The Ohio Governor and General Assembly recently  increased appropriations to support the state’s cultural organizations for 2012 by 30.5%. 

Advocacy efforts undertaken by the Ohio Citizens for the Arts (OCA), and supported by Culture Works and a number of other Dayton area citizens and organizations, resulted in a fiscal year 2012 (FY2012) budget of $17,211,408 for the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), with nearly 82% of this funding being awarded to artists and arts organizations.  This was a particular noteworthy achievement given that legislative appropriations nationally to state arts agencies decreased an average of 5.8% for FY2012, with 42 states either decreasing or keeping funding flat.  

This increased funding would not have happened without statewide advocacy efforts, in which the Dayton region played a key role. Culture Works encourages community members to write or call elected officials to thank them for their support in increasing state funding for the arts.

The following links provide resources needed to do this.  Thank you for your continued support of the arts, and your time and dedication in thanking our elected officials.

Ohio House of Representatives Website   – Includes a directory for the Ohio House of Representatives

Ohio Senate Website  – Includes a directory for the Ohio Senate

Ohio Citizens for the Arts Website – Includes links to the House of Representatives and Ohio Senate directories

Ohio Citizens for the Arts E-Advocacy Center – Includes links and an email service to help you draft and send email messages to elected officials