Helping the local arts and cultural community thrive in Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts (TBBCA) educates and motivates businesses to support arts and culture as an investment for the community and develops a number of programs that foster support and recognition for the arts in Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay BCA is actively involved in setting up partnering relationships between businesses and cultural institutions in both Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.

Every five years the TBBCA commissions a financial firm to produce an Economic Impact Study to determine the effect arts and culture have on Tampa Bay’s economy.  The most recent report commissioned in 2005, by PricewaterhouseCoopers, shows cultural institutions and activities contributed to over half a million dollars in revenue for the Tampa Bay area.  Tourism is a major pillar of Tampa Bay’s economy and statistics show travelers who visit cultural sites stay longer and spend more money than those who don’t visit cultural sites. Cultural institutions are a significant part of our economic revitalization playing a role in the process of business attraction and retention and serves to make the Bay Area an appealing place to live.

Part of the mission for TBBCA is to educate, motivate, support and develop arts and culture opportunities within our community.  The TBBCA’s cornerstone programs are:

• High School Art Stars
• Chalk Walk
• Cultural Encounters

Another aspect of the TBBCA’s mission is to recognize and honor Bay Area businesses and individuals who provided exceptional support to local arts and cultural institutions.  These individuals and businesses are celebrated at the TBBCA’s annual Businesses & Individuals in the Arts Awards Gala.