Hochul announces historic arts funding for record number of artists, organizations

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced nearly $45 million in grant awards through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).

Through a record level of state funding for the arts, Hochul said these grants will support over 1,200 arts organizations and 426 artists, as they return to pre-pandemic levels of capacity and creation.

“For hundreds of years, artists from around the world have called New York their home because of our culture, diversity, and creativity,” Gov. Hochul said. “Their innovations fuel our economy, our tourism industry and the health and well-being of our communities, and this year’s historic commitment will spur our continuing recovery from the pandemic and set the course for a stronger future.”

She said the Support for Organizations grants will provide $38,452,500 to 1,214 arts groups including museums, visual arts programs, arts education organizations, and music, dance and theater companies.

The Support for Artists grants will provide $4,260,000 to 426 artists. The Special Opportunities grants will provide $1,737,450 to support folk art apprentices for individual artists, rehearsal and studio spaces for the performing arts and performing arts residencies. Additional funding was provided to support State Community Regrant partners.

In 2021, NYSCA overhauled its funding strategies to allow greater access to art funding across the state and recommitted its support to artists.

As a result, NYSCA increased its funding of artists by 400 percent and awarded grants to 83 percent of first-time applicants.

In October, Hochul announced $32 million in grants to 1,032 organizations, including state community regrant partners, arts partnerships, and arts organizations throughout the state.

NYSCA’s record grantmaking budget comprises $140 million for FY 2023, plus an additional $100 million in multi-year capital funding to facilitate large-scale capital projects that prioritize community development and placemaking.
NYSCA said it is still accepting applications for the Capital Projects Fund through Jan. 12, 2023.

The FY 2023 budget also includes a $100 million expansion of the New York City Musical Theater Tax Credit, administered by Empire State Development

“We are immensely grateful to Gov. Hochul and our State Legislature for their historic investment in the arts,” said New York State Council on the Arts Executive Director Mara Manus. “This unprecedented level of funding and NYSCA’s continued efforts to increase access to the arts have yielded a record number of grantees.

“These 1,200 statewide grants will bring crucial support to creative workers and arts organizations of all sizes,” she added. “We know that, through this critical grantmaking, New Yorkers and our visitors will directly experience the measurable benefits of this investment in the arts sector for decades to come.”

New York State Council on the Arts Chair Katherine Nicholls said, “On behalf of the Council and our staff, I want to express our gratitude to the Governor and the Legislature for this unprecedented level of arts funding.

“A powerful contributor to our economies and our well-being, arts organizations and artists are essential to our growth and our prosperity,” she added. “I am delighted that we are able to support their creativity and innovation as part of our pandemic recovery for the arts.”

State Sen. Jose Serrano said, “Artists bring energy and inspiration to our communities. I applaud NYSCA’s efforts to support more of these essential workers as well as a record number of our arts organizations across the state. One of New York’s greatest resources, the arts will continue to thrive with this historic support.”

Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell said, “This impressive new highwater mark for NYSCA confirms the power of the arts across New York. As Chair of the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development, I am grateful for the support of my colleagues in the legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul for working to increase funding for the arts in our State.
“I congratulate NYSCA on their success to bring this vital support to more applicants, furthering the reach of crucial funding into communities across our state,” he added.