June 24, 2015 - Sacramento - Today, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed a state budget that includes a $7.1 million permanent increase in general fund support for the California Arts Council.
The total fiscal year 2015-16 state general fund support for the California Arts Council will reach approximately $8.3 million, which will become a permanent baseline for state arts funding. The Governor's budget gives the Arts Council the authority to hire two new permanent staff positions to administer the funds."We are grateful to Governor Brown, who formed the California Arts Council more than 40 years ago on the basis that the arts are central to the lives of Californians," said Donn K. Harris, Chair of the California Arts Council. "In this year's inaugural address, our Governor pledged to ‘keep California creative' - and with this historic investment, he has ensured that creativity and innovation will continue to help our state thrive for years to come."
"Members in both houses and both parties of our state legislature have demonstrated growing support for the arts over the past several years," said Craig Watson, Director of the California Arts Council. "They have listened to their constituents call for greater cultural expression and creativity in their communities, and to research that shows how an investment in the arts can boost local economies, raise student achievement, stimulate community development, increase public safety, and expand tourism, along with many other critical state goals. We express our deepest thanks to those legislators who champion the arts through their voice and their votes."
Momentum for increased state arts funding began in 2013-14, when then-Speaker John Perez allocated $2 million in one-time assembly funds to the Arts Council. The Governor's 2014-15 budget included a $5 million one-time increase to the Arts Council. In the ten years prior, the Arts Council received only $1 million in state funds annually.
These two years of one-time funding allowed the Arts Council to pilot new grant programs, which resulted in documented benefits for California's communities and young people. With this permanent increase, the Arts Council will be able to better meet the needs and demand for arts programs across the state.
Timeline: Recent California Arts Council State Funding Allocations
| Fiscal Year(s) |
State Funding Allocation |
| 2003-04 to 2012-13 |
$1 million annual general fund allocation |
| 2013-14 |
$1 million general fund allocation + $2 million one-time funds from State Assembly Operating Budget |
| 2014-15 |
$1 million general fund allocation + $5 million one-time general fund |
| 2015-16 |
$8.3 million permanent general fund allocation |
The Arts Council budget also includes $1 million in annual support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and approximately $2.5 million in annual funds from sales and renewals of California's Arts License Plate and voluntary state tax return contributions to the "Keep Arts in Schools Fund." The Arts Council's total 2015-16 budget will be approximately $11.8 million.
Source: California Arts Council
