SMU DataArts Explores How Unprecedented Levels of Federal Funding for the Arts Demonstrated the Strength of Local Advocacy and the Essential Role of Local Arts Agencies

Dallas, TX / October 24, 2024 – A new report from SMU DataArts, Federal Recovery Funds for Local Arts and Culture: Tactics from 11 Creative Communities, examines how Local Arts Agencies (LAAs) distributed federal relief funding to arts and cultural organizations across 11 geographically diverse cities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The insights gleaned in this analysis demonstrate the responsive and nimble ways LAAs operated throughout the pandemic, and how the common tactics related to advocacy, process, and equity that emerged across the 11 cities may hold positive implications for LAA practices moving forward. 

“Times of crisis can mobilize communities to focus and act on priorities. In re-distributing federal COVID-19 relief funding, these agencies prioritized equity, removing barriers to funding, and filling gaps in support and recovery opportunities locally,” explains SMU DataArts’ Associate Director for Research, Daniel Fonner. “This report attests to the variety of ways that our local arts agencies play a key role in serving in their communities.”  

For the first time since the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the 1930s, cultural organizations were explicitly eligible for and received significant federal relief funding.  The U.S. Department of the Treasury allocated funds to cities and states for redistribution to local businesses and individuals affected by COVID-19 under the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), as well as the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF). The report identifies key tactics that were commonly employed by 11 municipalities to distribute unprecedented levels of relief funding efficiently and fairly to artists and cultural organizations that are vital to the economy, civic and social engagement, and quality of life.  

 The 11 communities and LAAs the report studied are: 

• Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (Atlanta, GA)  

• Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (Chicago, IL)  

• Cuyahoga Arts & Culture / Assembly for the Arts (Cuyahoga County/Cleveland, OH)  

• Denver Arts & Venues (Denver, CO)  

• Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (Houston, TX)  

• Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture (Los Angeles County, CA)  

• New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (New York City, NY)  

• Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture (Phoenix, AZ)  

• Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (Pittsburgh, PA)  

• City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture (Seattle, WA)  

• Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)

 The 11 LAAs adopted a variety of strategies to distribute a cumulative $100 million in SLFRF funds for the arts. Several common practices emerged in three areas: 

• Advocacy: LAAs advocated most effectively for federal relief funds through both grassroots efforts and partnerships across government agencies in other sectors.  

• Process: Many LAAs streamlined applications and reporting requirements to deliver funds as efficiently as possible.  

• Equity: Distributing funds fairly and equitably included considerations around geographic distribution and prioritizing service to the neediest communities.

The report was prepared with support from Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world and is a part of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Bloomberg Philanthropies  encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving and works to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. 

“By allocating federal relief dollars for arts and culture, municipal leaders across the country affirmed that the sector is essential to quality of life and pandemic recovery,” says Kate D. Levin, Principal for Bloomberg Associates, who also leads the Arts program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “This report highlights the effective stewardship of Local Arts Agencies across 11 cities at a time of acute crisis.” 

For more information and to view the Federal Recovery Funds for Local Arts and Culture report in its entirety, please click here.  

Download the Report (PDF)