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Dear Long Island Arts Community,
NYSCA’s FY2026 grant awards were released yesterday, and somehow the picture for Long Island is even worse than last year.
► A full list of the awarded grants can be found here
Despite an increase in NYSCA’s overall budget, our region continues to receive only a small fraction of statewide arts investment.
Here’s where Long Island landed this year:
FY2026 Support for Organizations Grants:
– Statewide: $44.2M
– Long Island: $1.1M (2.5%)
– Down $750,000 from FY 2025
FY2026 Support For Artists Grants:
– Statewide: $6.07M representing 607 grants
– Long Island: $190K representing 19 grants (3%)
– Up 375% from FY 2025 (directly tied to LIAA’s unfunded, improvised fiscal sponsorship effort)
2025 NYFA/NYSCA Reserve Fund Grants (announced earlier this month):
– 60 awards statewide
– Long Island received: 1 (1.4%)
– Zero Long Island representation on the 22 member review panel
You’ll find a one-sheet at the link below that breaks down the FY2026 numbers and shows just how dismal Long Island’s numbers are for both organizations and individual artists, as well as the NYSCA/NYFA reserve fund grants and Statewide Community Regrant (SCR) allocations.
► Download the one-sheet here.
Bottom Line: These numbers are unacceptable for a region representing nearly 15% of the state’s population and one of New York’s largest, fastest-growing creative economies.
The only bright spot: Individual Artist Awards increased for 2026, and that increase was directly driven by our completely unfunded support. We reviewed dozens of proposals, offered fiscal sponsorship, coached and edited project narratives, and helped secure 9 awards for first-time artist applicants. The model works. But it is not sustainable or scalable without resources.
We need your help.
LIAA is calling on Suffolk and Nassau Counties to invest $50,000 each to launch the Long Island Grants Academy, a regional initiative designed to help more artists and small organizations apply for and secure public funding.
This is a small investment with a massive return for our entire cultural ecosystem.
Here’s what you can do right now:
1. Add your name or organization to the list of supporters of this initiative.
► https://forms.gle/uE86H6yyxVemacWE9
2. Send a letter/email to your County Legislator.
These messages matter, and a coordinated response from our sector will help drive action. They won’t like these numbers. They are already frustrated by Long Island’s allocations from the State in other areas. We created a template letter you can download, edit, and send- that’s here:
► https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Di-KalGel8SCQo1rtIxQj-AEwXYCTNQT22txBLVfkic/edit?usp=sharing
3. CC us on any outreach so we can track momentum and keep our delegation informed:
► info@longislandartsalliance.org
If we do nothing, these numbers will continue to repeat year after year. Together we can shift this, but we need your voice behind it.
With urgency and appreciation,
Lauren
Executive Director
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