Charlotte Cultural Plan
City of Charlotte
Economic Strategy
In 2021, the Charlotte City Council’s ad hoc Arts and Culture Committee was formed to develop an arts and culture policy as an economic development strategy. The committee aimed to identify a new investment strategy for the creative community. With the appointment of the city’s first Arts and Culture Officer later that year. Charlotte was poised to advance its vibrant arts and culture ecosystem. Recognizing that arts and culture are vital for quality of life and economic development, attracting businesses, residents, and visitors, the City was looking to develop policies to stabilize the arts sector in Mecklenburg County, incentivize growth for artists and organizations, expand the industry ecosystem, and address community needs.
Along with lead consultants at Lord Cultural Resources, Fourth Economy and Civility Localized conducted an inclusive, county-wide comprehensive planning process to establish a long-range vision and near-term plan for supporting and funding arts and culture in Mecklenburg County.
Our Approach
This planning process involves established and emerging voices to ensure support for all scales and areas of activity by the consulting team. Fourth Economy inventoried and mapped arts assets in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, cataloged existing priorities intersecting with arts goals, studied benchmark cities for key lessons, evaluated the funding landscape, and developed recommendations for a sustainable funding and governance model for the next decade.
The Results
Following finalization of the plan, the Council approved a historic $11 million for arts and culture in its FY2025 budget. Combined with Mecklenburg County’s $10 million, this generated $21 million in local public funding for arts and culture.
Location
Charlotte, NC