5 February 2025
Over $10 million in new funding for the arts is on the docket in the FY2026 budget process at the SC Statehouse. This is Part 2 in a two-part series covering what is included in these requests.
Request: $3.8 million increase in Arts Education Funding
Funding Type: Recurring
Agency: Arts Commission
Funding Source: EIA Partnership Funds
The South Carolina Arts Commission supports a variety of arts education programs across the State during both in-school and out-of school time. SCAC provides additional support for arts education through Arts Grow SC, a collective network of partners committed to ensuring all students in South Carolina have equitable access to learning in and through the arts by providing professional development, research support, and arts learning opportunities both in school and in community-based settings.
Additional funding will help sustain and expand this arts learning work, with a focus on professional development for arts and non-arts teachers, kindergarten readiness, and college-and-career readiness.
What to Know
We believe the arts can play an important role in meeting statewide goals for our students, empowering them to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
- State leaders have placed a priority on increasing student achievement in mathematics and reading, and the arts are a proven tool to help support this goal by engaging students in learning across the curriculum, fostering creativity, and promoting critical thinking skills.
- South Carolina’s Unified Plan for Education and Workforce Development cites a lack of soft skills in the workforce. The arts
help produce creative, well-rounded individuals with the necessary skills to succeed in whatever career path the choose.
- 3 arts-based careers have been designated as priority occupations in South Carolina – photographer, graphic designer, and entertainer/ performer.
Profile of the SC Graduate
Arts Education aligns with the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate in the following ways:
- PSGC Competencies achieved through the arts include Expressing Ideas, Building Networks, Using Sources, Learning Independently, Leading Teams, Navigating Conflict, and Engaging as Citizen.
- To achieve “World-Class Knowledge”, the Profile explicitly names the arts.
- Each “World-Class Skill” and “Life & Career Characteristic” can be connected directly to arts learning by implementing the College & Career Ready Standards for Visual & Performing Arts Proficiency (2017).
Help push for this funding at the State House during our annual State House Day held February 13, as a part of the SC Arts Day. Register and find out more information by clicking here. Can’t make it? You can still advocate from home during SC Arts Advocacy Week!
