“Staff with the city’s Cultural Arts Division unveiled an entirely new funding system in mid-December that, among other changes, lowers the funding cap for all funding programs, drops organizational support in favor of funding events, and allows for-profit businesses to apply for city arts funding. The new funding system also places top priority on ‘proposals that directly enhance cultural experiences for tourists and convention delegates, including projects that highlight underrepresented histories and narratives.'” The worried response from Austin arts groups (including those based in minority communities) is that the middle of a pandemic is not the time to be making enormous changes. – Sightlines (Austin)