The bipartisan budget passed by Arizona’s Legislature and signed Tuesday by Gov. Katie Hobbs includes a $2 million one-time appropriation to the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

A 59-year-old state agency, the Arizona Commission on the Arts administers federal and state money dedicated to the arts by statute and legislative appropriation. The agency’s legislative appropriation for fiscal year 2026 repeats the $2 million one-time appropriation included in the state’s fiscal year 2025 budget and ensures the commission’s grantmaking capacity will remain level.

“This funding reflects a strong, shared belief that arts and culture are not just expressions of creativity — they are vital to Arizona’s economic strength, education, and community well-being," said Dawn Wallace, Board Chair of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, in a press release. 

Last year, the Arizona Commission on the Arts delivered its full $2 million appropriation back to Arizona communities through grants awarded to 276 nonprofit arts organizations.

“Arizona’s nonprofit arts sector generates over $1.1 billion in economic activity annually, the equivalent of a Super Bowl every year,” said Christina You-sun Park, Arizona Commission on the Arts executive director. “A modest investment of public funds in the arts returns significant value, not only to the state’s economy, but to the vitality and livability of its towns and cities, the education and social development of its youth, the strength of its communities, and the personal health and wellbeing of its residents.”

In addition to offering funding for nonprofit arts organizations, the commission also grants to arts festivals, arts learning programs, and in support of professional development opportunities for artists and creative sector workers. In fiscal year 2025, the agency delivered 554 grants totaling over $2.6 million.

The agency also administers a large slate of programs, including the AZ Youth Arts Council, the Artist Investment Program, and an artist residency program in partnership with Arizona State Parks and Trails. The agency is currently coordinating the selection process for the State’s next Poet Laureate, whose term will begin in January 2026.

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