As part of the new state budget agreement between the House, Senate and Gov. Ned Lamont, $16.1 million in federal stimulus funds will be used to support museums and theaters.
Lamont said $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding in fiscal year 2024 has been set aside for Connecticut’s Summer at the Museum Program, which provides free admission to children 18 and younger to participating museums.
Of this amount, $3.5 million is earmarked to support for-profit museums.
An additional $3.5 million in ARPA funds in fiscal 2024 and $2.625 million in fiscal 2025 will be set aside to support theaters, Lamont’s office said.
Connecticut theaters and museums have been slow to recover from the pandemic, which closed many cultural institutions for months amid government-mandated shutdowns.
Most theaters and museums in the state have yet to fully recover pre-pandemic attendance numbers.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a $51.1 billion biennial budget early Tuesday morning that features a broad-based state income tax cut and dramatically boosts funding to local school districts.
The Senate is expected to approve the budget today, before the end of the 2023 legislative session.
