Evans Calls for Additional Commission on Arts & Humanities Funding | News

From Kevin Stogner: Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, Chair of the Committee on Finance & Revenue, today moved a budget report renewing his calls for additional funding for the District’s Commission on Arts & Humanities as well as direct grants to a number of individual arts organizations.

"The District’s arts organizations provide a critical educational service to our youth that the public school system simply does not provide," said Evans. "There is also a critical economic development aspect to this investment by the city, as the arts industry supports over 11,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the District, and arts and culture organizations spend over $600 million annually throughout the region.”

The Finance & Revenue’s budget report recommends an additional $10 million in funding for the District’s Commission on Arts & Humanities, which provides grants to numerous community organizations through a competitive application process.  The report also identifies eleven additional organizations for grants of $250,000 each:  The Phillips Collection; the Washington Ballet; the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival; the Kennedy Center; the Washington National Opera; Washington Performing Arts; the Earth Conservation Corps; CityDance; the DC Jewish Community Center; the National Building Museum; and the Shakespeare Theatre. 

“The nearly 2 million audience members that attend theatres in the District annually also generate over $100 million for the District's economy.  This demonstrates that the arts are a critical part of our economic engine, with benefits flowing directly back to area businesses and to the many youth who are beneficiaries of this meaningful supplement to their education.”