February 28, 2024
Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee finalized the first version of the 2024-2025 budget, which includes $2.6 million in increased funding for the arts.
While the SC House was on furlough, members of the Ways and Means Committee still reported to Columbia to finalize their recommendations for the 2024-2025 State Budget.
We were pleased to see that their recommendations include increased funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission, specifically for the implementation of six Arts Hub Regions throughout the state.
Here’s the breakdown of the recommendations:
- $600,000 in recurring funds
- $2 million in non-recurring funds
While they chose not to fulfill the full request of $3 million in recurring funds, this investment in the arts will go a long way in the establishment and implementation of the hub model. It’s especially promising that legislators prioritized recurring dollars for funding six Hub Coordinator staff positions, with an additional $2 million in non-recurring dollars for programming and grants that will be directed specifically to these hub regions. This proposed budget will still need to be approved by the full House of Representatives in the coming weeks.
“South Carolina consistently ranks as one of the top states to live and work… together these agencies create the framework for the advancements in our economy that you’ve heard about so much today and in previous years. In this year’s Economic Development Subcommittee budget recommendations you’ll see commitments to those important economic drivers across South Carolina – commerce, agriculture, hospitality, tourism, arts, history, culture, and resilience here in our State,” said Rep. Leon Stavrinakis (D-Charleston), Chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee.
The bill will move to the full House of Representatives soon, so we’ll notify advocates as the budget process advances.
