2022 Priorities: $5M for the Arts, Plus $100M for Nonprofits

As the Legislature returns January 11 to Columbia, there are two pressing priorities facing them:

1. $5 Million Arts Funding Increase Requested
   While last year we saw an increase in arts funding, only now is grant funding for the arts in South Carolina reaching pre-2008 levels when adjusted for inflation. The result? Grants have remained mostly flat, new applicants still have a hard time access funds, and as the state recovers from COVID-19 the needs are even greater.

   $5 million is being requested, in recurring funds, to support grants to arts organizations across the state. 

   Read our issue brief >>
   

2. $100 Million for Nonprofits
   The nonprofit and philanthropic sector, led by Together SC, has unified behind a request of $100 million from the state’s federal ARPA allocation. These funds would be dedicated to a nonprofit grant program, through the Department of Commerce, to help nonprofits across the state, including arts groups. These funds, part of the last federal COVID relief bill, are meant to help alleviate negative economic impacts in the state. 

   The SC Arts Alliance is supportive of this effort and has been assisting Together SC throughout this process as well.

   Read more from Together SC here. And stay tuned for ways to take action and join the collective voice of SC nonprofits.