How Palm Beach County arts organizations fared in Tallahassee

As Florida restores some arts support, 13 local nonprofits win grants.

Palm Beach County arts organizations landed about $1.6 million in this year’s $117 billion state budget. 

Most of the arts money will go to 13 organizations that scored at the very top of a state ranking.

• Thirty-five Palm Beach County organizations are in line for a tiny amount of their grant request, perhaps 3%, the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County estimates. 

Nonprofits including the Kravis Center, the Lighthouse ArtCenter and the School of the Arts Foundation will receive their full grant requests. But Loggerhead Marinelife Center, the Norton Museum and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre will not.

Why it matters: Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $32 million in arts funding in the state budget noting it included $78,000 for two “fringe” festivals. The unexpected veto shut out local arts groups and put Florida ahead of only Georgia in U.S. state arts funding.

• The state’s decision to restore a portion of the arts grant requests this year – $21 million – shows people’s voices make a difference, said Jennifer Sullivan, senior vice president of the Cultural Council.

What she’s saying: “I have heard some say, ‘There’s plenty of donors who fund the arts,’” Sullivan said Friday. “The arts are not just large museums and major theaters. They are historical museums, historic locations, botanical gardens, choruses and chorals. Some of these small organizations have a big impact, but they don’t have a big donor base.”

Florida taxpayer arts grants must be matched by the arts organizations, and the groups must report to the state twice a year. The grants pay for general expenses, which sets them apart from donors who often direct the money to a specific program.

Back story: When the governor vetoed arts grants last year, many arts organizations had already put in their applications for the yearlong process of vetting for this year’s budget.

• In past years, organizations that scored 80 or higher in the state’s ranking were awarded grants. This year, the cutoff was 95 out of 100. Sullivan said the change came as a surprise.

Context: While the state support is a vote of confidence for cultural organizations, Sullivan pointed out that Palm Beach County contributes more than $7 million in grants to local arts nonprofits.

 “I’m very proud to say we restored arts funding at the state level,” Sullivan said. “And that the county has invested seven times what the state has invested.”

The following Palm Beach County organizations scored 95 or above and will receive a Cultural and Museum grant:

Boca Raton Philharmonic Symphonia – $90,000
Busch Wildlife Sanctuary – $150,000
Cox Science Center and Aquarium – $150,000
Florida Atlantic University – $60,500
Lighthouse ArtCenter – $150,000
Lynn Conservatory of Music – $150,000
The Morikami – $150,000
Palm Beach Opera – $150,000
The Palm Beach Symphony Society – $150,000
Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts – $150,000
Resource Depot – $25,000
School of the Arts Foundation – $149,532
Young Singers of the Palm Beaches – $114,000

These organizations scored 85 or higher and are in line for a tiny share of a $1.5 million provision in the budget that will be distributed among 465 organizations across the state. In past years, their requests were approved in full. 

Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center
Aequalis (The Core Ensemble)
Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens
The Armory Art Center
Ballet Palm Beach
Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts
Boca Ballet Theatre Company
Boca Raton Historical Society
Boca Raton Museum of Art
Boynton Cultural Centre
Center for Creative Education
Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park
The Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach
City of Riviera Beach
Creative City Collaborative of Delray Beach
Cultural Council
Digital Vibez
Palm Beach State College
Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden
The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum
Lake Worth Cultural Renaissance Foundation
The Lake Worth Playhouse
Loggerhead Marinelife Center
Loxahatchee River Historical Society
Maltz Jupiter Theatre
The Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches
Norton Museum of Art
Palm Beach Dramaworks
South Florida PBS
Spady Cultural Heritage Museum
Sunfest of Palm Beach County
Sunshine District Association of Chapters of Barbershop Harmony Society
Village of Royal Palm Beach
Village of Wellington
The Zoological Society of the Palm Beaches

The 2025-2026 statewide score sheet for nonprofits is here.

What’s next: Last year, the Cultural Council invited legislators and their staff on a daylong arts tour that included the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden, the Norton Museum, Palm Beach Dramaworks and the Palm Beach Opera. Another tour is planned this month, and the Cultural Council will continue to work with the statewide Florida Cultural Alliance to lobby for sustaining arts support.

• Grant applications for next year’s budget closed Monday, and the cycle begins again.

Further reading: The Cultural Council has a helpful Q and A here.