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Background: Catch up on the budget for the arts here, here, and here.  

🚨What’s New: On June 21, both the House and the Senate adopted the Budget Conference Committee Report, which recommended a total of $3.5 million more for the arts:

  • $2 million (one-time funding) for COVID Relief grants.

  • Increase of $1.5 million (recurring funding) for general operating support grants.

Then, on June 25, Gov. McMaster issued 15 vetoes of items within the budget. For the fourth year in a row, he did not issue any vetoes for statewide arts funding.

Note: Arts organizations who secured a one-time budget allocation (earmark) did see their funding vetoed. Those vetoes will be up for a vote on June 29 and require 2/3 majority vote to override. The SCAA does not take positions on individual earmarks and focuses solely on statewide support.

Why it Matters: These two items fully fund the requests made by the SC Arts Commission back in the fall of 2020, and represent a 27% increase in recurring funding for the arts. Additionally, this takes total grant funding for the arts in South Carolina (recurring funds) from $0.69 per capita to $0.97 per capita.

Thank You: Thank you to all of the advocates who helped secure this new funding for the arts! And thank you to the Legislature for their continued bipartisan support of the arts!

Here is how funding for the arts flowed throughout the budget process:

  • September 2020: SC Arts Commission submits budget requests, asking for $1.5 million more in grant funding (recurring), and $2 million for COVID Relief Grants (one-time).

  • March: House adopts their first version of the budget, including $1.5 million in COVID Relief Grants (one-time).

  • May: Senate adopts their budget, including $1.5 million in grant funding (recurring) and $2 million in COVID Relief Grants (one-time).

  • Early June: House adopts their second version of the budget, including $2 million in grant funding (recurring) and $2 million in COVID Relief Grants (one-time)

  • June 17: Conference Committee adopts Senate version of arts funding increases – $3.5 million total.

  • June 21: House and Senate adopt Conference Committee Report ($3.5m total)

  • June 25: Gov. McMaster issues 15 vetoes, none of which impact statewide arts funding, making the $3.5m increase for the arts officially locked in.

Data Point: The $1.5 million in recurring funds takes total statewide grant funding in the arts from $0.69 per capita to $0.97 per capita.

Dive Deeper: Read the full budget document here. Recurring grants funding is in Part 1A, Section 28, and COVID Relief grants are in Part 1B, Section 118.18, Item 36.

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