ARTSERVE MICHIGAN: General Election Results

ARTSERVE MICHIGAN
General Election Results

This past Tuesday, voters from across the state went to the polls to elect candidates to federal, state and local offices. As you know, voters have elected Rick Snyder to serve as Michigan’s 48th Governor. Additionally, Republicans have gained full control of the state legislature garnering 26 of 38 seats in the Senate and 63 of 110 seats in the House.

Click here to view a full listing of the 2010 Unofficial Michigan General Election Results.

ArtServe would like to congratulate and thank each and every candidate for their dedication and passion for moving Michigan forward. While they held differing opinions on many issues, it was clear that each candidate cared deeply for Michigan and its future.

As you know, over the past five months, ArtServe has worked to get to know the candidates and inform them of the importance of arts, culture and arts education to Michigan’s citizens, communities and economy. We look forward to working with Governor-Elect Snyder and the newly elected members of the legislature when they take office in January.

Until then, ArtServe will work to connect with the Snyder Transition Team as well as continue to build upon the relationships we have made with the newly elected members of the legislature. Stay tuned for further information and details of ArtServe’s plans for the future.

As always, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact ArtServe's Director of Public Policy, Mike Latvis at 248-379-5897 or mike@artservemichigan.org.

ARTS RESPONSE to the 2010 ELECTION from Americans for the Arts (AFTA)

Statement by Americans for the Arts on the 2010 Election

The Arts Are Part of the Economic Recovery Solution

WASHINGTON, DC — November 3, 2010 — Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch gave the following statement on the Election Day results:

“Frustration with the nation’s lack of economic recovery is clearly top of mind among voters and candidates. Likewise, nonprofit arts organizations have also felt the sting of the recession with state and local government arts funding dropping as much as 16 percent, and private charitable gifts to the arts declining $1.2 billion in just two years. Additionally, individual artists have been experiencing unemployment at twice the rate of other educated, professional workers.

As our newly-elected leaders at the federal, state, and local levels focus on creating jobs and growing the economy, it is imperative that they understand the profound role the arts play in spurring economic growth and job creation. The nation’s 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations are part of the small business sector, and the nation’s 2.2 million professional artists are among the millions of business entrepreneurs fueling the economy. It is also important that our newly-elected leaders appreciate the connection between arts education training and the development of creative and innovative workforce skills, which are essential to future workers to compete effectively in the 21st Century global economy.

For the past four years, the House of Representatives initiated several hearings to spotlight the role of the arts in both the economy and in workforce development, yielding more than $100 million in new public investments in the arts and culture. Americans for the Arts looks forward to working with the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus and Senate Cultural Caucus on Capitol Hill to continue educating freshman members on how the arts fuel our nation’s economy. We want to congratulate three of the four Caucus members who were up for re-election on their convincing win last night and look forward to working closely with them in the 112th Congress. They are Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Representative Todd Platts (R-PA), and Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY). We also look forward to working with Representative Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Representative Mark Kirk (R-IL), both already champions of the arts in the House, as they move into their newly elected Senate seats.

At the state government level, several arts champions— based on their record in other public offices or platform statements—have been elected as Governor. They include Governors-elect Jerry Brown (D-CA), Dan Malloy (D-CT), Tom Corbett (R-PA), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Lincoln Chaffee (I-RI), Mark Dalton (D-MN), John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Rick Snyder (R-MI).

Locally, there were 232 Mayoral elections in cities with a population of over 30,000. Among the many new promising arts champions, Providence, RI Mayor-Elect Angel Taveras and Louisville, KY Mayor-elect Greg Fischer identified the arts as a way to harness local talent and creative energy to power the economy.

Americans for the Arts will soon begin conducting the next installment of national research to document the size, impact, and trends of the nonprofit arts industry for its Arts and Economic Prosperity IV study. The previous study demonstrated that the nonprofit arts industry generates $166.2 billion of economic activity annually, which supports 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs.”

