The San Diego City Council approved the FY27 budget, which included significant restorations to funding for arts and culture, the Office of Child and Youth Success, and other critical programs that had initially faced cuts.
By redirecting $6 million in Convention Center expansion funding and leveraging a public-private partnership with the Prebys Foundation, the Council was able to restore a substantial portion of the proposed $11.8 million reduction to arts and culture funding. We are deeply grateful to Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee and Councilmember Henry Foster III for their leadership, creativity, and commitment to ensuring arts and culture organizations across San Diego have the resources needed to continue serving our communities and advancing their missions.
We are also encouraged by the Council’s commitment to exploring long-term, sustainable funding solutions that strengthen regional partnerships and provide greater stability for San Diego’s arts and culture sector.
Thank you to everyone who attended meetings, contacted your Councilmember, and made your voice heard throughout this process. We are especially grateful to SD Art Matters and Arts + Culture: San Diego, for leading a strong and impactful campaign to save funding for the arts. Collective advocacy gets results , and this outcome is a powerful reminder that when we come together and take action, we can make a difference.
San Diego Pride raises funds primarily through festival ticket and beverage sales, and through sponsorships, and exhibitor fees. These funds support San Diego Pride’s community philanthropy which has distributed more than $2.5 million in advancement of its mission to foster pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally.
