Talk To Your City Council
Your elected representatives can make a big difference in how the arts are funded & supported in Fort Worth. Make sure you know what district you live in and who your city council member is so that you can build a relationship with them and hold them accountable.
Speak at City Council Meetings
Make your voice be heard. Speak up at city council meetings, especially during public comment. Let city council know why supporting the arts is so important to you, and why they too should support the arts.
Stay Informed of City Council Meetings
Know what’s going on within city council. Watch council meetings live every Tuesday, or watch past city council worksessions, city council meetings, and other important meetings by city staff.
Advocacy Resources
2023 State of the Arts Report
The Texas Cultural Trust’s Art Can program conducts research and produces data to quantify the economic and educational impact of the arts in Texas. These findings are published in the biennial State of the Arts Report. The 2023 State of the Arts Report demonstrates the unequivocal impact the arts have in shaping the cultural, economic, and educational future of Texas. In this way, the State of the Arts Report serves as a resource for Texas artists, arts organizations and advocates, educators, policymakers, parents, philanthropists, and others to increase support and funding for arts and culture in the state.
Art & Economic Prosperity 6
Americans for the Arts in partnership with Arts Fort Worth assembled a study about the impact of the arts in Fort Worth specifically.
Key Takeaways:
The arts are an economic driver. In 2022, the arts generated $507 million to the local economy, resulting in $75.7 million in tax revenue. The arts directly supports 7,180 jobs in Fort Worth.
The arts benefit local businesses. Arts event attendees in 2022 spent an average of $43.98 per person per event on indirect expenses (dining, transportation / parking, child care, etc).
The arts attract visitors. 24.1% of event attendees came from outside Tarrant County. 83.9% said they came specifically for the event. 55.3% said they would have traveled to a different community to attend a similar event.
The arts bring pride to the city. 92% said the arts event or venue inspires a sense of pride in the neighborhood or community. 87.5% said they’d feel a great loss if the event or venue were no longer available. 82.9% said the venue is an important pillar within the community.
Hotel Occupancy Tax Toolkit
Texans for the Arts with support from Houston Endowment have created a very useful toolkit for understanding the Hotel Occupany Tax (HOT) and how it is used by cities across Texas to fund the the arts. It teaches you how to make the case for using HOT funding for the arts, how to collect & administer HOT funds, do’s & don’ts, and how to maximize HOT.
Austin, Dallas, Corpus Christi, Huntsville are just a few examples of municipalities that are able to spend millions of dollars every year sustaining the arts in their community through the Hotel Occupancy Tax
