The Arts and Science Council asked Mecklenburg Commissioners on Tuesday for nearly $3 million in additional funding for the upcoming year.
The ASC’s request comes after county voters last year rejected a quarter-cent sales tax increase that would have raised $50 million, with nearly half of that money going to arts and cultural programs.
Right now, the county gives the ASC a little more than $2 million each year.
ASC president Jeep Bryant asked for an additional $1.85 million for various grant programs. He also asked for $400,000 that would be spent directly for arts and cultural programs in schools.
Bryant said that in recent years the ASC has spent more money than it should have from its endowments.
"In the last cycle, 28% of the funds that we used for grant-making came from a one-time draw on the ASC endowment," Bryant said. "That cannot be repeated. That funding flexibility is really no longer available to us."
The ASC also asked for an additional $500,000 for its cultural blocks program, designed to spread arts programs throughout the county.
Commissioners did not vote on the request Tuesday.
Bryant said the ASC will also ask the city for more funding.
