ABOUT STATE ARTS AGENCIES

• State Arts Agency Overview
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Presentation: The State Arts Agency Role
• 2007 State Arts Agency Funding and Grant Making [PDF]

STATE ARTS AGENCY OVERVIEW

Each of the 50 states and six special jurisdictions has an arts agency committed to a meaningful role for the arts and culture in the lives of individuals, families and communities. Below is a brief overview of what these agencies do.

Provide Public Benefits

State arts agency programs and services

• broaden and deepen participation in and access to the arts
• improve student learning in the arts and other subjects
• increase the effectiveness of social services
• prepare a competitive workforce
• create jobs in the arts and related sectors
• leverage public and private investment in cultural activities and organizations
• preserve and promote our nation's diverse cultural heritage

These activities are supported and strengthened by the partnership between the state arts agencies and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Involve Residents in Decision Making

State arts agencies address local needs through public participation.

• Statewide planning involves the public in determining how the arts can best serve their communities' needs.
• Citizen councils represent state and local interests, determine agency priorities and review funding recommendations.
• Panels of people with diverse backgrounds and interests determine grant awards.

Improve Quality of Life

State arts agencies combine leadership in planning, marketing and technical assistance, in concert with grant making, to ensure that the arts are a vital element of community life. Drawing on a mixture of state, federal and other funding sources, state arts agencies integrate the arts in economic development, education and social service delivery.

Typical state arts agency activities include:

• funding performance tours, festivals, exhibits, concerts and poetry readings
• catalyzing partnerships between the arts and other sectors
• supporting in- and out-of-school arts activities for young people
• educating the public and decision makers about the essential role of the arts
• providing services to improve arts organization management and artists' entrepreneurial skills
• advancing arts education through training, programs and residencies
• preserving and promoting state cultural and heritage resources
• recognizing and publicizing artistic achievement

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does every state have a state arts agency (SAA)?
All 50 states and the six U.S. jurisdictions (American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) have SAAs.

How long have SAAs existed?
In 1965, the federal government established the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and required it to apportion a percentage of its budget to any state that established an arts agency. Utah and New York were among the first to establish an agency, and within a few years, nearly every state had some type of SAA.

Does the National Endowment for the Arts continue to support SAAs?
The NEA is required by law to redistribute 40 percent of its budget to state arts agencies, which use these dollars to leverage state funds and to support grants and services.

How are SAAs funded?
Most SAA funds come from those apportioned by the state legislature. States also receive support from the NEA, private sources, and special state initiatives and programs.

Why do public tax dollars go to support the arts and SAAs?
Grants and services provided through SAAs broaden and deepen participation in and access to the arts. State arts agencies also help state government accomplish many of its major goals (see Provide Public Benefits, above).

How are SAAs staffed and governed?
All state arts agencies have a professional staff ranging in size from only a few employees to 50. The executive director is generally appointed by the state's governor. Each agency is also governed by a council or commission that oversees its operations. Additionally, many of the grant-making decisions that SAAs make are advised and decided by citizen panels.

To contact a particular state arts agency, go to the State Arts Agency Directory.

To learn more about how state arts agency programs and services improve the quality of life in the United States, visit State Spotlight.

Click here to download a presentation that provides further detail on the state arts agency role. And click here to download an overview of state arts agency funding and grant making.