The Office of Arts & Culture asked the City Council Budget Committee on Sept. 30 to approve targeted 2026 investments intended to support creative workers, launch a citywide cultural planning process and expand graffiti-prevention work. The department27s presentation emphasized smaller, strategic increases rather than broad growth in base spending.

The request includes permanent ongoing funding of $350,000 a year to continue the Hope Corps program, a one-time $200,000 allocation for citywide cultural planning and $1,600,000 across city departments to support a 1 Seattle graffiti prevention initiative, the office said. The department also reported it has already committed $2,500,000 in 2025 for World Cup-related downtown activations that will be implemented next year.

Why it matters: Council members said arts and culture contribute to tourism, neighborhood activation and public safety through placemaking. Committee members pressed the department for details on how the requested funds would be used, how existing municipal art and admissions-tax resources are being managed, and how the office will coordinate citywide cultural work and graffiti efforts across departments.

Office priorities and specifics. The department described Hope Corps as a workforce-oriented program that was launched during pandemic recovery to put artists to work on civic priorities and neighborhood activation. Under the executive27s proposal the program would move from one-time funding to an ongoing $350,000 annual allocation; staff said the program will be redesigned to increase impact under the smaller recurring amount and may focus activity in high-traffic areas and pursue stronger strategic partnerships.

For cultural planning, the office asked for $200,000 one-time to launch a ten-year cultural planning process. Staff said the work will be community engaged, include asset mapping, examine sector needs and produce a policy and investment guide for the next decade to align arts investments across city departments.

Graffiti prevention and related staffing. The proposed 2026 budget includes a package of resources totaling $1.6 million for the city27s graffiti plan; within the Office of Arts & Culture27s budget staff proposed $160,000 for a one-year extension of a temporary graffiti specialist position to develop deterrence strategies, mentor youth and coordinate beautification efforts. The department described the specialist as colocated at King Street Station and working with the public art division and the mayor27s office on downtown strategies.

Council questions and follow-ups. Committee members asked for details about the CARE grant program (the Centering Arts and Racial Equity replacement for Civic Partners), the municipal art plan and capital needs at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute; the deputy director said Parks is developing an RFQ for design work and has roughly $2 million identified for initial capital repairs while fundraising for additional needs continues. The department said an updated municipal art work plan will be provided by year-end and that cultural planning will examine multi-year public art needs.

Coordination and funding stewardship. Council members asked whether admissions-tax revenue or municipal art funds are being shifted away from the office. The administration said a prior proposal to allow admissions-tax revenues to be spent outside the Office of Arts & Culture was not approved and is not being re-proposed; the office said it is not proposing changes to current financial policy in the 2026 budget and remains the repository for arts projects happening across city departments.

What27s next: Staff said they will follow up with committee members on grant-survey results for CARE, a list of Langston Hughes capital priorities, and details about the graffiti initiative27s cross-department funding and staffing. The office indicated it will also provide updates on World Cup event allocations and a schedule for cultural planning engagement.

Ending: The presentation closed with the office thanking the committee and promising follow-up information; council members expressed support for the cultural planning work and the idea of centering arts funding within the Office of Arts & Culture while seeking more specificity on program design, metrics and cross-department coordination.