ArtsBuild to lose $35,000, according to budget proposal
The arts in Chattanooga could be losing funding.
According to the budget proposal for the city of Chattanooga, ArtsBuild will lose $35,000.
James McKissic is the ArtsBuild President. He says, “A city without the arts would be a city I would not want to live in.”
ArtsBuild is set to lose $35,000 in the 2027 city budget. This reduction in funds causes not only financial strain but creative as well.
McKissic says, “Well we’re grateful for the funding from the city, but a $35,000 cut is real to the arts community. For example, it represents about a loss of 20 grants here at ArtsBuild. All of the money that we raise throughout the year from private, public, or corporate; we’re putting that back into the community through grants and programs. That’s happening in neighborhoods all over Hamilton County.”
According to ArtsBuild the impact would be noticeable throughout the city.
“This is a map that’s just showing ArtsBuild’s engagement and grant participation all across Hamilton County. These are grants that are going all over the county to all different types of projects. We fund faith-based projects. We are about to fund a lot of America 250 things this summer. There’s a lot for everyone in the arts, and our role here is to find it and continue to build a community around the art sector,” says McKissic.
Even if they don’t receive their original funding, ArtsBuild is appreciative of whatever they can get.
McKissic says, “If we are not awarded the $35,000, we are still grateful for the $235,000 that they are awarding us. Just like all the people in the arts the next day we will wake up and make art and talk about it and share it with our communities.”
The city of Chattanooga will have its first reading on the budget on June 16th.