Next Steps:
Americans for the Arts will be undertaking a number of comprehensive initiatives to welcome and educate new members of Congress, but we can’t do this without you! Starting today and in the next few months, we ask you to:

* Send a letter of congratulations to each elected leader representing your community (federal, state, and local levels) and identify yourself or your organization as a resource on arts policy issues.
* Ask all freshman members of Congress to begin thinking about joining the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus or Senate Cultural Caucus. We will be sending more information about this in the coming weeks.
* Work with your state and local arts advocacy organizations to develop a unified message to your newly-elected state and local leaders.
* Save the dates of April 4-5, 2011 to come to Washington, DC for National Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. We especially need grassroots advocates representing the districts and states of newly elected Congressional members.
* Become an official member of Americans for the Arts Action Fund, it’s free and it helps you stay connected to all the latest political breaking news impacting the arts.

Changes to NEA guidelines info - more MI orgs need to apply!!

Announcement below was contributed by Carolyn Damstra, Program Manager at Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs:

Good morning,
I want to share the following important message from the Endowment, please distribute. I strongly encourage organizations to look into applying for direct NEA grants, Michigan doesn’t always get its share of these due to lack of applicants—not due to lack of quality programs because I know they exist! Please note the education program deadline change and the innovation program in particular.
Thanks,
Carolyn


Changes to NEA Guidelines

To help you plan for your application to the NEA in 2011, we'd like to give you a preview of some changes to the NEA's Grants for Arts Projects application guidelines that will be posted in January 2011.

Here are the highlights of the changes:

* The Access to Artistic Excellence and Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth categories have been replaced with a new funding category called Art Works, which will embody the agency's guiding principle: "Art works."

*Art Works will support the four outcomes mandated by the Agency's 2010 Strategic Plan:
- Creation: The creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence,
- Engagement: Public engagement with diverse and excellent art,
- Learning: Lifelong learning in the arts, and
- Livability: The strengthening of communities through the arts.

You will be asked to select the outcome that is most relevant to your project and that reflects the results expected to be achieved by your project. If you receive a grant, you also will be asked to provide evidence that the outcome was achieved.

* Within these outcomes, innovative projects are encouraged. To ensure that innovative ideas and formats for artistic expression are supported, the NEA is requiring that Consortium applications be for innovative projects (see below for a definition).

What does this mean to you?

If you've been applying to Access to Artistic Excellence, you now will apply to Art Works.

* The two application deadlines are at the same times as last year (March 10 and August 11, 2011).
* You'll continue to go to the discipline that is most relevant to your project as your starting place.
* All types of projects supported in the past continue to be eligible in Art Works.

If you've been applying to Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth, you now will apply to Art Works through the Arts Education discipline.

* If you have a pre-K through 12 curriculum-based project that aligns with national or state arts education standards, your new starting place for funding will be with the Arts Education discipline.
* You will need to make a schedule adjustment within the Arts Education discipline. You may apply to either the March 10 or August 11, 2011, application deadlines; there no longer is a June deadline. The March deadline will be for community-based projects with project start dates of January 1, 2012, or later. The August deadline will be for school-based projects with project start dates of June 1, 2012, or later.

If you will be applying for an official Consortium project in Art Works, you must apply for an innovative project. An official Consortium project is an exception to the one-application rule and represents a partnership of organizations that undertakes a shared project. In general, innovative projects are characterized as those that may prove transformative with the potential for meaningful change; are distinctive by offering fresh insights and new value for the field and/or the public through unconventional solutions; and may be shared and/or emulated, or lead to other innovations.

A note about Challenge America Fast-Track: This funding category will still be available with an application deadline of May 26, 2011. This year we're implementing a policy to limit consecutive-year funding. If you've received a Challenge America Fast-Track grant for the last three years, you are not eligible to apply to the Fast-Track category this year. You may apply to other NEA funding opportunities including Art Works.

Grants.gov update: Grants.gov has implemented new security requirements for the use of the Grants.gov system. Among the changes, you are required to change your password every 90 days. See www.grants.govfor more details.

Once the Grants for Arts Projects guidelines are posted in January, take a look, and if anything is unclear, contact the discipline staff that is appropriate to your project (see "Agency Contacts").

The National Endowment for the Arts www.arts.gov

THIS NEA ANNOUNCEMENT FORWARDED BY:
Carolyn Damstra
Program Manager, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
300 N. Washington Square
Lansing, MI 48913
(517) 241-3968
FAX (517) 241-3979
damstrac@michigan.org
www.themedc.org/Arts

DUE: 1/15/11!! 2011 Bus Grant Program, up to $500, MI K12 schools eligible

The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs Offers the 2011 Bus Grant Program to Help K-12 Students Access Michigan Cultural Institutions

October 20, 2010

The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) is offering grantsof up to $500 to Michigan K-12 schools for the transportation cost of an arts andculture-related field trip. The destination or performance must be chosen by theschool from a list of organizations affiliated with MCACA.

