the twelve, the biggest losers were South Carolina, Hawaii and New Mexico with decreases of around ten percent, Connecticut with a decrease of fifteen percent, and Mississippi – who lost a startling fifty-eight percent of their funding (the bulk of this loss was the result of the conclusion of a non-recurring department of education initiative). Winners of the announcement included Colorado, with a 150% increase, the District of Columbia with a 126% percent increase and Florida, with 135% of their funding increased. Some of these figures are misleading, however, because drastic funding cuts in the fiscal year of 2004 essentially mean these figures are restorations, rather than increases. The exception is the District of Columbia, where the increases are not a response to last year’s cuts. Most of the appropriations changes were less than ten percent in magnitude, and in context, this is good news for arts agencies all across America. This year’s announcement comes after three years of consecutive declines in arts funding, driven in the main by state budget shortfalls of historic magnitude. Coupled with the President's arts-neutral budget – where funding is to remain relatively level – the 2005 fiscal year is looking, if not bright, at least optimistic for the American arts industry. Many agencies will be operating under tight fiscal constraints, but the spectre of cuts has been removed for at least another year. To download further information on the report (as a PDF), CLICK HERE.

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