St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Awarded $300,000 in ARPA for the Arts Funding from Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis

(September 9, 2024, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announced it has been awarded $300,000 in ARPA for the Arts grant funding from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RACSTL). The grant will support the SLSO’s with programs and initiatives that attract more visitors to St. Louis City. 

In May 2023, the RACSTL received $10.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from the City of St. Louis. In 15 months since, RACSTL distributed all the funds to help support working artists, arts organizations, and the beautification of St. Louis through the St. Louis Mural Project.  

In the first five months after the allocation, $3.5 million in grants were distributed to replace lost income and revenue for artists and arts organizations. In 2024, nearly $1 million funded the St. Louis Mural Project, putting 28 murals in all 14 wards in St. Louis City. 

The capstone was laid in September 2024, as RACSTL awarded more than $6 million to 21 local organizations through one-time, tourism grants. The grants are meant to support organizations with staffing, marketing, programs, and initiatives that attract more visitors to St. Louis City.  

Vanessa Cooksey, RACSTL president and CEO, said, “We’ve made significant investments with our ARPA for the Arts Tourism grants. We are funding and encouraging greater innovation and collaboration between arts and culture organizations. We want to see increased audience engagement and help expand our individual and collective cultural tourism efforts. We believe this work will ultimately bring more visitors to St. Louis City.” 

The arts are crucial to the economic development of St. Louis, contributing nearly $868 million to the region in 2022 according to the Americans for the Arts – Arts and Economic Report 6. Additionally, more than 8.1 million local and out-of-town tourists attended St. Louis theatre performances, concerts, art fairs, festivals, and more in 2022 – many of which were funded by RACSTL. Out-of-town tourists spent 71% more than their local counterparts when engaging in local arts and culture experiences. 
 

ARPA for the Arts is a collaboration between the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, Community Development Administration of St. Louis (CDA), and the City of St. Louis. Ten percent of the $10.6 million was set aside for RACSTL and CDA’s administrative costs related to ARPA for the Arts. 

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