The City of Austin's Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment office (ACME) is pouring $24 million into local arts and culture projects — 731 recipients in total. This is the "first full funding cycle shaped by the ACME’s Creative Reset initiative," the city announcement says.

The initiative is an "overhaul" of the city's funding structure based on feedback from 1,500 residents who submitted surveys, participated in focus groups, and more. The result after Phase 1 has been a new set of guidelines, which are now in effect, the city says.

When guests stay at a hotel in Austin, they're charged a Hotel Occupancy Tax that later supports activities that further encourage tourism, like art and music. This way, the city ensures that revenue from tourists supports the reasons they come, without overburdening locals.

The grant recipients are organized in four programs: Austin Live Music Fund, Creative Space Assistance Program, the Heritage Preservation Grant, and Elevate, the latter of which is the largest category and supports public cultural programs and community or collaborative art across the city.

The largest grants were made in the Heritage Preservation category:

• Austin Woman's Club (The Austin Woman's Club): $217,294.00
• Boggy Creek Farm, LLC: $144,292.00
• East Austin Conservancy: $116,120.00
• German-Texan Heritage Society: $116,177.00
• Paramount Theatre for the Performing Arts, Inc: $250,000.00
• State Theater Company: $250,000.00
• Umlauf Sculpture Garden + Museum Capital $191,400.00
• WH Passon Society Inc.: $202,506.00

The full list of recipients, which contain many well-known organizations, performers, venues, and more, can be found here.

Of course, there are always applicants who didn't make the cut. More than 1,606 full applications were submitted, requesting a total of $67 million. The city uses the number to point out "extraordinary demand for cultural support across the city." Those who didn't recieve fudning this round are encouraged to take advantage of ACME's grant writing workshops, office hours, and other services.

“Austin’s creative community is the heartbeat of our city,” said ACME director Angela Means in the city release. “These 2026 awards celebrate the cultural producers who make Austin vibrant, original, and unmistakably Austin. This is more than grantmaking — it’s an investment in our artists, our venues, our heritage, and our future. We’re proud to support the people and places who keep our creative ecosystem alive, and we’re equally committed to making this process more transparent, accessible, and supportive year‑round.”

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson added, “At a time when the world is watching Austin during SXSW, we are proud to demonstrate our commitment to supporting the people and organizations that power our creative economy.”