Chicago Holds Cultural Budget Flat at $62.5 Million for 2027

Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is projected to receive $62.5 million in the proposed 2027 municipal budget. This figure represents an increase of less than 1% from the amount approved by City Council for the current fiscal year.

Commissioner Kenya Merritt presented the figures during a budget hearing at City Hall on Wednesday. She told aldermen that the department’s dedication to the creative community remains strong, stating that arts and culture are essential to the city’s identity and economic vitality. Despite the flat line in overall spending, Merritt emphasized that the department intends to sustain its investment in artists, cultural organizations, and creative workers through grantmaking.

The flat budget arrives while other major U.S. cities increase their municipal arts funding. In September, reporting from WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times indicated that New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Phoenix all raised their cultural department budgets by at least 2%. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani allocated a record $323.8 million to his local cultural department, an 8% jump over the previous year. Mayor Brandon Johnson previously told reporters that his administration would remain vigilant in investing in the arts, a commitment that advocates argue has not yet translated into new dollars.

Aldermen focused much of the Wednesday hearing on the mechanics of recovering costs for city-supported events. This initiative stems from a 2025 report by the consulting group EY, which suggested the city should recoup the expenses of services like police and sanitation provided to special events, ranging from neighborhood street fests to large-scale music festivals. Merritt stated that implementation is still in the works and that the specific impact on event organizers is not yet clear. She noted the need to strike a balance so the city does not lose events that are critical to the economy and neighborhoods.

Arts Alliance Illinois, a statewide advocacy group, had asked Mayor Johnson to increase the department’s grantmaking budget by $15 million this fall. The proposed budget maintains the status quo instead. Claire Rice, the group’s executive director, expressed disappointment, noting that the mayor’s verbal support for the arts did not correspond to increased funding in the DCASE budget. Rice cited a summer study by the alliance finding that the cultural sector is Chicago’s third-largest workforce. She described cultural spending as an investment strategy for jobs and economic development rather than a charitable donation.

The proposed budget includes two additional full-time staffers for DCASE, bringing the total headcount to 82. This is roughly the same number of positions the department has maintained for several years. A notable shift occurs in how these new positions are funded. For the first time since 2011, DCASE will receive corporate fund dollars to cover salaries. The amount is $133,580. According to a department spokesperson, the two new roles will focus on special events cost recovery, and the recovered costs are intended to reimburse the corporate fund.

DCASE typically funds its operations through a hotel occupancy tax and outside grants, keeping it separate from the city’s general operating budget. The inclusion of corporate fund money marks a deviation from this model. The Better Government Association noted that the cultural department last received corporate fund dollars under former Mayor Richard M. Daley.

In the current fiscal year, DCASE awarded $10.8 million in grants to artists and arts organizations. Recipients included major institutions like the Joffrey Ballet and smaller entities such as the South Side storefront Perceptions Theatre. The department has exhausted the federal COVID-relief dollars that previously boosted these programs. Merritt confirmed that the department remains committed to grantmaking despite the end of those federal funds.

The proposal is now in City Council hands. Aldermen must decide whether to approve the flat funding level and the new staffing structure before the 2027 budget is finalized.