The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) serves to foster and advance the arts, culture, and creativity throughout New York State, according to its website.[1] The goal of the council is to allow all New Yorkers to benefit from the contributions the arts give to the city of New York through its communities, education, economic growth, and daily life. Its funding encompasses various artistic fields, such as literary, visual, media, performing arts, specifically focusing on art education and the underserved communities.[1]
The NYSCA prioritizes diverse communities, providing inclusive and fair participation in the arts for people of all ages and backgrounds, opportunities for those who want to experience the arts and cultural offerings, the impacts of arts and culture on all aspects of life, the transformation of art and its creative practices, and creativity as an asset.[1]
It was established in 1960[2] through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), with backing from Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and began its work in 1961. It awards more than 1,600 grants[3] annually to arts, culture, and heritage non-profits and artists throughout the state. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, New York City.
The New York State's annual budget accounts for NYSCA's funding, and operates on a fiscal year of April - March. In the fiscal year of 2023 (FY2023) was a total of $222.50 million dollars in funding, with $90 million grants towards organizations and artists. These grants cover general operating costs for creative projects, performances, activities, programs, and artist's individual work. The remaining amount, $132.5 million, is funded towards capital projects for long-term assets such as physical infrastructures that involve supporting and sustaining related organizations and programs. In FY2025, a total of $162 million dollars in grants were awarded, with $82 million towards organizations and artists, and $80 million towards capital project funds.
| Monica Angle | Artist, Educator | Erie | |
| Lisa Baker | Art Director, Curator, Non-Profit Founder | Westchester/Fairfield | |
| Lawrence H. Cook II | Senior Vice President of Programs, John R. Oishei Foundation | Erie | |
| Carolee Fink | Principal, MSquared | New York | |
| Aaron Flagg | Musician. Chair and Associate Director of Juilliard Jazz Studies | Westchester | |
| Janet Kagan | Theater Producer | New York | |
| Joan Hornig | Designer & entrepreneur | New York | |
| Eric Latzky | Founder, Eric Latzky Culture Communications NY | New York | |
| James Lemons | Executive Director, Lake Placid Center for the Arts | Essex | |
| Laudelina Martinez | Gallery owner, Consultant, Professor | Rensselaer | |
| David Alan Miller | Conductor, Albany Symphony Orchestra. | Albany | |
| Mahnaz Moinian | Academic | New York | |
| Katherine Nicholls | Publishing CEO, NYSCA Council Chairperson | Nassau | |
| Catherine Schwoeffermann | Executive Director, Hoyt Foundation | Broome | |
| Elsie McCabe Thompson | President, New York City Mission Society | New York | |
| Adriana Trigiani | Author, Screenwriter, Filmmaker | New York |
These grants fund organizations of any size, with up to $2 million in funding. These fundings are used towards structural and historical improvements, cultural development, health and safety, sustainability, accessibility, and artistry.[6]
Guideline and Application Manual: https://nysca.org/downloads/files/FY2025_NYSCA_CapSmallMidGuidelines.pdf
These grants ranging from $2–10 million for projects that cost a total of $4 million or more, support large-scale capital improvements. Large scale fundings are used to expand cultural programming, increase accessibility, economic development, equity, and diversity.
Guideline and Application Manual: https://nysca.org/downloads/files/FY2025_NYSCA_CapLargeGuidelines.pdf
Executive Staff[7]
Staff[7]
NYSCA's local grant making organization, Statewide Community Regrant Partners (SCR), is a partnership between the state council and regional arts councils and organizations. The partnership enables funding through all 10 regions across New York, to provide support through various art sectors.
