In November 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly approved a comprehensive state budget that included an extra $10 million in funding for the Grassroots Arts Program (GAP). This additional funding was sourced from the American Recovery Act Plan (ARPA), providing once-in-a-lifetime funds. The legislative goal behind aligning federal relief money with the Grassroots Arts Program was to ensure that every citizen in North Carolina has access to quality arts experiences, with funding allocated to the arts in all 100 counties.

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The $10 million is spread across two fiscal years: FY 2022-2023 and FY 2023-2024. During each of these years, an additional $5 million will be added to the standard state Grassroots allocation. Davidson County's allocation is $161,078, and the distribution of federal dollars will follow a straightforward per capita formula. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds are entrusted to Arts Davidson County for management. These funds are instrumental in providing assistance to the local arts and cultural sector, including various arts and cultural organizations.

The funding aims to support the recovery, revitalization, and expansion of community-based arts programming, arts workforce development programs, and the provision of technical assistance to further enhance the arts landscape.

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