Arts & Humanities Council asks Montgomery County for $1 million in new grant funds; council provisionally concurs with 2.5% inflation adjustment

The Arts & Humanities Council asked the Montgomery County Education and Culture Committee on April 22 for an additional $1,000,000 in FY27 grant funding to meet rising demand from new grantees. "Demand has grown, increasingly high over these last several years," said Miss Jenkins, who represented the council, asking the committee to consider the memorandum the council transmitted on April 15 requesting an additional $1,000,000 for grant‑making purposes.

Council staff (Miss Cummings) told the committee the County Executive recommends a $176,349 increase — a 2.5% inflationary adjustment — to the council’s non‑departmental account. Miss Cummings showed the packet’s FY26 award overview and an anticipated increase in demand for FY27, and noted the council staff will take a single action on the 2.5% inflationary adjustment to nonprofit service providers at a later date.

Committee members acknowledged broad need but did not take a final budget vote. Chair Jiwando said he had proposed a 5% increase to nonprofit funding in separate budget planning and that, while the committee could not act on it immediately, he planned to push for larger nonprofit support during deliberations. Committee members voiced sympathy for the council’s argument that modest inflation adjustments alone do not meet the needs of newly qualifying organizations.

The committee said it would for now concur with the County Executive’s 2.5% recommendation while reserving the right to press for larger increases in full Council budget deliberations.

Next steps: Council staff will include the Arts & Humanities Council recommendation and the 2.5% inflationary adjustment in subsequent budget packets; the committee indicated support for exploring a larger nonprofit funding increase as deliberations proceed.