We need your voice to ensure that Milwaukee's artists, creative industry, and arts and cultural organizations are not decimated through this pandemic.
Our creative community faces an existential threat due to the loss of work and revenue, and our fight is exacerbated by the fact that Wisconsin ranks 50th - last - in the nation, on a per-capita basis, for state support of the arts.
To make it through, our city and state need to step up support for the arts and culture sector. Gov. Evers' announcement of $5 million for a COVID-19 Cultural Organization Grant Program and an additional $10 million have been incredible steps.
The City and County now must follow suit.
For comparison, this is how the city and county of Milwaukee compares to other municipalities across the nation in how they have used CARES funding:
- San Antonio, TX, population 1.5M: $2.6 million
- Sacramento, CA, population 509K: $6.9 million
- Roanoke, VA, population 97,000: $400,000
- City of Milwaukee, WI, population 592,000: $0
- Los Angeles County, CA, population 10.4 M: $10 Million
- Charlotte/Mecklenburg County, NC, population 872,000: $2 Million
- Howard County, MD, population 325,000: $750K
- Milwaukee County, WI, population 970,000: $0
Please take a moment to thank your state elected officials for the new investment in arts and culture organizations and urge your Mayor and County Executive to follow suit and direct unallocated municipal CARES funds to support non-profit arts and culture organizations.
