by 
By Mark A. Leon
The City of Charleston has approved $2.5 million in arts funding for 2026, providing critical support to the organizations, festivals, and cultural institutions that help shape the region’s creative landscape. A total of 29 recipients were awarded grants to support operations, programming, and community engagement efforts throughout the coming year. Below is a complete list of every organization and event receiving City arts funding for 2026.
2026 Approved Budget – Arts Grants-in-Aid
- Carolina Art Association (Gibbes Museum) $235,000
- Charleston Area Sports Commission $20,000
- Charleston Golf Inc. $15,000
- Charleston Literary Festival (Charleston to Charleston, Inc.) $20,000
- Charleston Museum $240,000
- Charleston Opera Theater $5,000
- Charleston Parks Conservancy $20,000
- Charleston Stage Company $80,000
- Charleston Symphony Orchestra $200,000
- Charleston Wine & Food Festival $140,000
- Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry $80,000
- Company Company $7,500
- Cooper River Bridge Run $150,000
- CRW Events (Charleston Race Week at Patriot’s Point) $20,000
- Drayton Hall Preservation Trust $75,000
- Engaging Creative Minds $20,000
- Halsey Institute $25,000
- Historic Charleston Foundation $75,000
- Jazz Artists of Charleston (Charleston Jazz) $80,000
- Lowcountry AIDS Services $5,000
- Lowcountry Jazz Festival (Closing the Gap in Health Care Inc.) $70,000
- Preservation Society of Charleston $15,000
- Pure Theatre $7,500
- SC250 Charleston, Inc. $100,000
- South Carolina Aquarium $215,000
- South Carolina Historical Society $10,000
- Southeastern Wildlife Exposition $275,000
- Spoleto Festival $275,000
- YALLFest $20,000
Grants Subtotal $2,500,000
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Source: City of Charleston, SC
