For over 300 years, San Antonio has held fast to its history, culture, and community – roots that remain strong in a constantly changing world.

San Antonio is vibrant and essential, home to one of the most active, diverse arts and culture communities in the country. We have it all: theatre, orchestral and chamber music, dance, visual art, local bands of every kind, photography, murals, film, and more. San Antonio isn’t just a name on a map; it’s a living commitment to creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation through art. It blends rich history with a thriving contemporary creative scene, offering everyone a deep, meaningful array of artistic and cultural experiences.

To me, San Antonio’s arts and culture scene is powerful because it builds community. The arts bring people together, shape our individual and shared identities, and create a true sense of belonging. Art reaches deep in my soul and cuts through all of the constant noise, beeps, rings, and notifications I am inundated with every day.

Art helps us understand the human experience; it stretches us, moves us, inspires us. The arts strengthen our community bonds, create space for new connections, widen our perspectives, and give us a deeper understanding of why we matter. If you ever visit a museum or attend a performance with me, you know I get verklempt. Art moves me. It reminds me of who we are and what we can be.

Even if you’re not an arts enthusiast like I am, there’s no denying that art is a powerful engine of economic development for our city. People come here for performances, concerts, gallery openings, festivals, and more. A 2025 study by economist Dr. Steve Nivin for the City of San Antonio found that the city’s creative economy generated $5.18 billion in total economic output in 2023 alone. Even more impressive: from 2019 to 2023, employment in the creative industry grew by 8.1%—faster than the overall San Antonio economy, which grew by 7.6%.

“Your support and leadership can make or break what comes next for our cultural legacy.”

But now, in a challenging and uncertain environment, our arts community faces growing pressure. This is why I created Kinder + DeBauche, with my husband, Dan DeBauche, a consulting firm that has helped many nonprofit organizations including those in the arts community. As part of our group, we help nonprofits raise the support they need to fulfill their missions. Fundraising for the arts has never been easy—and today, it’s harder than ever. Recent executive orders have limited federal funding from nonprofits in our community, creating enormous pressure for our beloved arts organizations to do what they do best: create and inspire. Cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency have slashed federal contracts and grants worth $863 million in Texas with San Antonio nonprofits, universities, and contractors losing $412 million alone.

According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, while total dollars raised in Q4 2024 increased, the number of donors giving in Q4 2024 dropped by 8.8%—especially among those making gifts of $100 or less. Donor retention is more difficult than ever, squeezed by economic uncertainty and competition from countless worthy causes.

There’s a common misconception that foundations and corporations drive philanthropy. They don’t, individuals do. According to the Giving USA report, 67% of all charitable donations in the U.S.—$326.87 billion—came from individuals. Foundations followed at 19% ($90.88 billion), bequests at 8% ($42.68 billion), and corporations at just 6% ($36.55 billion). Simply put: individual donors are the heartbeat of all philanthropy, especially in the arts.

Despite the challenges, there is still so much we can do. If you haven’t donated to a local arts organization you care about, do it. Make that gift today. If possible, mail a check—credit card fees eat into every contribution. Want to do more? Join a board. Volunteer your time. And if you want to be the MVP of donors, make a recurring or annual gift with no restrictions to fund an organization’s general operating expenses. Nonprofits cannot deliver their mission without the people they need to make the programs happen.

Building community takes all of us, working together to maintain what we have built together. I hope you’ll support your favorite San Antonio arts organizations, so we can continue this city’s long legacy of creativity, connection, and storytelling—for this generation and the next.