Lee County arts organizations once again find themselves in jeopardy of missing out on Florida arts and culture grants. Although the Florida Division of Arts & Culture approved full funding for 15 Lee County grant applicants, the Secretary of State has recommended funding for only four. Fortunately, the state Legislature has the final say. So Alliance for the Arts Executive Director Neil Volz is asking art patrons to urge their state representatives to approve full funding for all 15 qualifying Lee arts organizations.
Time is of the essence.
The Legislature is expected to approve the state budget within the next two to three weeks.
MORE INFORMATION:
Applications for this year’s arts and culture grants were filed in July 2025.
They were evaluated by the Florida Division of Arts & Culture.
The division gave a score of 80 or higher to 746 applications.
The division reports to the Florida Secretary of State.
It recommended to the Secretary of State that all 756 of the applicants that received a score of 80 or higher be awarded full or partial funding.
If all 746 of these arts organizations receive full funding, that would amount to $76 million in grants, which amounts to 0.06 percent of the state’s $117.4 billion budget.
The Secretary of State has recommended far less than the amount approved by the Florida Division of Arts & Culture.
However, it falls within the purview of the Legislature to determine the amount to be awarded to qualifying arts organizations.
This approval process is now underway.
The Senate has introduced a bill that would fund all programs that score above 80 percent. The companion bill in the House is a little less favorable.
The House Budget Committee met on Tuesday, Feb. 24 to discuss the House bill. Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka serves on this committee.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development convened on Wednesday, February 25. Senator Jonathan Martin serves on that committee.
Volz noted that Rep. Persons-Mulicka and Sen. Martin “and many of our Lee County elected officials have consistently demonstrated strong support for arts and culture funding and for strengthening our local creative economy.”
Volz referenced the Horizon Council’s annual update to the local economy as well as the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 survey conducted by the Americans for the Arts in 2024.
The Horizon Council noted that “Lee County’s art and culture community is entering one of its most dynamic eras” and that with increasing participation and expanded programming, “the region’s cultural sector is shaping a more vibrant and innovative Southwest Florida.”
AEP6 reported that the arts community generates more than $135 million in annual economic activity in Lee County and in excess of $5 billion statewide, supporting over 90,000 jobs. “Additionally, the study found that the state art and culture funding delivered a 9-to-1 return on investment.”
“The process of completing the [state] budget will be negotiated by state officials through the two legislative chambers during the next two-to-three weeks,” said Volz in a February 23 email. “If you would like your voice to be heard, now is the time to contact your local representative and ask them to fully fund all 15 of Lee County’s art and culture projects. Outreach to them along with other members of our local legislative delegation can be impactful, particularly if you have an existing relationship with them or their staff.”
Additional statistics about the economic impact of the arts
Tourism:
- 20% of Florida’s tourists report arts and culture offerings as a determining factor in where to visit;
- 30% of arts & culture audiences are tourists;
- Cultural tourists spend nearly twice as much while traveling as other tourists do — an average of around $1,000 vs $600 per trip;
- 77% of non-local art and culture attendees say they traveled to specific destinations for arts events; and
- 63.5% of them would have selected another community if not for that cultural event.
Community Competitiveness:
- An arts presence in a community increases nearby residential property values by up to 20 percent;
- An arts presence in a community fosters a faster-growing, more dynamic business sector, provides innovations for planners restoring and revitalizing communities; and
- An arts presence in a community is key in attracting new residents, businesses and investments to cities and counties.
Education:
- High school students who have four years of art, dance, drama, or music curriculum score 41% to 51% higher on their SATs, have higher GPAs, and are more likely to graduate;
- Due to the discipline and problem-solving skills gained through artistic practice, students enrolled in fine arts curricula are more highly sought by employers; and
- Undergraduates in arts disciplines are ranked among the top four most desired majors for advanced healthcare degrees.
Health and Wellness:
- The arts prove effective in reducing loneliness, depression, and anxiety;
- The arts heal the mental, physical, and moral injuries of war for military service members and veterans, who rank the creative arts therapies in the top four (out of 40) interventions and treatments;
- Healthcare institutions that provide arts programming for patients, families, and staff report shorter hospital stays, better pain management, and less medication; and
- A high concentration of the arts in a community leads to greater civic engagement, more social cohesion, and higher child welfare.
For more on the status of this year’s arts and cultural grants, read “Return on investment warrants increase in this year’s arts and culture grants, says United Arts Collier’s Elysia Dawn.”
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
