Two nonprofit groups that advocate for the arts are lobbying lawmakers to add $12 million in arts funding in the next state budget, saying current arts funding doesn’t provide the state with educational, economic and cultural benefits that surrounding states enjoy.
Wisconsin ranks 48th in the nation for arts funding, spending 20 cents per capita in the 2026 fiscal year, according to a National Assembly of Arts Agencies revenue report. This puts Wisconsin far below the national average of $1.88 per capita and even further below neighboring Minnesota, which spent $7.85 per capita in the 2026 fiscal year…