New York State is in the heart of budget season. The Governor has proposed a largely steady overall spending plan, with a major watch item: the Financial Plan assumes roughly a 10% drop in federal receipts.
At the same time, the Executive Budget is proposing a ~35.2% cut to the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) budget compared to the FY26 Enacted budget. Of noter, this is on par with the Executive Recommendation from last year as well.
That makes this next phase especially important, because it’s where each branch of the Legislature responds to the Executive Budget by releasing its own budget recommendations to get to a One-House Budget. This all is supposed to happen before April 1, the start of the 2027 State Fiscal Year.
Our main focus right now is securing increased statewide investment in NYSCA at $210 Million, a 26.8% increase from FY26 Enacted budget. This includes:
$100M Aid to Localities (NYSCA’s Primary Grantmaking : Support for Organizations, Support for Individuals, Statewide Community Regrants, and more)
$100M Arts & Cultural Facilities Improvement Program (ACFIP) – NYSCA’s Capital Grants Program
$10M Stabilization – NYSCA/NYFA Reserve Grant Program
The $210M ask does not include an additional ~$8M for NYSCA operations.
The nitty gritty numbers:
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW!
- SAVE THE DATE: Arts Rally in Albany : Tuesday, March 24
New Yorkers for Culture & Arts, Senator José M. Serrano, and statewide partners including ArtsNYS and a myriad of others are planning an arts and culture rally to support arts funding and arts education at the Capital on Tuesday, March 24 (details and exact timing coming soon). (EDITORS NOTE: Keep an eye out for a special ACE! Newsletter update with more details) - Talk to or Meet with Your Legislators and the Governor’s Office about the NYSCA $210M ask. Plus, later this week, ArtsNYS will share a customizable form letter that you can personalize and send directly to your State Senator, Assemblymember, and the Governor.
- Arts Education Codification Bill Support:
We are supporting legislation to require instruction in arts and music education to be incorporated into curriculums for all public school students. S.6318A / A.6490B. Please CHECK whether your Senator and Assemblymember are sponsors. If not, ask them to sign on! - Other Legislation We’re Tracking
We’re monitoring bills related to workforce development, cultural districts, nonprofit sustainability, and the broader creative economy. Check Out our BILL TRACKER.
STAY CONNECTED
If there are emerging challenges or opportunities in the Capital Region’s Creative Economy that we should be lifting up, please tell us. ArtsNYS’s advocacy priorities are shaped by local input.
To reach us: CONTACT ArtsNYS
Thanks for showing up for the Capital Region and for New York’s Creative Economy!
WEB: artsnys.org