Conference Committee Adopts $750K Increase to Arts Funding

27 July 2026

Last week, a Conference Committee approved an agreement on the State Budget that includes  $750K in new Statewide arts funding.

After months of discussion, a small committee of State Legislators from both the House and Senate reached an agreement on the 2026-2027 State Budget. Their report includes a $750,000 increase in Statewide Arts Funding to support operating grants and creative workforce programs.

The Committee adopted:

• $250K in recurring funding

• $500K in non-recurring (one-time) funding

This compromise reflects a combination of the increases included in each chamber’s version of the original budget bill, and is a “best case scenario” given the funding recommendations that each side brought to the table. The budget also includes $135,000 for agency and IT shared services increases, including technology infrastructure for the newly launched regional Arts Hub offices.

As part of the agreement, member sponsored community investments – also know as “earmarks” – were stripped from the budget bill and will be reviewed by a separate panel of legislators and packaged into another bill by September.

Reminder: Because the new fiscal year began on July 1 without a budget, state government is still operating at last year’s funding levels under a Continuing Resolution.

The following House and Senate members were on the Conference Committee:

• Rep. Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville)

• Rep. Davey Hiott (R-Pickens)

• Rep. Jackie “Coach” Hayes (D-Dillon, Florence, Horry & Marlboro)

• Sen. Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee, Spartanburg, Union & York)

• Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort & Jasper)

• Sen. Brad Hutto (D-Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton & Orangeburg)

Now is the time to reach out and thank the conferees for recognizing the value of the arts in South Carolina, especially if they are your legislators.

Read of the full report here>>

*Arts Commission begins on line 558.

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