We Need Your Voice Now!

Sioux Falls Arts Advocacy Kit
Help protect local arts funding in the 2026 City Budget

What’s Happening

The City of Sioux Falls is proposing a 30% cut to nonprofit funding in 2026.
Instead of guaranteed subsidies, all funding will shift to a competitive application process (RFP).

Key Changes:

$2.58M down → $1.15M in total nonprofit funding
Just $250K total to support all arts, culture, and community programming
The City’s current process is closed and only supports a few organizations. This would open the process and allow for more groups to be supported.

Why It Matters

This proposal would:

- Jeopardize youth & community access to the arts

Try to fund a larger pool of applicants with less money

Favor large applicants with grant writing capacity
Force competition between the arts and other critical services

We need to speak up before the budget is finalized in September.

What We’re Working Toward

We understand the need for accountability and transparency in city funding. We also believe that the current process could benefit more arts organizations, but only if totl funding meets the demand.

A better path forward would:

Create a dedicated, protected fund for the arts, safe from shifting political priorities
Maintain or grow overall funding, not reduce it
Include individual artists and grassroots creatives, not just 501(c)(3)s
Offer accessible application processes for small orgs and first-time applicants
Ensure consistent investment in youth programming, public art, and creative placemaking

We believe Sioux Falls deserves an arts funding model that reflects the creativity and care of the community it serves.

Timeline

June–August: Speak up! Email, call, or meet with your council member
September: Final city budget decisions made
Sept. 15: RFPs released (if proposal passes)
Oct. 31: Applications due
Jan. 1, 2026: Funding begins

Write or Email Your City Council Rep

Use this letter as a template:

Dear Council Member [Last Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I’m a [resident / artist / small business owner / arts advocate] in Sioux Falls. I’m writing to express deep concern over the proposed changes to the City’s nonprofit funding in the 2026 budget.

The current subsidy agreements are the only direct city funding source available to most nonprofits. While shifting to a competitive RFP process would lead to a more transparent and equitable system, the simultaneous 30% reduction in total nonprofit funding—and limiting culture, arts, and community programming to just $250,000 total—represents a devastating blow to Sioux Falls’ creative ecosystem.

The arts aren’t just “nice to have.” They are essential to the identity, economy, and well-being of our city. This proposal:

Jeopardizes access to arts programs for youth, families, and underserved communities
Eliminates predictable support for organizations already operating on tight budgets
Favors large applicants, leaving small, grassroots efforts at a severe disadvantage
Forces competition between sectors that should be supported collectively

Additionally, this proposal places the burden of budget recalibration on nonprofits—the very organizations that step in when public services fall short. That’s not a fair or sustainable solution.

As a constituent, I urge you to:

Reject the proposed cuts to arts and community programming
Advocate for a dedicated, stable funding stream for arts and culture, separate from economic development initiatives
Ensure that a broadened RFP process truly supports a wider range of arts nonprofits, not just the few that have historically received city funding. While expanding eligibility beyond SculptureWalk and the Arts Council is a step in the right direction, doing so alongside a significant budget cut will spread resources too thin to be meaningful. And while individual artists remain excluded from this process, we must work toward funding structures that reflect the full diversity of our creative community.

These local changes are happening at a time when federal support for the arts is also uncertain, including potential reductions to the National Endowment for the Arts. If city support disappears too, arts organizations could be left without reliable public funding at any level. That’s a risk our community can’t afford.

Please fight for a Sioux Falls that values creative expression, inclusion, and connection. The arts are essential, not optional.

Thank you for your time and leadership.
Sincerely,
Your Full Name
Your Neighborhood or Zip Code
Optional: Role or Affiliation – e.g., “Gallery Director,” “Teaching Artist,” “Parent of a Student in Arts Programming”

Optional Subject Lines
Protect Sioux Falls Arts Funding

Invest in Culture, Not Cut It 👍

Concerned About the Future of the Arts in Sioux Falls
Proposed Budget Cuts Threaten Arts Access

Find my District
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/e4eb0abe465b49eab3f89323fd37d2f8/

Sioux Falls City Councilors

David Barranco, Southeast District

Telephone: 605-367-8102

Email: david.barranco@siouxfalls.gov

Miranda Basye, Northeast District

Telephone: 605-367-8764

Email: miranda.basye@siouxfalls.gov

Sarah Cole At-Large