A one-time legislative appropriation of $2 million in support of Arizona’s arts and culture sector reached communities throughout the state with a recent announcement of grants awarded to nonprofit organizations, festivals and arts learning programs.
On Aug. 21, the Arizona Commission on the Arts announced 375 grant awards totaling $2,546,273. Grants were awarded to a diverse array of organizations and programs across the state, from a community theater in Bullhead City to a pottery festival in Douglas, from world-class museums to after-school arts programs.
“The arts are an essential expression of Arizona’s vibrant communities and diverse cultures,” Christina You-sun Park, arts commission executive director, stated in a press release. “Through the arts commission the state invests in a thriving statewide nonprofit arts sector that drives local economies, contributes to the vibrance and livability of our communities, enhances the education of our young people and promotes the health and well-being of our residents.” Grants were awarded in four categories: Creative Capacity Grants provide general operating support to arts and culture organizations of all sizes whose primary mission is to produce, present, teach or serve the arts.
This year, 259 organizations were awarded CCGs ranging from $800 to $24,000. Award amounts are based on the organization’s size and their application’s performance in the competitive review process.
Festival Grants support organizations in their efforts to provide quality arts and cultural programming through community festival activities. Grant awards range from $2,000 to $5,000.
Sixty nine arts festivals received grants in this round of funding.
Lifelong Arts Engagement Grants support projects that foster meaningful arts learning experiences in community settings for adult learners of any age while Youth Arts Engagement Grants support programs focused on young people ages 24 and under that occur outside of traditional school hours.
Between the two programs, 47 arts engagement programs received grants of up to $5,000.

Local Recipients

• Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop was awarded $16,000. “We generally use this funding for a multitude of programs,” Executive Director Patrick Schweiss said. “Some general operating, some to help us produce the annual 9-day Sedona International Film Festival (assisting with film licensing fees and filmmaker workshops, primarily). We also earmark a portion of the funds for our year-round programming here to bring independent films and cultural programs to our Mary D. Fisher and Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatres all year long.”
• The Sedona Arts Festival received $6,720. “The grant money we receive from the Arizona Commission on the Arts is always applied to our festival expenses. … Next year will be our 35th anniversary and I believe we are the longest, continuously running arts event in Sedona,” Sedona Arts Festival Executive Director Lori Reinhart said. “All that said, grant support for our operational expenses allows us to give back to the community, especially in the areas of arts education. … In the past 3 years, we’ve gifted about $10,000 to Chamber Music Sedona for their music in the schools program. Grant support for SAF leaves us with more money to give back.”
• The Sedona Arts Center received $16,000. “Funding is for general operating support which typically covers personnel costs, marketing, utilities, artist fees, etc.,” CEO Julie Richard said. “We have not yet received our contract so do not know if there are any restrictions.”
• The Northern Arizona Book Festival received $4,720. “This grant will support our Youth Poet Laureate program as we expand outreach to local schools and youth organizations,” Executive Director Lawrence Lenhart said. “We will also be applying it toward our festival weekend, namely the ‘off the page’ events at Heritage Square where performance artists — musicians, actors, traditional storytellers, etc. — will engage in methods of storytelling that supersede the book form.”
• Emerson Theater Collaborative was awarded $2,360. “We are grateful to the Arizona Commission on The Arts for granting us money for our upcoming production of Silence is Not Golden by Anita Yellin Simons,” President Camilla Ross said. “This production is supporting the Verde Valley Sanctuary whose mission supports victims of domestic violence.”
• The Arts Academy of Sedona received $1,200. “The Arts Academy of Sedona plans on using the funds for a production called Black Irish By Jeffrey Kagan-McCann,” Executive Director Camilla Ross said. “February 2026 is the month it will premier in Sedona.”
• The Sedona Chamber Ballet group received $800. “The $800 award from the Arizona Commission on the Arts will be applied toward our 2026 Choreography Retreat,” Sedona Chamber Ballet Chairman Winnie Muench said. “This program builds on the success of our 2025 retreat and supports our long-term vision of fostering innovation in dance creation, bringing new works to life in Sedona, and providing meaningful opportunities for both emerging and established artists.”

Application and Review Process

In accordance with the arts commission’s strategic plan and governing statutes, applicants are awarded grants based on such factors as organizational capacity, public benefit and fiscal practices.
Grant applications are reviewed through a rigorous open panel process which is open to applicants as well as the broader public. Review panels are chaired by governor-appointed commissioners composed of community leaders, educators, arts administrators and working artists from rural, urban and suburban areas throughout Arizona.
Funding the Arts in Arizona Positioned as a one-time appropriation from the state’s general fund, the $2 million appropriated to the commission for Fiscal Year 2026 augments the agency’s most reliable funding streams: The Arts Trust Fund, which contributes an average of $1.2 million to the agency’s annual budget and a state partnership grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which contributes $1 million on average.
Additionally, the Arts Commission administered a $50,000 grant from the Flinn Foundation dedicated to the support of arts festivals in rural and remote Arizona, and through a partnership with the Burton Family Foundation, funds 11 arts learning programs for young people in rural Arizona communities.