WICHITA FALLS – The City of Wichita Falls received about $29 million in grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). City leaders are looking for your input on how the funds should be allocated.

We encourage you to visit the city’s website to learn more information about the approved uses of ARPA grant funds and provide your feedback: http://www.wichitafallstx.gov/2306/American-Rescue-Plan-Act

You can also voice your opinion to city leaders in person on Tuesday, May 3, and Tuesday, May 17 at the Wichita Falls City Council meetings.

The Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture has worked with arts and cultural organizations to record the impact of the pandemic since March 2020 – and the losses have been staggering. Many organizations received funding from the Payroll Protection Program and the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant. While these have been vital to our existence, many will not recuperate their losses from those programs alone. An investment in Wichita Falls’ arts and culture sector is an investment in creativity, innovation, imagination, and entrepreneurship.

The arts and culture sector is one of our city’s defining features and an important asset to tourism and commerce. Arts organizations have worked tirelessly over the past two years to return to normal programming, raising millions in private dollars in anticipation of welcoming back audiences craving community and entertainment. This additional assistance could ensure our sector returns stronger, more representative, resilient, and dynamic for the benefit of Wichita Falls residents and visitors alike. 

ARPA Overview:

The American Rescue Plan includes an extension of federal unemployment programs, more funding, and flexibility for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG), an expansion of the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) through the end of 2021, $135 million in arts relief through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), $350 billion in relief to state, county, and municipal governments that could be used for additional relief for the arts sector.