Do not support a budget w/o funding for AZ Commission for the Arts!

I am writing as a constituent and someone who sees every day the impact of the arts in our community. Specifically, I am urging you to help us secure at least a $2 million ongoing line-item appropriation for the Arizona Commission on the Arts that provides essential support to arts organizations and artists in your community. We know that you are seeing various budget proposals today. We are asking that you support the version that includes at least $2 million in ongoing funding for the Commission. Without $2 million in ongoing funding, we will see yet ANOTHER CUT to the arts. Last year, the Commission was cut 60 percent. I am asking you, at a minimum, to keep the funding level and ensure no more cuts to the arts. Statewide, the nonprofit arts community contributes $1 billion every year to the economy, supporting nearly 20,000 jobs and generating net tax revenues to state coffers. It is an economic investment that also supports educational outcomes, offers healing and creates shared civic values. Arts and culture employers and artists are cornerstones of our community. The grants offered by the Commission are essential to their financial health. I thank you in advance for your active assistance in securing full funding for the Commission in the FY2026 budget.