ArtsFairfax has granted nearly $591,900 in operations support to 56 local arts organizations for Fiscal Year 2026 in Fairfax County. This is the same amount of money that has been given out in the past, even if there are questions about federal arts financing, ArtsFairfax said in a statement.
According to the statement, the grants go to groups from all types of art and span every magisterial district in Fairfax County, including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. This is the biggest part of ArtsFairfax’s three-grant program structure, which also includes project support and ticket subsidies.
County commissioners kept their arts programming budget of about $1.5 million, which meant that ArtsFairfax could keep its budgeted levels of support, said in the statement. The decision to give money comes at a time when arts groups around the country may have to deal with budget cuts.
“ArtsFairfax is delighted to give money to our local arts groups that they may count on year after year,” Stuart Holt, President and CEO of ArtsFairfax said. “We are thankful to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for their financial support and for all the ways they have supported the local arts sector, such as going to grantee exhibitions and performances and promoting ArtsFairfax work in the County.”
The 56 award recipients show how diversified the leadership is in the county’s arts scene. 82% of the organizations that get money are led by women, 30% are led by persons of color, and 23% are led by veterans.
More than half of the people that obtain the money are tiny enterprises with budgets of less than $100,000 a year. These smaller groups generally rely on operations support funding to keep their basic services and programs going.
Organizations that will get operating support in FY26 include well-known groups like the McLean Project for the Arts, the NextStop Theatre Company, and the Virginia Ballet Company, as well as newer ones like Good Beats and Community Art For Everyone.
A lot of the people who get help are theater companies, like 1st Stage, Creative Cauldron, and the Vienna Theatre Company. There are a lot of musical groups, from the Great Falls Philharmonic to niche groups like the Virginia Bronze Handbell Ringers.
“Even though there is uncertainty about federal funding, the County kept its $1.5 million budget for the arts, most of which will go to regranting. This will allow ArtsFairfax to continue supporting the local arts sector as planned,” ArtsFairfax said in its announcement.
The rest of the grant money will be used to sponsor more programs over the fiscal year. Starting this fall, there will be $160,000 in project assistance funds available. Starting August 7, 2025, there will also be $40,000 in ticket and participation subsidy awards available on a rotating basis.
These subsidies assist groups lower the costs of tickets and reach out to the community to make it easier for people to participate in the arts. The program goes on till the money runs out.
Last year, ArtsFairfax gave out $799,026 in 82 grants to more than 65 arts groups in the area. Those awardees held about 17,000 arts events and programs that got more than a million people involved, both inside and beyond the county.
Grant recipients are spread out among the county’s nine magisterial districts, so arts programs can reach people in all of them. The Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre and The National Concert Band of America are two organizations in the Mount Vernon district. In the Hunter Mill district, there are Public Art Reston and several groups headquartered in Vienna.
ArtsFairfax is the county’s official local arts agency. It serves more than 1.2 million people in its territory. The group has been around since 1964 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Funding comes from the county, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and donations from businesses, foundations, and individuals. said ArtsFairfax.
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