Gov. Andy Beshear and Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Mike Berry announced that Kentucky will receive more than $3.6 million in federal funding to support economic growth and recovery of the state’s tourism and arts industries.
“As we sprint out of this pandemic to build a better Kentucky, we want to help provide the tools our hardest hit industries need to fulfill the critical roles they play in our economy,” said Beshear. “My administration remains committed to investing in Kentucky, and we understand the positive impact that these continued investments have on fostering a strong economy for our future.”
As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ first distribution of American Rescue Plan funding, more than $800,000 in federal funding will be distributed to Kentucky to support the commonwealth’s $2.3 billion arts and culture industry as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next several weeks, the Kentucky Arts Council will determine how this critical federal funding will be distributed to arts organizations throughout the commonwealth.
Kentucky will also receive a $2.8 million Economic Development Administration CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to support economic growth of the state’s tourism industry. As part of the commonwealth’s promotional efforts, this critical funding will allow for the development of a marketing campaign focused on highlighting the nine tourism regions and continue efforts to promote the state as a safe travel destination that is open and ready to welcome visitors to Kentucky.
This positive economic news following last week’s announcement of the commonwealth’s commitment of $5 million in federal CARES Act funding to the Kentucky tourism industry designed to prime the industry for growth through the development of marketing efforts to reach multicultural, national and international travel markets.