CHARLOTTE ARTS AND CULTURE PLAN

Charlotte-Mecklenburg is one of the fastest growing communities in the nation. Home to the country’s 16th largest city, the area hosts major headquarters for banking, fintech and other industry giants as well as multiple higher education institutions. It is an increasingly diverse community with growing Asian, multiracial and Hispanic populations throughout the area. Charlotte-Mecklenburg's creative ecosystem includes many layers, each of which rely on and support each other.  As it has done with its successful business and community development planning, Charlotte-Mecklenburg seeks to harness its strengths in the arts and culture sector to grapple with its challenges. 

The City of Charlotte engaged Lord Cultural Resources in 2022 to create the Charlotte Arts and Culture Plan, at a moment of significant transition for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region. The model that funded the Charlotte-Mecklenburg arts and culture sector for many years, which included robust workplace giving, no longer provides sufficient funding, in line with broader national funding trends. The 2008 economic downturn exacerbated funding challenges for the sector, as did the COVID-19 pandemic; in the wake of these events, new funding models are needed.

The Charlotte Arts and Culture Plan created a roadmap for a path forward to ensure a vibrant, equitable, and inclusive arts and culture landscape for all in the area. Over 3,240 community members throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg engaged in the planning process. The final plan is built around eight priorities, all in service of a vision where all people in the community are valued and supported through arts and culture. 

Following Charlotte City Council’s adoption of the plan, the Council approved a budget of $11 million to fund arts & culture – more than any previous amount. In addition, Mecklenburg County approved $10 million, for a total of $21 million. These historic allocations – a testament to the recognition of the value of arts and culture for Charlotte-Mecklenburg – flowed as a direct result from the Charlotte Arts and Culture Plan.