SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – It can strike a chord when talking about money, especially funding something you’re passionate about doing.
“We generate income from ticket sales for our concerts or tuition with the youth orchestra and individual donors. But there's always a huge percentage of the budget that comes from county, federal, city funding,” Joesph Shanks from Mainly Mozart said.
Various art groups and organizations gathered on Wednesday at the San Diego County Administration building to celebrate a new funding initiative for the arts.
“It is the first time the County is stepping forward to provide public investment in arts and culture for the entire County,” Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer of District 3 said. “It includes up to $2.75 million in funding, including $2.25 million in ongoing annual investments to launch and sustain programs throughout our region.”
The County staff said, “key comments of the proposed initiative include:
- Artist Grant Program ($1 million annually): Direct, low-barrier funding for individual artists, prioritizing underserved communities and supporting both emerging and established creatives.
- Artist-in-Residence Program ($250,000 annually): Placement of local artists within County departments to address public challenges through creative, community-informed approaches.
- Artist Space Grant Program ($500,000 annually): Expanding access to affordable creative spaces and activating County-owned properties for public arts programming.
- Binational Creative Economy Investment ($250,000 annually): Strengthening cross-border arts and cultural collaboration in the San Diego–Baja California region.
- Arts and Cultural District Designation Program: Formal recognition and support for culturally rich areas across the County, with a focus on historically underfunded communities.
- Black Arts and Culture District Investment ($500,000 one-time): Supporting infrastructure, programming, and economic development in a key cultural hub.”
The announcement of the initiative is exciting news for those in the local art community.
“Three years ago, that was the work of community arts leaders working with the county leadership to recreate that. And now, after three years, to finally see some real evidence of the county's investment in the arts, it's just incredible,” Bob Lehman, Vice Chair of San Diego Arts & Cultural Commission
Lawson-Remer said she and Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe had been working on this initiative for some time.
It also comes at a time of looming budget cuts from the City of San Diego on arts and cultural grants.
“The chair and its leadership went forward with this proposal a while ago before we knew what the city was going to do and what their budgetary decisions were going to be,” Montgomery Steppe said. “And sometimes, you know, when you're just out to lead and try to do the right thing for your community, the timing ends up what it is.
Still, those in the art community tell me the timing of this proposed financial shot in the arm couldn’t have come at a better time.
“We've had cuts on the federal level, the state level, uh, you know, in some cities, and so, yeah, this couldn't have come at a better time,” Lehman said. “It'll, it'll make a huge difference for our arts community and artists at a time when they need it most.”
The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on the proposal next Tuesday, May 5th. For more information, click here.
