Chicago’s cultural and special events department is unique in the city’s budget, drawing most of its funding from the hotel and special events tax. As a result, DCASE funding is largely siloed from the city’s general-purpose corporate fund.
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2026 Budget
Headcount at DCASE is up two budgeted positions, with an additional position in the Cultural Affairs Coordinator II title and a new Finance Officer title.
Although the amount is minor, DCASE draws from the corporate fund this year, which it had not in recent previous years: $133,580 from the corporate fund goes towards salary and salary adjustments for the two new titles added in this year’s budget.
Outside contracting through the professional and technical services is up dramatically in this year’s DCASE budget, a $4.5 million increase (46.3%). Slightly more than matching that amount, DCASE’s prior year $4.9 million appropriation for delegate agency pass-through funding has been entirely eliminated from the 2027 proposal.
Historical Context
After a relatively stable decade of funding, DCASE’s budget underwent several years of dramatic fluctuations during the COVID-19 pandemic. DCASE’s budget initially dropped in 2021 as shutdowns of events and hotels cut off its main source of revenue, then rebounded with pandemic relief funds in 2022, peaking at 2024 and declining in 2025 and 2026. The current proposal would increase the department’s appropriations by 0.8% from the previous year.
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Appropriations and Inflation-adjusted Appropriations (2025 dollars)
Values in nominal dollars.
Values in 2025 dollars. No supplied inflation factors for 2026, 2027; those years remain gaps.
City budgets do not break out “fringe” pension and benefit costs for non-grant positions by department, instead grouping them together as citywide expenses under the Finance General section of the budget. To better reflect the real cost of service for departmental operations, BGA Policy has included an estimate of pension and benefit costs for the years 2018-2026, using Department of Finance fringe memos from each relevant year. An estimated fringe cost for the 2027 proposal uses the average annual rate of increase for each of the inputs into the fringe formulae.
Based on the city’s fringe formulae, the DCASE fringe cost for nongrant employees averaged 7.2% from 2018-2026, compared to a citywide average of 26.8%. (Departments with a larger proportion of their budget dedicated to non-employee costs or with a larger proportion of grant-funded employees tend to have lower fringe costs, as their pension/benefit costs are either already factored into grant funds or are a smaller percentage of the overall departmental budget.)
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Appropriations with Estimated Fringe Cost of Pensions and Benefits for Budgeted Non-grant Positions, 2018–2027 (proposed)
Over the past four complete budget years for which local fund actuals/encumbrances data is available, DCASE spent on average 87% of its locally funded budget, very close to the citywide average 86.6% local fund spend.
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Local Fund Actuals, 2022–2025
Outside of a pandemic-influenced dip in 2021, staffing levels at DCASE have remained relatively stable over the years, unlike the department’s fluctuating appropriations. Overall, the department’s budgeted headcount grew at an average annual rate of 0.3% from 2011-2026, compared to a citywide average annual change of -0.1%. The current proposal would increase budgeted headcount by 2.5% from the previous year.
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Budgeted Workforce, 2011–2027 (proposed)
From January through September of 2026, the months for which full-time position vacancy data is currently available, DCASE averaged a 21.5% vacancy rate, compared to the citywide average of 11.2%.
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Full-time Vacancies, Jan-Sept 2026
Nine of the department’s budgeted full-time positions were persistent vacancies (defined as the number of positions within the same combination of title, subsection, section, division, department, and fund codes that remained vacant in all nine months of available data):
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Persistent Full-time Vacancies, Jan-Sept 2026
Headcount at DCASE is up two budgeted positions, with an additional position in the Cultural Affairs Coordinator II title and a new Finance Officer title.
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Net and Percent Position/FTE Changes, 2026 to 2027 (Proposed) Budgets
DCASE is 76.1% locally-funded in this year’s budget proposal, up from the previous year’s 70.4%.
Although the amount is minor, DCASE draws from the corporate fund this year, which it had not in recent previous years: $133,580 from the corporate fund goes towards salary and salary adjustments for the two new titles added in this year’s budget.
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Fund Comparison, 2026–2027
As in last year’s budget, the largest standalone appropriation in DCASE’s 2027 proposal is for festival production, followed by outside contracting through the professional and technical services appropriation.
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Top 10 Largest Appropriations, 2027 proposed
In 2025, the most recent complete budget year for which local fund actuals and encumbrances data is available, DCASE spent 93.1% of its locally-funded budget.
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events 2025 Actual Spend (Local Funds)
Outside contracting through the professional and technical services is up dramatically in this year’s DCASE budget, a $4.5 million increase (46.3%). Slightly more than matching that amount, DCASE’s prior year $4.9 million appropriation for delegate agency pass-through funding has been entirely eliminated from the 2027 proposal.
Similarly, funding for festival production is up $3 million from the previous year (a 26.7% increase), while grant funds held in reserve balance are down just over $3 million (-40.4%).
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Net and Percent Appropriation Changes, 2026 to 2027 (proposed) Budgets
Geoffrey Cubbage analyzes policy and budgets at the Better Government Association, covering state lawmakers and Chicago City Council. He joined BGA in 2022 after directing policy and economic development for Chicago’s 40th Ward.