This is the second year of this program. In Fiscal Year 2010, MCACA funded146 schools, benefitting more than 17,000 students. The need for this funding isstaggering. Last year’s applications revealed significant decreases or no field tripfunding available in their districts, coupled with increasing inability for parentsto pay for these valuable experiences. Cultural institutions have also seen theiraudience and visitor numbers drop substantially, and research shows that thesingle largest factor in building adult audiences at cultural events is exposure asa child.

This program is an attempt to stem this downward cycle and improveeducational experiences. An elementary music teacher wrote, “I can teach themsongs, I can teach them the beat and the notes and even how to play someinstruments. I can play CDs of famous symphonies and arias, and tell them aboutBach and Beethoven. But what I cannot do within the confines of my classroomis give them a true aesthetic experience of a live performance of top notchmusicians.”

The application and list of organizations can be found at www.themedc.org/artsunder “Grant Program.” Deadline to apply is January 15, 2011, for trips that takeplace March 1, 2011, through May 30, 2011. For more information contactCarolyn Damstra, Program Manager, damstrac@michigan.org, (517) 241-3968or (517) 241-4011.

The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs serves to encourage,develop and facilitate an enriched environment of artistic, creative and culturalactivity in Michigan. For more information on our initiatives and programs, visitwww.themedc.org/arts. Become a fan on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/bgeWqP.

ArtServe Update: Statement on the DIA Line Item

ARTSERVE MICHIGAN UPDATE:

STATEMENT ON THE DIA LINE ITEM

If you are not already aware, last Tuesday the Detroit Institute of Arts received a line item appropriation of up to $10 million as a one-time grant supported by General Fund dollars from lapsed FY 2010 year-end funds. As we have come to understand, this action by administration officials and legislators fulfilled a prior state commitment to assist in supporting asbestos remediation expenses incurred by the DIA in its stewardship role for this government-owned building.

Founded in 1885, the Detroit Institute of Arts is one of Michigan's treasured cultural institutions, attracting thousands of visitors each year and contributing richly to the city, region and state. The funds granted will help the DIA recover a portion of those prior infrastructure costs -- moving the organization forward in its continued efforts to regain financial stability during one of this state's worst economic climates. No funds were allocated to support programs or operations.

We understand the efforts of the administration and legislature to satisfy this prior funding commitment for the Detroit Institute of Arts. However, we must also remind our leaders of the needs of the hundreds of arts, culture and arts education organizations of all sizes that contribute richly to our state and its communities.

ArtServe opposes legislative line items in principle. It is a process that negates the state-mandated, competitive, peer adjudication grant review process administered by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. It is a process that eliminates the opportunity for a fair and equitable distribution of state resources to serve the public and its needs and interests.

Therefore, while we support increased funding for Michigan's arts and cultural organizations, ArtServe urges the present and incoming administration and legislature to carefully weigh the significant role of the creative sector as an economic driver and transformative force as it considers its responsibilities to invest in Michigan's arts and cultural institutions.

Arts, culture and arts education organizations contribute over 75,000 jobs and over 21,000 creative businesses to Michigan's economy. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation reported in 2008 that arts and cultural organizations furthered state cultural tourism and economic development goals by generating $1.8 billion in state tourism revenues and $1.5 billion in personal income through their employees. In an economy with a 13% unemployment rate, we should be working to retain and attract jobs in the creative sector just as we are in business and industry.

In spite of these economic benefits, the state's investment in the arts has been cut 90% since 2002, positioning Michigan as the 48th of 50 states in per capita funding for the arts. The Fiscal Year 2011 budget for the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs is just over $2.5 million. Of that amount, only $1.4 million is supported by the state's General Fund thanks to matching funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. The state's support for arts and cultural organizations is not comparable to the attention offered for business and industry in spite of the clear economic benefits.

ArtServe urges the state leadership to work with Michigan's arts and cultural leaders to develop sustainable strategies to restore funding for the arts, culture and arts education to appropriate levels.

