Quality of Life
Public support of the arts helps ensure that all Texans have access to art, regardless of economic status, education, geographic location, level of artistic talent, or special needs. People attend arts events – from music performances to museum exhibits to craft fairs – because they find such experiences enjoyable and culturally enriching. Steady interest in and attendance at arts events throughout the state indicates that the intrinsic benefits gained from the arts have importance to Texans.
Strengthen Education
For more than eighteen years the Texas Commission on the Arts has worked in concert with the arts education community throughout Texas to ensure the arts are seen as a basic component of a well-rounded education. Today the agency administers four categorical grant programs serving the curricular and training needs of the state’s 1,220 school districts, and private and home schools.
Arts education project funding is available to schools and nonprofit organizations to provide curriculum related experiential activities for students, curriculum development and teacher training. Team Building is a year-round funding program intended to support the establishment and continuation of a comprehensive plan by school districts to include the arts as a basic part of their curriculum. Team Building provides funding for staff development, curriculum development, consultant assistance, and travel and conference registration subsidies.
Investment in Economic Development
Support of the arts helps stimulate economic development in the state. The availability of cultural resources and opportunities helps attract businesses to Texas, since companies and workers consider quality of life – including the arts – an important factor when deciding whether to relocate to or remain in a Texas community. Additionally, the arts play a role in attracting tourists to Texas, helping tourism, a $60.6 billion industry in 2008, become the state’s third largest industry.
TCA grants give arts organizations a seal of approval that can help them obtain broader support. Receiving a TCA grant indicates to other organizations and potential donors that the grantee’s project or organization meets the agency’s standards and qualifications for grant eligibility. TCA grants act as a catalyst that can help organizations obtain additional funding from other private, local, state, regional and national resources.
