In May 2023, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RACSTL) received $10.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from the City of St. Louis. In just 15 months, RACSTL has distributed all the funds to help support working artists, arts organizations, and the beautification of St. Louis through the St. Louis Mural Project.
In the first five months after the allocation, $3.5 million in grants were distributed to replace lost income and revenue for artists and arts organizations.
The capstone was laid in September 2024, as RACSTL awarded more than $5 million to 21 local organizations through one-time, tourism grants. The grants are meant to support organizations with staffing, marketing, programs, and initiatives that attract more visitors to St. Louis City. Nearly $1 million funded the St. Louis Mural Project, putting 28 murals in all 14 wards in St. Louis City, which is also categorized as a tourism-related grant under federal guidelines, putting the total investment at $6 million.
“We’ve made significant investments with our ARPA for the Arts Tourism grants. We are funding and encouraging greater innovation and collaboration between arts and culture organizations. We want to see increased audience engagement and help expand our individual and collective cultural tourism efforts. We believe this work will ultimately bring more visitors to St. Louis City,” said Vanessa Cooksey, RACSTL president and CEO.
The arts are crucial to the economic development of St. Louis, contributing nearly $868 million to the region in 2022 according to the Americans for the Arts – Arts and Economic Report 6. Additionally, more than 8.1 million local and out-of-town tourists attended St. Louis theatre performances, concerts, art fairs, festivals, and more in 2022 – many of which were funded by RACSTL. Out-of-town tourists spent 71% more than their local counterparts when engaging in local arts and culture experiences.
“The ARPA for the Arts Tourism grant will fuel Dance St. Louis’ concentrated strategies and operations to grow the number of patrons who travel to our city for world-class performances and the region’s must-see Spring to Dance Festival,” said Richard Dee, executive director of Dance St. Louis. “Since the pandemic, the festival alone has experienced a sizable up-tick in geographic reach attracting audiences from twenty states outside of Missouri and Illinois. Dance St. Louis will build upon this momentum with this funding.”
“The City of St. Louis and the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis have been leading the way in their continual commitment to an art-inspired renaissance in the region. ARPA for the Arts is one of the most impactful ARPA investments in arts and culture in the nation,” said James McAnally, founder and artistic director of Counterpublic. “Counterpublic is grateful to be a recipient of these funds as we work with RACSTL to help make St. Louis an epicenter of cultural tourism through our next edition, anticipated to be one of the largest public art initiatives in North America set to draw over 200,000 visitors in 2026.”
ARPA for the Arts is a collaboration between the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, Community Development Administrative of St. Louis (CDA), and the City of St. Louis. Ten percent of the $10.6 million was set aside for RACSTL and CDA’s administrative costs related to ARPA for the Arts.
“When the City of St. Louis entrusted RACSTL with ARPA funding, we made a promise to the community,” said Cooksey, “to make a tangible, positive and lasting difference that moves St. Louis forward. Throughout this process, we stayed focused on ensuring St. Louisans could experience more joy and prosperity in their lives because of our investments in the arts and culture ecosystem. Ultimately, we are inspiring more travelers to visit us and learn what we already know…St. Louis is an awesome arts town.”
2024 ARPA for the Arts Tourism Grantees and Award Amounts:
| Circus Flora | $30,000 |
| Contemporary Art Museum | $500,000 |
| Continuity (St. Louis Film Project) | $600,000 |
| Counterpublic | $250,000 |
| Craft Alliance | $40,000 |
| Dance St. Louis | $40,000 |
| Flyover Comedy Festival | $20,000 |
| Jazz St. Louis | $80,000 |
| Metro Theater Company | $40,000 |
| National Blues Museum | $80,000 |
| North St. Louis Arts Council | $100,513 |
| St. Louis Shakespeare Festival | $500,000 |
| St. Louis Symphony Orchestra | $300,000 |
| St. Louis American Foundation | $300,000 |
| St. Louis Artworks | $40,000 |
| St. Louis Dance Theatre | $600,000 |
| Tennessee Williams Festival | $20,000 |
| The Black Rep | $500,000 |
| The Muny | $500,000 |
| The Sheldon | $500,000 |
| Union Avenue Opera Theatre | $40,000 |
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