People Like You Make It Happen

I’m often asked where the Decatur Area Arts Council gets the money to offer all of its terrific programs. The short answer is... from the generous people throughout the Decatur area... people like you.

DAAC doesn’t receive funding from the city or county or township. We are fortunate to receive
two grants each year from the Illinois Arts Council Agency for general programs and regranting that amount to approximately 5% of our annual budget.  Also, a number of our programs charge a modest fee to help keep them delivering great arts experiences to our community.  Otherwise, individual members, business sponsors, foundations, corporations, and our two annual fundraisers fuel our programs and activities.

A few recent examples of this local generosity are:

• A donation from Susan Wade to make our free arts classes for seniors possible.
• A gift from the Young Philanthropists Giving Circle to fund Experience: ART Field Trip scholarships.
• A grant from Homefield Energy to allow us to offer bus scholarships to transport kids to PASS performances.

If you’re among the many folks in our the Decatur area who believe, as we do, that the arts are an important part of what makes our community special, you can help.  Any gift, large or small, will enable the Decatur Area Arts Council to fulfill our mission to increase the impact of and access to the arts and improve the quality of our city.

CLICK HERE to find out how you can help
DAAC “keep up the good work.”

Here’s a high-level approximation of where DAAC funds come from…
29% - Programs – Classes/PASS/Bus Trips
20% - Annual Support – Individual/Business/Organizations
18% - Special Fundraising Events
11% - Technical Assistance – AICP & Misc.
  7% - Gallery Revenue and Events
  6% - Other Revenue
  5% - Government Support
  4% - Endowment and Underwriting

Jerry Johnson
Executive Director
Decatur Area Arts Council