NYSCA Receives $32 Million for Arts & Cultural Organizations

A shot of the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, New York.Photo byPhoto by J.M. Lesinski

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced roughly $32 million in funding, awarded via the New York State Council on the Arts’ (NYSCA) Capital Projects Fund for the aid of 102 individual projects across virtually every region of New York state.

“The over 100 projects we’re supporting through this funding will showcase arts and cultural organizations across the state and spur economic development for decades to come,” Hochul commented of the funding. “From historic sites to new multi-use arts centers, these diverse projects will expand the accessibility and the sustainability of arts and culture organizations while growing local economies, driving tourism and creating jobs all across New York State.”

The NYSCA’s Capital Projects for Arts and Culture work as strategic investments to help bolster and build organizations to best serve their communities and become more sustainable and accessible overall. 

“On behalf of NYSCA’s staff and Council we congratulate all of our FY 2024 Capital Project Fund Grantees,” stated New York State Council on the Arts Chair Katherine Nicholls of the funding. “We recognize the excellence of your projects, and thank you for your dedicated stewardship of these significant New York arts and cultural facilities. All New Yorkers can look forward to seeing these important projects develop and to watching them spur growth and creativity in communities all across the state for years to come.”

Of the awards announced, two grant categories are most prevalent: small and midsized capital improvement grants, which vary from $50,000 to $2 million, and large capital improvement grants, ranging from $2 million to $10 million total. 

“We are grateful to Governor Hochul and the Legislature for their support,” New York State Council on the Arts Executive Director Erika Mallin remarked of the funding. “These projects are essential to the prosperity and well-being of our creative industry and our communities, especially as we continue to navigate the recovery of our creative sector. This support will help stimulate local economies, catalyze investment in our communities and help to ensure the vibrancy of our cultural organizations for now and for the future.”

Some of the projects included in the NYSCA funding are as follows: Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Staten Island, Collar Works in Troy, the John W. Jones Museum in Elmira, the Uptown Theater for Creative Arts in Utica, Craigardan in Elizabethtown, the Shandaken Theatrical Society (dba Phoenicia Playhouse) in Phoenicia, and Garth Fagan Dance in Rochester. 

“As Chair of the Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports Development Committee, I have seen firsthand the pivotal role that capital funding plays in bolstering arts and cultural organizations across the state,” said New York State Assemblymember Daniel O'Donnell of the funding. “With NYSCA's Capital Project Funds it will do more than just improve their infrastructure and operations – it will enhance their ability to engage, educate, and inspire our communities. This kind of investment is essential for enriching our state's cultural landscape, and I'm looking forward to seeing the positive effects it will have for future generations.”