On Wednesday, May 29, the final $53.1B FY25 budget passed the Illinois Legislature to head to the Governor’s desk for signature. As usual in Springfield, we achieved some big wins while leaving room for continued progress on our shared policy agenda. This is a significant win for the creative community across the state!
The final budget is not a significant change from the Governor’s original proposal. See our analysis of the proposed budget from February here.
Illinois Arts Council Funding
The Illinois Arts Council was one of the agencies that faced slight cuts from the proposed budget of $25.5M. That said, the total appropriation still increases direct grant dollars that will be distributed across the state by $8.3M—an increase to the grantmaking budget of 75%—and is an overall budget increase of 53.5%.
Here’s a breakdown of the final numbers:
| Grants | ||
| Creative Sector | $7,570,400 | |
| Arts Education | $3,429,000 | |
| Underserved | $3,308,000 | |
| Arts & Culture | $2,899,800 | |
| Arts & Foreign Language | $907,500 | |
| Pass Through Funding | ||
| Public Radio & Television | $1,657,800 | |
| Illinois Humanities | $1,445,000 | |
| Operations | $2,523,100 | |
| Total Grants | $21,217,500 | |
| Total Funding | $23,740,600 | |
| Federal Funds* | $1,146,200 |
Creative Economy Task Force
The Creative Economy Task Force—an Arts Alliance initiative—passed and is now also headed to the Governor’s desk. We’re thrilled that this bill enables our state to develop a strategic plan for the creative economy and ensure Illinois reaches its economic, social justice, and business development goals.
The Creative Economy Task Force did not receive a separate appropriation. This will result in an unfunded mandate, so we will need to work with DCEO to either find the funding in their budget or determine a pathway to funding this bill during the veto session.
Passing anything in Springfield is not easy. It’s a huge testament to the members of our Alliance who worked so hard to contact their legislators in support of this bill. We had 9 sponsors, and it passed nearly unanimously on the House floor. Arts Alliance made its priorities clear in Springfield this session, and we look forward to further cementing our legislative relationships to build a strong infrastructure for our creative community.
Other relevant bills that await the Governor’s signature
HB4762 – Digital Likeness Act: Provides that a provision in an agreement between an individual and any other person for the performance of personal or professional services is contrary to public policy and is deemed unenforceable if the provision does not include a reasonably specific description of the intended uses of the digital replica.
HB4875 – Publicity Act: Use of AI: Prohibits a person from distributing, transmitting, or making available to the general public a sound recording or audiovisual work that contains a digital replica of an individual with actual knowledge that the use of the digital replica was not authorized by the individual.
HB4951 – Live Production Tax Credit: Amended to include nonprofit theaters, with changes going into effect on July 1. Tiered system $6M cap, divided by different types of productions. We view this as a pilot for potential further expansion across the creative economy.
HB4951 – Music Tax Credit: Tax credit for “Qualified music companies” and income tax credits for certain employees with income parameters.
Other related bills that did not succeed:
- Art Therapy Licenses
- Reorganizing State Museum Boards
- Ticket Fee Transparency
- Automated Ticket Purchase Ban
- Digital Literacy Skills in Elementary Education
Other Budget Takeaways
Overall, adjustments include an additional $400M in spending and $750M in different avenues for revenue. Some of those are:
- Increase tax to sports betting
- States video game tax
- Income tax standard deduction changes
There were many items that were enhanced or maintained for certain constituencies. This includes:
- The Black Caucus advocated for—and received—$200M for after school programs.
- Migrant spending at $182M did not change from the Governor’s original ask.
- $70M in additional funds for nursing homes.
- $50M in Child Tax Credits for families who qualify.
- $350M increase for “Smart Start” education.
It’s reported that there is only $73M in cuts to the budget. Agencies were required to cut some of their budget due to the projected revenue coming in.
If you have any questions about the budget, the Creative Task Force bill, or any of the other relevant legislation listed here, reach out to our team at [email protected] or visit our help desk.
