By Jim Speirs, Executive Director, Arts South Dakota

There’s a reason that South Dakota governors and legislators have for decades supported the arts and creative industry in our state. The South Dakota Arts Council, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, was created in the mid-1960s to ensure and maintain arts accessibility for all South Dakotans. Since that time, students and senior citizens, differently-abled constituents and small communities, cities and rural areas have reaped the benefits of vibrant, diverse cultural programming. And those benefits include some very solid economic data.

In Fiscal Year 2024, the South Dakota Arts Council awarded nearly $2 million in grant support to arts organizations, schools, artists and other nonprofit organizations to support arts projects and programs throughout the state, resulting in more than $29.6 million in local spending, as well as nearly $1.4 million worth of additional in-kind contributions, on supported projects and programs. Those dollars recirculate in towns and neighborhoods all across our state.

SDAC grants, initiatives and special projects made up nearly 77 percent of the agency’s overall FY2024 budget, resulting in 357 grants that reached 110 different communities and over 80% of South Dakota counties. Co-sponsored activities reached an audience of 2,453,373 people, including 720,617 youth and involving 14,761 artists—all in one year. 

That saturation of creative activity shows the true impact of public funding for the arts, along with the fact that every $1 of state funding invested in the arts in South Dakota by the Arts Council returned another $24.59!

At this time of year it’s especially important to remember just how vital the arts are to the development of our children, the preservation of our cultural heritage and the strength of our economy. Advocating for the creative environment of South Dakota is working to make this a better place to live for all of us.

Please visit www.ArtsSouthDakota.org and read about ways to advocate for the arts in your community. Your voice makes a difference for our state!