March 13, 2024
Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington: State Arts Impact Reports
As state legislative sessions move forward, policymakers will need to know how state arts funds are spent and what the return on their investment is. A number of state arts agencies have recently published impact reports that answer such questions. Browse the below to glean ideas for communicating about the importance of state arts agency work.
The South Carolina Arts Commission’s FY2023 Impact Map offers a concise visual summary of grants and programmatic investments reaching each county. Used in conjunction with press releases about funding highlights and economic impact data, the map portrays the agency’s broad reach and illustrates how residents of every county benefit from arts services.
The Oklahoma Arts Council FY2023 Impact Report provides a short history of the state arts agency along with notes about the schools, organizations and communities reached through its grants. It foregrounds messages about pandemic recovery awards, rural development, education and workforce development, support for military families, preservation of cultural traditions, and new exhibits and public art installations that portray Oklahoma’s history in the Oklahoma State Capitol.
The Virginia Commission for the Arts 2022-2023 Impact Report describes the funding categories managed by the agency and offers fast facts about the economic impact of the arts, the number of youth benefiting from agency grants, numbers of artists engaged and more. Snapshots of grantee activities and quotes from prominent Virginians complement the data.
The Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) joined a number of other state agencies in requesting specific investments through an FY2024 supplemental budget process. ArtsWA’s FY24 Supplemental Budget Requests itemize each arts request and present one-page investment justifications that explain what funds are needed and how each investment will meet a timely need and benefit Washington communities. ArtsWA was successful in getting some of its requests funded. Building on this important groundwork laid in 2024, the agency will continue to advance a compelling case for funding in its next biennial budget request.
Annual reports are another communications tool that some state arts agencies use to explain their work and highlight their impact. Annual reports from Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Utah and Vermont offer examples of different storytelling approaches.
For more information, contact the public information officers in each state.