A one-time legislative appropriation of $2 million in support of Arizona’s arts and culture sector is reaching communities throughout the state with grants awarded to nonprofits, festivals, and arts learning programs.

The Arizona Commission on the Arts, an agency of the State of Arizona, announced 375 grant awards totaling $2,5456,273. Grants went to an array of organizations and programs spread across the state, from a community theater in Bullhead City to a pottery festival in Douglas, from museums to after-school arts programs.

“The arts are an essential expression of Arizona’s vibrant communities and diverse cultures,” Christina You-sun Park, Arizona Commission on the Arts executive director, stated in a press release. “Through the Arts Commission the state invests in a thriving statewide nonprofit arts sector that drives local economies, contributes to the vibrance and livability of our communities, enhances the education of our young people, and promotes the health and well-being of our residents.”

Grants were awarded in four categories:

Creative Capacity Grants provide general operating support to arts and culture organizations of all sizes whose primary mission is to produce, present, teach, or serve the arts.

This year, 259 organizations were awarded Creative Capacity Grants in amounts ranging from $800 to $24,000. Award amounts are based on the organization’s size and their application’s performance in the competitive review process.

Festival Grants support organizations in their efforts to provide quality arts and cultural programming through community festival activities. Grant awards range from $2,000–$5,000. Almost 70 arts festivals received grants in this round of funding.

Lifelong Arts Engagement Grants support projects that foster meaningful arts learning experiences in community settings for adult learners of any age while Youth Arts Engagement Grants support programs focused on young people ages 24 and under that occur outside of traditional school hours.

Between the two programs, 47 arts engagement programs received grants of up to $5,000.

MORE: Click here for the full list of Arizona Commission on the Arts grant recipients for 2025-26 out of a total of $2,546,273 awarded.

As a one-time appropriation from the state’s General Fund, the $2 million appropriated to the Arts Commission for Fiscal Year 2026 augments the agency’s most reliable funding streams: the Arts Trust Fund, which contributes an average of $1.2 million to the agency’s annual budget, and a state partnership grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which contributes $1 million on average.

In anticipation of the agency’s 60th anniversary in 2027, the Arts Commission’s staff and board are engaged in planning for the agency’s next five years. During the first of three phases, the agency solicited feedback from more than 1,000 Arizona residents through a public input survey and hosted listening sessions in 19 Arizona communities throughout the state.