DUE 7/1! Nonprofit Film Festival Grants Available

Deadline: July 1, 2010

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Invites Film Festival Grant Applications

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is accepting applications for its Film Festival Grants program for nonprofit film festivals in the United States that will take place during the 2011 calendar year.

The Film Festival Grant program has awarded just under $4 million in total funding to film festivals since 1999. Grants totaling $450,000 were granted to twenty-four U.S. film festivals in 2009.

While the grants are awarded for a variety of programs, film festivals are encouraged to submit proposals that make festival events more accessible to the general public, provide greater access to minority and less visible filmmakers, and help strengthen the connection between the filmmaker and the public.

Only festivals based in the United States that have held at least five festivals as of December 31, 2009, are eligible to apply this year. Individual festivals are not allowed to receive grants in successive years. Festivals that do not screen films in a theatrical setting are not eligible to apply.
Eligible film festivals may apply for grants at four funding levels ranging from $2,500 to $30,000, depending on the cash budget of the festival. Grant requests must target one or more concrete elements within the festival. No grants will be awarded for general support.
Visit the academy's Web site for complete application information.

Contact:
http://www.oscars.org/education-outreach/grants/filmfestival/index.html

ArtServe Michigan: MCACA Budget Update

ArtServe Michigan: MCACA Budget Update

Yesterday, the Senate General Government Appropriations Subcommittee released and passed its substitute to House Bill 5880. Included in the bill was a total appropriation of $2,560,100 for the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, $300,000 above current year spending and $200,000 above the Governor's recommendation and the House approved appropriation for Fiscal Year 2011. The increase comes from additional anticipated federal revenue from the National Endowment for the Arts.

This current fiscal year, staffing and administrative costs are being covered primarily by the MEDC through its Job Creation Services fund. One of our concerns has been that the MCACA would have to cover its administrative costs out of the grant budget because the Governor had included no funds for staff - the House concurred with her recommendation. The Senate Subcommittee went against the Governor's recommended and House approved version of the bill by leaving the 3 FTE positions in the Job Creation Services line in the Strategic Fund budget.

Here's a summary of the differences:

Governor's Recommended and House Approved:
* MCACA - Total budget of $2,365,000
* Minus $400,000 in staffing costs
* Minus around $75,000 in unrealized funds from the tax check-off box (slated at $100,000)
* Total grant budget of around $1.8 million

Senate Substitute:
* MCACA - Total budget of $2,560,100
* Minus around $75,000 in unrealized funds from the tax check-off box (slated at $100,000)
* Total grant budget of around $2.1 - $2.2 million

While I know that there is still a long way to go in the budget process, I believe this to be a small victory. This is the first time in a long time that the Senate has chosen not to recommend a cut to the MCACA grant budget. I understand that this is still 93% below levels of 2001, but given the circumstances, I think we have much to be proud of by preserving funding for FY 2011.

I would like to thank all of the advocates residing in the subcommittee member's districts that sent emails asking them to preserve funding and include additional funds for staffing and administrative allocations. There's no doubt that your communications played a key role in ensuring that the subcommittee would choose not to recommend a cut for the first time in years.

The budget, passed by the full Appropriations Committee yesterday afternoon, will now go before the full Senate for a vote. Following its passage, the bill will be sent to conference committee where members from the Senate and House will hash out the differences. Trust that ArtServe will continue to monitor the budget situation as it progresses and will keep you informed each step of the way.

As always, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to email or call Mike Latvis directly at mike@artservemichigan.org or 248-379-5897.

CALL FOR ARTISTS DUE 6/1: MSHDA & SHPO call for photographers "Old is the New Green" contest

MSHDA and SHPO Announce New Michigan Historic Preservation Month Photography Contest

Enthusiasts Encouraged to Illustrate "Old is the New Green" in Photos Featuring Michigan's Architectural Heritage; Contest Offers Chance to Win "Green"

LANSING, Mich., May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Officials from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) today issued a call for entries from both amateur and professional photographers to showcase Michigan's architectural heritage by entering the "Old is the New Green" photo contest between May 1 and June 1, 2010.

During the month of May, State Historic Preservation Offices and communities around the country celebrate historic and cultural resources. National Historic Preservation Month is sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Trust has declared this year's theme to be "Old is the New Green," in recognition of the significant role historic preservation plays in more environmentally and economically sustainable development.

"What better way to show our appreciation of Michigan's rich architectural history than through photo documentation from those that have an eye for the unique and the creative skills to capture it on film," said MSHDA Executive Director Keith Molin.

By submitting one or more Old is the New Green-themed photos, you'll become eligible to:
* Have your photography displayed on the Michigan.gov/shpo Web site
* Be featured in media coverage supporting the contest
* Be highlighted on SHPO and MSHDA social media sites
* Be entered to win a Meijer gift card donated by the Michigan History Foundation, or one of three weekend getaway prizes to the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit, the Park Place Hotel in Traverse City, and Stafford's Perry Hotel in Petoskey. The Book Cadillac Hotel is a 2009 winner of the Governor's Award for Historic Preservation, and both the Park Place Hotel and Perry Hotel are listed in the State Register of Historic Sites. The getaway prizes were donated by the three hotels.

"We hope to spread the word throughout Michigan that preservation is inherently green by supporting sustainability," said State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway. "By reinvesting in our historic legacy, we are supporting a vision of environmental stewardship that is celebrated by the SHPO and MSHDA."

Photos must be received between May 1 and June 1, 2010. Submit photos via email to mshdaphoto@gmail.com or by mail to: Michigan State Housing Development Authority,
ATTN: Amanda Tuckey, PPMR, 4th Floor 735 E. Michigan Ave, P.O. Box 30044 Lansing, MI 48909. Complete rules and details of the contest are available athttp://www.michigan.gov/mshda/0,1607,7-141-54317-236223--,00.html.

Eight regional winners will be selected to receive either a gift card or one of three grand prizes. Winners will be notified the week of June 7, 2010. Following the close of the contest, a panel of judges comprised of contest administrators, historic preservation experts and professional photographers, will select top photo entries received from each of eight Michigan regions, including: Southeast Michigan, Southwest Michigan, Mid-Michigan, Thumb, West Michigan, Bay Area, Northern Lower and the Upper Peninsula. NOTE: The regional selections will be based on the address of the entrant, not the location of the photo. A regional winner will then be drawn at random from the pool of selected photos.

The State Historic Preservation Office is part of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority is dedicated to building a thriving and vibrant future for Michigan. MSHDA provides tools and resources to improve people's lives through programs across the state. These programs assist with housing, build strong neighborhoods, and help create places where people want to live and work. MSHDA's programs work in four areas: affordable rental housing; supporting homeownership; ending homelessness; and creating vibrant cities and neighborhoods. For further information on this or other MSHDA programs, go to www.michigan.gov/mshda.*

*MSHDA's loan and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds as well as notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. Proceeds are loaned at below-market interest rates to developers of rental housing, and help fund mortgages and home improvement loans. MSHDA also administers several federal housing programs.



SOURCE Michigan State Housing Development Authority

RELATED LINKShttp://www.michigan.gov/mshda

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