Through the 2001 City Bond program, funding was made available to promote knowledge and appreciation of the cultures of Latinos.
In 2016, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture secured the services of a consultant to conduct a capital needs assessment and feasibility study, including a management/business plan and evaluation of potential tie-ins with other cultural resources. In 2017, the study was released. This process centered around an extensive community input process consisting of over 20 one-on-one interviews, site visits to arts organizations and facilities in Phoenix and surrounding areas, three public town halls, two focus groups, and an electronic survey with 254 respondents.
In 2019, Mayor Thelda Williams created the Latino Center Ad Hoc Committee to evaluate and make recommendations to the City Council next year about the next steps, including possible sites for a center and the development of a strategic plan, which will result in business and operating, programming, and partnership and fundraising strategies. The committee used the 2017 Capital Assessment and Feasibility Study as its roadmap. The Ad Hoc Committee developed several recommendations proposed to the City Council on site and operations, programs and services, and funding and partnerships. The Ad Hoc Committee sunset on June 30, 2020, and presented their final report to Phoenix City Council on September 22, 2020. The City Council approved the report and final recommendations.
The City of Phoenix is committed to this project and creating the Latino Cultural Center as a city program and asset. It will be overseen and operated by the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, which manages several cultural facilities, community cultural programming, and the City’s Public Art Program.
