L.A. arts funds dip this year

Despite the effects of Sept. 11, 2001, on the local economy, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission maintained a consistent level of funding for arts grant-making -- slightly more than $2.5 million -- from fiscal year 2001-02 to fiscal 2002-03.

The picture is not as rosy for 2003-04, during which the county arts agency -- which provides grants to more than 250 arts groups in 56 area cities -- will suffer a cut of more than $300,000, down to just under $2.2 million.

But commission leaders are hoping that these and other statistics from the commission’s first grantee impact report will make the case that the county should maintain or increase arts future funding.

Of the 261 arts organizations that received funding from the commission in 2002-03, more than 70, or 37%, provided all of their programming for free.

“When we fund more organizations, you get more free admittances,” said Laura Zucker, executive director of the commission, whose 2002-03 grants ranged from $2,000 for small organizations to $98,800 for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Assn. for educational and community programs.

Although the agency will have less to spend in 2003-04, it will fund 264 organizations, three more than the previous year, said director of grant programs Renae Williams.

The impact report also concludes that only a small portion of support for the county’s arts organizations comes from private or foundation sources. It notes that 37% of the commission’s grantees receive no foundation support and, of that group, 87% are small organizations with annual operating budgets of less than $100,000.

“That makes a particularly powerful case for government funding,” Zucker said.

Using information provided by the advocacy organization Arts for LA, the study notes that Los Angeles received far less per person in combined city and county government arts support than San Francisco and San Diego did in 2002-03. San Francisco supplied $15.96; San Diego, $6.95; and Los Angeles, $1.56.