NC House: No Arts in WNC Relief & Budget Update
On Wednesday, May 21st the NC House of Representative passed the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 – Part II (H1012) that would not provide the desperately needed dedicated relief funding for the arts as Arts NC has been requesting. While it did allocate $5 million for grants of up to $250,000 to repair and renovate local parks, libraries, and museums, the bill excludes nonprofit businesses from a $60 million Economic Recovery Grant program providing grants of up to $75,000 to mitigate losses in the last three months of 2024. The NC General Assembly is not in session this week, but it is expected the NC Senate will begin work H1012 next week.
Two days earlier, on May 19th, Governor Stein released his recommendations for Hurricane Helene Recovery which did include $10 million for dedicated arts relief funding through the NC Arts Council “to support over 400 nonprofit and small business arts organizations across western North Carolina that suffered significant damage and business disruption due to Hurricane Helene.” The Governor also recommended a $50 million Economic Recovery Grant program providing grants to small businesses that did not specifically exclude nonprofits as well as $6 million to repair and renovate local libraries, and museums.
Also, before the NC House budget proposal was passed on May 21st, Rep. Renée Price (D-Orange, Caswell) filed an amendment concerning the NC Arts Council Board which passed 98-7. This amendment would keep the size of the NC Arts Council board at 24, with 6 being recommended by the Speaker of the NC House of Representatives, 6 being recommended by the President Pro Tempore of the NC Senate, and 12 being appointed by the Governor with a working knowledge or background across several arts disciplines. Arts NC is grateful for this change as the originally proposed 9 member NC Arts Council Board would not have been sufficient to represent the state’s diverse creative community.
Arts NC will be advancing advocacy efforts for dedicated relief funding for the arts and inclusion of nonprofits in recovery efforts in the coming days. We will also be working to advance the K-5 Visual and Performing Arts Requirement and arts appropriation in the state budget process. Please be ready to act in support of the arts in North Carolina.