| Statewide Community Regrant Partners | County | Website | |
| Adirondack Lakes Center for Arts | Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton | http://www.adirondackarts.org/ | |
| Arts Council for Wyoming County | Alleghany and Wyoming | http://artswyco.org/ | |
| Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes | Cattaraugus, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Tioga | http://www.earts.org/ | |
| Arts Mid-Hudson | Dutchess, Ulster and Orange | http://artsmidhudson.org/ | |
| Bronx Council on the Arts | Bronx | http://www.bronxarts.org/ | |
| Brooklyn Arts Council | Kings | http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/ | |
| Community Arts Partnership | Tompkins | http://www.artspartner.org/ | |
| Delaware Valley Arts Alliance | Sullivan | http://delawarevalleyartsalliance.org/ | |
| Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council | Genesee and Orleans | https://www.goart.org/ | |
| CREATE | Columbia, Greene, and Schoharie | http://www.greenearts.org/ | |
| Huntington Arts Council | Nassau and Suffolk | http://www.huntingtonarts.org/ | |
| Genesee Valley Council on the Arts | Serves Livingston and Monroe Counties | www.gvartscouncil.org | |
| Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council | Warren and Washington | http://www.larac.org/ | |
| Lower Manhattan Cultural Council | New York | http://lmcc.net/ | |
| Putnam Arts Council | Putnam | http://putnamartscouncil.com/ | |
| Flushing Town Hall | Queens | https://www.flushingtownhall.org/ | |
| Roxbury Arts Group | Delaware | http://roxburyartsgroup.org/ | |
| Saratoga County Arts Council | Saratoga, Fulton, and Montgomery | http://www.saratoga-arts.org/ | |
| St. Lawrence County Arts Council | Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence | http://slcartscouncil.org/grants/ | |
| Council on the Arts for Staten Island | Richmond | https://statenislandarts.org |
The list below are grantees that NYSCA partners with to administer funding in the form of regrants. These fundings aid artists, media art practitioners, theatres, museums, organizations, historic sites, historic preservation, and the development and creation of the arts.
| Name of Grantees | Link to Website | |
| NYSCA/American Dance Asylum: NYS Choreographers Initiative | https://www.americandanceasylum.org/new-york-state-choreographer-s-initiative.html | |
| NYSCA/Arts Council for Wyoming County: Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowships | https://artswyco.org/rural-and-traditional-arts-fellowship.html | |
| NYSCA/Architectural League of NY: Independent Projects Grants | https://archleague.org/competition/independent-projects-2022/ | |
| NYSCA/A.R.T. NY: Creative Opportunity Fund | https://www.art-newyork.org/2023-creative-opportunity-fund | |
| NYSCA/CLMP: NYSCA NYTAP Regrant Program | https://www.clmp.org/programs-opportunities/nytap/ | |
| NYSCA/CNY Arts: Museums Professional Development Grant | https://cnyarts.org/grants/nysca-museums-professional-development/ | |
| NYSCA/GHHN: Conservation Treatment | https://www.greaterhudson.org/conservation-treatment-grant.html | |
| NYSCA/Just Buffalo: LitNYS Literary Advancement Regrants | http://www.littap.org/ | |
| NYSCA/New York Council on Nonprofits (NYCON) | https://www.nycon.org/ | |
| NYSCA/NY Folklore: Professional Development | https://nyfolklore.org/services/mentoring/ | |
| NYSCA/NYFA: Artist Fellowship | https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/artist-fellowships/ | |
| NYSCA/NYFA: Professional Development Partnership Program | https://www.nyfa.org/professional-development/ | |
| NYSCA/NYS DanceForce (DF) | https://www.danceforce.org/ | |
| NYSCA/Poets & Writers: Readings & Workshops | https://www.pw.org/funding/funding_readingsworkshops | |
| NYSCA/Preservation League of NYS: Preserve New York | https://www.preservenys.org/preserve-new-york | |
| NYSCA/Preservation League of NYS: Technical Assistance Grants | https://www.preservenys.org/technical-assistance-grants | |
| NYSCA/Wave Farm: Arts in Corrections NYS | https://wavefarm.org/grants-services/nysca-regrants | |
| NYSCA/Wave Farm: Media Arts Assistance Fund (MAAF) | https://wavefarm.org/grants-services/nysca-regrants |
New York State Council on the Arts
411 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10016
(212) 459-8800