CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Museum of History says it’s still being left out of Charlotte’s annual art funding.
Museum leaders told our partners at The Charlotte Observer they’re stuck in red tape and unable to get on the city’s funding list.
The city took over arts funding authority from the Arts & Science Council in 2021, inheriting a list of 37 legacy organizations that receive shares of an $11 million annual allocation, the Observer reported. Because the history museum was not on that original list, it does not receive a portion of the recurring public dollars despite record attendance and revenue.
While the city has the authority to add organizations like the history museum, officials have chosen not to do so to avoid decreasing the amounts given to current recipients.
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Currently, the museum is facing a $211,000 deficit along with staffing and program cuts.
The museum’s CEO Terri White says the deficit is largely due to emergencies in its 27-year-old building. She noted that the boilers are older than the building itself and the roof consists of three different materials.
The city has provided temporary support through other channels, awarding $100,000 to the museum through its financial partner program in both 2024 and 2025. It also provided $50,000 for an American Revolution exhibit.
However, there’s no long-term resolution yet.
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