Weeks after national grants were cut from cultural institutions in Fort Worth, a jump in Texas arts funding could provide some relief for local organizations.
State lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott ended the legislative session in June with a $7.9 million increase to the Texas Commission on the Arts over the next two years. Of that amount, $2 million will be added to the state art agency’s cultural tourism grants and the remainder will be added to general arts organization grants, according to the state agency.
The Texas Commission on the Arts initially requested an $11 million budget increase from lawmakers.
State funding is now over $39 million for the 2026-27 biennium, said Gary Gibbs, executive director of the Texas Commission on the Arts. The art agency had a $31.6 million budget for the 2024-25 biennium.
“This increase will go directly into our grants budget,” Gibbs told the Report. “People will see, if they do well in the process, they’ll see a larger grant from us than they have in the past.”
More funding means more opportunities for Fort Worth arts groups to receive financial support for operating costs and creative projects, said Wesley Gentle, executive director of Arts Fort Worth.
In 2025, over 60 Fort Worth-based arts organizations received nearly $1.2 million in grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts. Over $263,000 of the funds were invested in an art group’s operations.
“It inspires hope,” Gentle said. “There’s been a lot of concern and fear in our industry. To see our state really do the opposite, to invest more and recognize the economic impacts, the cultural impacts and how much of this resource gets into rural places. To me, that signals that our advocates are doing a great job telling the stories.”
Are you a Fort Worth arts organization in need of financial support?
Texas Commission on the Arts opens its grant applications at various times throughout the year. You can stay up to date with deadlines here.
Fort Worth arts groups show gratitude for state support
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth received a $200,000 grant from the state commission to support its “Alex Da Corte: The Whale” exhibition on view until Sept. 7. The grant enabled the museum to realize a “bold and immersive” exhibition that connects with audiences in meaningful ways, said Laurie McCoy, grant writer for the Modern.
“TCA’s support expands access to the arts, strengthens our programming and helps attract additional investment,” she said in a statement. “We’re deeply grateful to Texas lawmakers for recognizing the arts as a vital part of our state’s identity and for increasing resources that benefit organizations of all sizes.”
Brown Girls Do Ballet, a Fort Worth nonprofit that promotes diversity in the arts, was awarded $2,500 to support its Ballerina Story Time designed for kindergarten to second-grade students in North Texas.
TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian, founder of Brown Girls Do Ballet, was surprised by the state’s increased support but grateful, as it helps organizations like hers to expand access to underserved communities in Fort Worth, she said. Her organization primarily serves the 76104 ZIP code, which faces significant access challenges, including health care and transportation.
“With the lack of care that the country has given to arts programs and arts funding programs like (the National Endowment for the Arts), I’m shocked that the state of Texas has decided to increase funding,” Wallace-McMillian said. “It is a great thing, because the arts are crucial — especially to a young person’s development — and exposure to it is what we do.”
Need for more state funding
While the increase in state arts funding provides some assurance, Gibbs said, a need still exists for more assistance to ensure a sustainable future. The state art agency receives between 1,500 to 2,000 statewide grant applications annually and 95% are met, if not always with the full amounts requested, he added.
The commission would like to be able to award grants to all arts groups that apply, said Gibbs.
“There are many communities throughout Texas that have no philanthropic resources,” he said. “In rural communities in Texas, many smaller towns and diverse geographical areas of the state, there are no private family foundations. They don’t have arts councils. So we are the source of funding for many of those.”
Gentle, Arts Fort Worth and the advocacy group Texans for the Arts will continue work to “move public opinion in the right direction” to ensure more funding for the arts. The arts have a significant economic impact across the state, Gentle added.
The arts and culture sector generated about $7.3 billion in taxable sales and $459 million in state sales tax revenue in 2025, according to the Texas Cultural Trust’s State of the Arts Report. Nearly 960,000 people are employed in creative careers across the state.
“If we invest more, we actually get more back, and we produce great things for our communities,” Gentle said.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
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