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

ArtServe Update: MCACA FY2011 OFFICIAL BUDGET

ARTSERVE MICHIGAN UPDATE:

MCACA FISCAL YEAR 2011 BUDGET

Last week, the Conference Committee on General Government met to vote on the General Government budget for Fiscal Year 2011. The total appropriation for the MCACA in Fiscal Year 2011 will be $2,560,100 - a $200,000 increase from the current Fiscal Year due to increased federal funds received from the National Endowment for the Arts.

However, while the MCACA budget was left intact, the conference report included language stating that the three council staff was to be paid out of the council's grant budget instead of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Strategic Fund's Job Creation Services Fund. Knowing the MEDC would push for this, ArtServe spent the past few months working with legislators to include $400,000 in an administrative line for the council in the conference report. Unfortunately, due to the amount of money the legislature has to work with we were unable to get the conference committee to include money for the council's administrative staff.

In addition to losing approximately $400,000 to administrative costs, the overall MCACA budget will be decreased by an estimated $72,000 due to unrealized funds from the MCACA tax check-off. The legislature had "penciled" in $100,000 in an effort to ensure that a supplemental appropriation was not needed.

Breaking down the Conference Report for the MCACA:
- Total appropriation of $2,560,100 (of which $1,050,000 is federal money, $1,410,100 in state General Fund dollars and $100,000 in individual donations)
- Minus around $72,000 in unrealized funds from the tax check-off box (slated at $100,000 -- Michigan citizens contributed around $28,000)
- Minus approximately $400,000 in administrative costs
- Total FY 2011 grant budget of approximately $2,088,100

While the exclusion of funding for administrative staffing costs is unfortunate, it's not the end of the world as the MCACA will continue to provide limited but much needed financial support to this state's arts and cultural organizations. Moving on, I look forward to working with a new administration and legislature next year to begin recapitalizing the MCACA.

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

ArtServe Update: MCACA FY2011 Grant Info

ARTSERVE MICHIGAN UPDATE:
MCACA FY2011 GRANT INFORMATION

The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs met to discuss and approve grant programs for Fiscal Year 2011 and has decided to move forward with the grant process using the same funding structure as the current grant cycle.

The council agreed to keep the grant programs the same as Fiscal Year 2010, but made a few changes to the grant requirements as well as providing updated deadlines. Below is a detailed report of the changes and/or requirements for each grant program.

MCACA FY 2011 Programs
1. Program for Operational and Project Support (POPS) - Changes for FY 2011:

• All MCACA applicants (except mini-grant applicants) must register with the Cultural Data Project, www.miculturaldata.org. A full data set entry will be required by January 25 in order for grantees to receive their first payment. Note: Municipalities, government organizations and other organizations that are not primarily arts and culture-focused entities (i.e. church, school) are exempt from this requirement.
• All awarded applicants are required to notify their legislators of their grant award. A copy of this letter or email must be submitted with their contract. This also includes mini-grant recipients.
• All applicants must submit an IRS Determination Letter. Due to the new Tax-exempt requirements, MCACA will be verifying current nonprofit status by checking to see if a form 990 has been filed in the last three years.
• A $50.00 non-refundable application fee will be required for this program.

2. Regional Regranting Program

• Changes---all of the above apply to regranting agencies, except no application fee. Mini-grant recipients will be required to notify legislators.

3. Services to the Field

• Changes---all of the above, except no application fee

4. Bus Grant Program

• Timeline and other minor administrative changes to this program need to be discussed by staff.

5. NLACM Retention and Engagement Youth Grant program

• NLACM members need to review program and recommend any changes.

FY 2011 Programs timeline:
September 22--- deadline for Regranters to apply
September 27--- release guidelines and open E-grant system for Program for Operational and Project Support (POPS) and Services to the Field
October 31--- most FY2010 Final Reports due
November 1--- POPS, Services to the Field, and Mini-grants deadline
December 6-17 -- Panel meetings
Mid-January--- Council meeting to announce awards

Note: Bus Grants program and New Leaders Arts Council of Michigan Retention and Engagement Youth Grant Program date are TBD.

As always, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact Mike Latvis at mike@artservemichigan.org or 248-3790-5897.