We applaud Governor Ducey for including arts funding in his budget and encourage arts and culture advocates throughout Arizona to express their appreciation through social media”

Joseph Benesh

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has included a $2 million General Fund allocation in his $12.3 billion executive budget for the Arizona Commission on the Arts to provide grants and other support to nonprofits arts and culture organizations across Arizona.

“We believe that state funding in support of Arizona’s amazing arts sector is critical as the Legislature and governor being their annual budget negotiations,” said Arizona Citizens for the Arts Executive Director Joseph Benesh in a prepared statement.

“We applaud Governor Ducey for including arts funding in his budget and encourage arts and culture advocates throughout Arizona to express their appreciation through social media.”

The allocation is level with 2019 funding “and helps ensure that arts and culture programs continue expanding community and economic contributions in cities and towns of every size,” Mr. Benesh said.

Through the grant process, the Arizona Commission on the Arts requires grantees to prove fiscal responsibility and measurable impact which ensures quality, credibility and a “very high return on the investment that also enables the Arizona Commission on the Arts to better propel its vision to provide the benefits of the arts to every Arizona citizen,” Mr. Benesh said.

According to a press release, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts reported that Arizona’s arts and culture industries contribute $9 billion to the state’s economy, employing 90,000 Arizonans.

At the same time, research shows that Arizona arts and culture organizations generate an average of an additional $1.20 in spending for every dollar they invest, contributing millions to the Arizona economy and state and local tax revenues, the release states.