In terms of National Endowment for the Arts grants (both to State Arts Agencies and to specific programs and projects), Michigan improved one position from 16th in both 2007 and 2008, to 15th in 2009. While total dollar growth was not as large between 2008 and 2009 as previously, Michigan did experience an increase while many other states stayed the same or lost grant dollars.
State arts agency legislative appropriations can be seen as representative of the level of commitment to arts and culture. Based solely on total appropriations amount, Michigan ranked 15th for the 2009 fiscal year, up from 16th the year prior. To make reasonable/meaningful comparisons between states, one can also look at per capita appropriations. While Michigan’s appropriations per capita went up by only one cent, the state’s ranking improved from 33rd in 2008 to 30th in 2009. While full national data is not yet in for 2010, Michigan’s state grants decreased by more than two-thirds in this year.
