The Cultural Council believes that arts and culture in The Palm Beaches builds a stronger economy and drives tourism; unites and engages communities; and enhances education at every level. This is the foundation of the Council’s advocacy program and what motivates strategies and tactics to securing/maintaining funding at the national, state, and local levels; outreach to business and community leaders; and support for arts education for K-12 students.
At-A-Glance
- The sector generates $633 million in economic impact annually and creates 14,212 FTE jobs.
- Cultural organizations are tourism generators. The sector attracts 3.9 million visitors annually and, as part of their experience, they dine in restaurants, shop in nearby stores, and fill nearly 300,000 hotel room nights. Cultural tourists spend 71% more than residents.
- Arts and culture contribute to quality of life and is used as a selling point by the Business Development Board for business recruitment and relocation.
- Cultural organizations enhance education and inspire students and families alike. In FY19, cultural organizations provided 760,000 educational experiences and 82,000 instructional hours to students in Palm Beach County.
Arts Advocacy News
It’s Time to Fully Fund All 62 2022-2023 Division of Arts & Culture Grants in Palm Beach County
Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
Posted: January 7, 2022
The Florida Department of State (DOS) Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA) recommends funding 752 vetted, matching grants across the state at a total investment of $69.2 million in the 2022/2023 budget. Recommended grants go through a rigorous vetting process by DAC staff for eligibility and hundreds of volunteer arts professionals for excellence, impact, management, and […] Read more »Area Organizations to Host First-Ever Arts & Tourism Summit on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
Posted: July 28, 2021
The event, organized by the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County and Discover The Palm Beaches, is designed to provide tools and resources to local professionals in the cultural and tourism sectors Lake Worth Beach, Fla. (July 28, 2021) – The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County (CCPBC) and Discover The Palm Beaches (DTPB) are […] Read more »Division of Cultural Affairs Funding Update – May 2021
Division of Cultural Affairs
Posted: May 7, 2021
The 2021 Legislative session officially ended on April 30, and we have good news to share about the Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA) grants! At the last minute, the appropriation committees raised the total funding for two of the four cultural grant programs to just over $26.7 million. This equates to about half (50%) of […] Read more »It’s Time to Fully Fund All 52 Palm Beach County Division of Cultural Affairs Grants
Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
Posted: February 3, 2021
The Florida Department of State (DOS) Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA) recommends funding 730 vetted, matching grants across the state at a total investment of $67.8 million in the 2021/2022 budget. Recommended grants go through a rigorous vetting process by DCA staff for eligibility and hundreds of volunteer arts professionals for excellence, impact, management and […] Read more »Pledge to Make Your Vote Count!
ArtsVote2020
Posted: October 9, 2020
The Cultural Council has joined ArtsVote2020, a nationwide, two-year initiative of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund that advocates for better public policies for the arts and arts education. ArtsVote2020 will specifically bring national attention to the important role of the creative economy to our nation’s political candidates running to improve the economic, educational […] Read more »Join the Movement to Help Palm Beach County Restart with the Arts
Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
Posted: October 8, 2020
During a recent State of the Cultural Sector Town Hall, the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County shared results from a preliminary COVID-19 impact survey sent to local cultural organizations this summer to gather information about how the pandemic impacted the institutions. The Council also announced several key initiatives to help Palm Beach County’s cultural […] Read more »Palm Beach County CARES Restart Business Grants Program Resumes
Posted: September 24, 2020
The Palm Beach County CARES Restart Business Grants Program will resume on Friday, September 25, 2020 at 8:00 A.M. The Restart Business Program guidelines, including eligibility criteria will be posted on the County’s website. The Board gave approval for individual grants up to $25,000 to help “restart” Palm Beach County businesses forced to close by […] Read more »Ask Congress to Extend Pandemic Unemployment and the Paycheck Protection Program
Americans for the Arts Action Fund
Posted: June 30, 2020
The Coronavirus has had a devastating $8.4 billion economic impact on America’s arts sector with a 67% unemployment rate among artists and gig workers. Since the first U.S. case was reported in January, 96% of arts and culture organizations have cancelled events—some as far out as 2021—resulting in a loss of 325 million ticketed admissions and billions of dollars more lost in event-related spending by audiences at local businesses (restaurants, lodging, retail), impacting 533,000 jobs.
Please take two minutes to send a customizable E-alert to your U.S. Representatives and Senators to call on them to extend the pandemic unemployment assistance and provide a second round of the Paycheck Protection Program to the arts sector by July 31st.
Read more »TAKE ACTION
Arts-friendly policies and funding need consistent support and the Council fights on the front lines to educate elected officials on the economic and quality-of-life benefits of the arts.
The Council can’t tackle these issues alone. Advocacy earns results by participation and strong voices from constituents. That’s you!
It takes two minutes to contact your representative with the simple facts stated here. Please use the links below to do just that.
• Palm Beach County Commissioners
• Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation
• Florida Government Policy Makers
• Find Your House Representative
• Find Your Senator
Research & Reports
Division of Arts & Culture Grants Leave-Behind Document, February 2023
We encourage members of the cultural sector to reach out to their Florida Senate and House district representative to advocate for full funding of the Division of Arts & Culture matching grant program.
Download the PDF »
Economic and Fiscal Impacts of COVID-19 on Palm Beach County Cultural Organizations
Responding to the Coronavirus state of emergency in 2020, the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County issued a survey about COVID-19 impacts on its constituent organizations between March 2020 and August 2020.
Download the PDF »
COVID-19 Impact on the Cultural Sector, January 2021
See the devastating impact that COVID-19 and accompanying shutdowns have had on the cultural industry at local, statewide, and national levels.
Download the Infographic »
The Economic Impact of Cultural Tourism in Palm Beach County (FY2019)
View the results from the FY19 Attendee Surveys and Spending Data from Category B and C-II Organizations
Read the Report »
Arts & Cultural Impact in Palm Beach County – By the Numbers
Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
Arts Education Impact in Palm Beach County
Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
Arts & Cultural Master Plan for Downtown Lake Worth Beach
The City of Lake Worth Beach and the Lake Worth Beach CRA
Arts and Economic Prosperity 5
Americans for the Arts
- Palm Beach County – full report
- Palm Beach County – summary
- Boca Raton
- Delray Beach
- Jupiter
- Lake Worth Beach
- West Palm Beach
Cultural Advocacy Alliance
The purpose of the Palm Beach County Cultural Advocacy Alliance is to gather together the leaders of cultural organizations and the creative sector in Palm Beach County, with purpose, to discuss and act upon issues, projects, campaigns and initiatives of mutual benefit to the respective cultural organizations and to the people who live in and visit Palm Beach County.
This committee is an extension of the Cultural Council’s advocacy work – an integral part of a local arts service agency’s mission – and also includes Council board members and representatives from other advocacy partners from around the county.
This collaborative work will ensure that the arts and culture sector is relevant to the community, its leaders and its citizens, a fact that will be evident because culture will be included in long range plans, funding plans, and important community decisions.
Cultural Advocacy Groups
Find links to local, state and national arts advocacy organizations here:
