Mayor Eric Adams attempts to play the cello with young musicians from Ensemble Connect, a fellowship program for professional players based at Carnegie Hall, on 9 July 2024 Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office via Flickr
New York City’s budget for fiscal year 2025 includes a record $254m for the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), the division of the city government dedicated to supporting culture of New York.
Last month, Mayor Eric Adams agreed to restore $53m in funding to the DCLA for public programming that had been slashed in his previous budget proposals. The city council approved the budget.
The DCLA supports more than 1,000 cultural non-profits across New York through its Cultural Development Fund, which awards grants to arts organisations. In February, the DCLA announced that it had awarded $52.2m to more than 1,000 groups through its annual Cultural Development Fund grants.
“Thanks to our cultural institutions, our economy is thriving and tourists are returning to our city to explore the best in arts, culture and entertainment,” Adams said in a statement. “Our administration is doubling down on our commitment to culture and investing at an all-time record high to ensure that the sector continues to thrive and that both New Yorkers and visitors have affordable places to learn, explore and have fun.”
Adams has come under fire for earlier claims that major cuts would have to be made to help balance next year’s city budget in response to the cost of responding to New York’s migrant crisis. In February, the mayor told New York State lawmakers in Albany that the city needed $4.6bn to care for the tens of thousands of migrants coming through New York City.
