ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – On Wednesday, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners will vote on a proposal to amend the 2025 budget to reinstate roughly $1.7 million in grant funding for Arts and Culture programming.
“I’m very cautiously optimistic. There’s hope, but it’s certainly not a guarantee,” Commissioner Dana Barrett said in an interview with Atlanta News First on Tuesday.
Barrett joins Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. in supporting the budget amendment for the arts.
“It would be devastating to see parts of this vibrant community disappear because we couldn’t be the funding partner they’ve come to depend on,” Arrington said in a press release.
Last week, the Board of Commissioners approved a $1.4 billion budget, which included $1.3 million for arts and culture programs.
This represents a 57% decrease in funding, with those same programs receiving roughly $3 million in prior years.
“Unfortunately, we’d probably have to scale back. And I pray that we’ll be able to find continuous sources of revenue,” said Alex Acosta, founder of Soul Food Cypher, a non-profit that promotes free-style rap to bring the community together.
Acosta last week urged the Commissioner to maintain its funding for arts programs.
“We’re keeping the culture alive in the city of Atlanta,” Acosta said in an interview with Atlanta News First on Tuesday.
“We lose our flavor, we lose our funk, we lose our soul if we do not invest in the arts,” Acosta said.
In 2024, Fulton County provided grants for contracts of services to 172 arts organizations, including the Alliance Theater, National Black Arts Festival, Museum of Design Atlanta and the Black Theater Festival.
In 2024, Georgia ranked last in state funding for arts programs, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.
Dozens of arts advocates have given public comment during Board of Commissioners meetings urging the Board to at least maintain their current level of investments in Arts and Culture.
David Reingold, a lighting designer for theater performances, told the board he fears the decrease in funding could result in arts leaving Atlanta for better job opportunities.
“I have a lot of friends who are also freelancers that are being forced out of the city because there is just not simply enough work, the work that exists does not pay enough. They are moving to New York and Chicago, and that’s not okay because we need to keep the arts and culture here in Atlanta,” Reingold said.
Last week, commissioners who voted to pass the budget with the arts cuts said they would be open to potentially reinstating that funding during a mid-year budget analysis.
On Tuesday, Commissioner Barrett said she feared that would be too late for many programs as applications for County funding were due in mid-January.
“If we wait on this until mid-year, it’ll be too late for a lot of these organizations, which is why I felt like we need to move now,” Barrett said. “Some of the smaller organizations may have to shutter all-together. Some of the larger ones may have ways to survive but may have to cut critical programs or staff.”
Barrett said the County was forced to make tough decisions around funding this budget cycle in light of the ongoing financial demands of the crisis at the Fulton County Jail.
She said the County is bracing for further financial obligations tied to the newly established consent decree with the Department of Justice.
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