Of the nearly $200m, the budget allocates $43.9 million for cultural programming and support for artists, a 40% increase from 2014.
The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs has officially announced the largest-ever New York City budget for culture: a record-breaking $198.4 million. The 2019 fiscal year allocation supports different organizations across the five boroughs, with $43.9 million designated for cultural programming grants.
In addition to these grants, the Department of Cultural Affairs will also provide increased funding to the 33 members of the Cultural Institutions Group, which includes the Metropolitan Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio, and the Queens Museum.
In the announcement yesterday morning, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen explained, “The economic, educational, and cultural importance of New York City’s museums, theaters, and other cultural institutions cannot be overstated. When the arts thrive, New York City thrives — which is why this year we’ve made the largest-ever financial commitment to Cultural Affairs in our NYC history.”
More than 1,000 cultural organizations throughout New York City will benefit from the $43.9 million in grants compared to the $31.3 million the Department of Cultural Affairs provided in 2014. The newly proposed budget also offers support for the city’s CreateNYC cultural plan, which was established in 2017 to provide greater funding for culture across the city.
In addition, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl said in a statement, “Investing in culture brings tremendous benefits to our city at all levels, from a vibrant economy, to healthy neighborhoods, to transformative experiences for individuals. It enables us to support the important work of over 1,000 cultural organizations throughout the city, as well as provide unprecedented levels of funding for individual artists in all five boroughs. Building on CreateNYC’s emphasis on sustainability, diversity, and equity in all aspects of the arts, we are proud to work alongside our colleagues in City government and in the cultural sector to make these historic investments on behalf of all New Yorkers.”
Today, we heard stories from around the city about the transformative impact that culture has on our communities. We were proud to work alongside @NYCMayorsOffice and @NYCCouncil to make this historic budget possible, with $198 million supporting 1,000+ cultural orgs citywide pic.twitter.com/Lsr3eMfbaz
— NYC Cultural Affairs (@NYCulture) October 23, 2018