|
We are pleased to report that the Illinois Arts Council’s budget has been appropriated $19.6 million for FY 2005. At the end of the legislative session, the Illinois Arts Council’s $18.6 million budget was maintained. In addition, $1 million that was appropriated to the Arts Council during the November veto session for FY 2004 was never spent. Therefore that $1 million will be re-appropriated to the Illinois Arts Council in FY 2005. Governor Blagojevich signed the bill into law on July 30th. Funding at this level will position the Illinois Arts Council to provide a strong response to the needs of all the arts in the state. We believe this successful outcome is a result of the more than 3,500 letters that were sent by arts advocates to the Governor and legislators during this session. Thank you to all who gave a voice to the arts! Our success sets new standards in arts advocacy.
According to Americans for the Arts, the United States Senate has, at least temporarily, decided to suspend the appropriations process after failing to reach an agreement on spending limits. Thus, all spending bills, including the Interior appropriations bill that funds the NEA and NEH, are on hold. With both the House and Senate prepared to recess for the month of August, it is likely that the Senate will not be able to complete work on spending measures until at least September. The House passed a $10 million increase for the NEA in June, but that bill needs to be reconciled with any legislation the Senate passes.
http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=6073901&type=CO
According to Americans for the Arts, the House Appropriations Committee has approved a Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill that includes no funding for Arts in Education programs at the U.S. Department of Education. However, the House has had a pattern in recent years of not including funding for these programs, and arts advocates have had to rely on the Senate version of the bill to prevail, as it has each year since 2001. In FY2004, $35 million was provided for Arts in Education programs. The Senate will not take up the FY2005 spending bill until September.
http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5424871
The Arts Endowment has released Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, a research report presenting the results from the literature segment of the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. The report interprets data on literary reading and compares them with results from similar surveys carried out in 1982 and 1992. The study documents a dramatic decline in literary reading by American adults across all demographic groups.
http://www.arts.gov/news/news04/ReadingAtRisk.html
http://www.culturalcommons.org/announcedetail.cfm?ID=159
Last month, the Senate Finance Committee held a three hour hearing entitled, "Charity Oversight and Reform: Keeping Bad Things from Happening to Good Charities." The hearing focused on three issues: abuses in the industry; governance challenges; and ways to improve regulatory oversight. As a follow up to that hearing, the Finance Committee held a roundtable meeting on charitable oversight on July 22. Approximately 100 nonprofit officials attended this invitation-only session, and 18 nonprofit representatives were asked to submit white papers in response to the 19 page discussion draft released last month.
A summary of the meeting from the Chronicle of Philanthropy can be found at: http://philanthropy.com/free/update/2004/07/2004072301.htm.
Further information on the hearings can be found on the following sites:
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/round.htm; http://www.senate.gov/~finance/hearings/testimony/2004test/062204stfdis.pdf; http://finance.senate.gov/press/Gpress/2004/prg072104d.pdf
It's hard to figure out what kind of network your organization needs if you're not clear on the basic concepts. Learn how networks work and how they're classified.
http://ga0.org/ct/T11DYyY19BTK/
October is National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM). The NAHM section of the American’s for the Arts’ website has ideas for activities during the month and offers a sampling of what communities around the country have done in the past. They also encourage artists and arts organizations to obtain a proclamation recognizing NAHM from your community's elected officials. The website includes a sample proclamation, the NAHM logo, and tips on calling attention to your events with the media. http://www.AmericansForTheArts.org/services/visibility/nahm.asp
Think your old computer isn't good for much? Think again. We'll tell you how to keep an old computer in the best shape possible, and let you know other ways you can use it.
http://ga0.org/ct/ud1DYyY1mjTd/
This 89-page guide from TechSoup is designed to help organizations and schools assess how a technical volunteer can help, write up a job description for a technical volunteer, and manage and document volunteer work.
http://ga0.org/ct/O71DYyY1caHw/
Artist Interactive, “The Internet Service Provider with a Heart for the Arts,” announced a national plan to help arts organizations generate support organically from patrons’ Internet subscriptions. Artist Interactive gives back 10 percent of monthly Internet usage fees to patrons’ arts organizations of choice.
http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2004/07/28/32238.html
The SBC Foundation is accepting applications for its SBC Excelerator technology grants program, which this year will focus on helping nonprofits fully integrate technology into their ongoing operations and community outreach. Deadline: August 13, 2004
http://sbc.com/gen/corporate-citizenship?pid=58
Action Without Borders-Idealist.org is holding its first annual design competition for nonprofit organizations in the categories of Web, print, and multimedia. The competition seeks to promote excellence in design in the nonprofit sector and to reward and acknowledge those designers who move beyond limitations to create works that are functional, aesthetically powerful, and promote the social good. To be eligible, work must be produced for nonprofit organizations and be accompanied by a copy of the organization's tax-exempt certification or its latest newsletter or brochure. Work must have been completed between January 1, 2003, and August 31, 2004. Deadline: August 31, 2004
http://www.idealist.org/competitions/design.html
Grant guidelines for the foundation's 2004-05 funding cycle for painters are now available. The program will award grants of $5,000 and $10,000. Deadline: October 15, 2004
http://www.segalfoundation.org/Grants.shtml
Grants will be made only to tax-exempt organizations in the United States such as museums, universities, and other educational or art-related institutions for programs, exhibits, or publications that improve the understanding of Asian fine arts in the U.S. Deadline: November 1, 2004
http://www.blakemorefoundation.org/art.htm
The Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds focus on developing effective educational leaders to improve student learning, providing informal learning opportunities for children and families in communities, and increasing participation in the arts. Deadline: open.
http://www.wallacefunds.org
The Tiffany & Co. Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the following areas: crafts and arts education; preservation and conservation of arts and traditional craftsmanship; decorative arts; and environmental conservation: organizations dedicated to the conservation of natural resources.
For complete details on how to apply for a grant and information on recent grants, see the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Web site:
http://tiffanyandcofoundation.org/
The second annual Presidents’ Arts Friendly Community Award, presented by the Illinois Arts Alliance Foundation in collaboration with the Illinois Municipal League, with special support from Motorola, Inc. will be awarded on September 18th. The purpose of this award is to highlight and promote municipal support of the arts in Illinois communities and to honor municipal leaders who have encouraged innovative approaches to using the arts to build healthy communities. The award showcases programs and projects that may be viewed as models or best practices for other communities. The application deadline is August 13, 2004. To nominate your community or for more information visit: http://www.artsalliance.org/comm_awards.shtml.
Throughout this summer, the Illinois Arts Alliance/Foundation will be traveling throughout the state, visiting Local Arts Agencies and meeting with community leaders at a number of Cultural Roundtables. The purpose of these informal gatherings is to learn more about the arts throughout Illinois and how the Arts Alliance can best serve the needs of local arts leaders, and to create an opportunity for IAAF staff to get to know you (and vice versa). We’d love to visit your community. If you’re interested in hosting a Cultural Roundtable meeting, or just want more information, contact Lisa May Simpson at 312.855.3105 X15 or simpson@artsalliance.org.
ASAE Annual Meeting and Exposition August 14-17, 2004 in Minneapolis. http://annual.asaenet.org/2004/
"High Touch/High Tech: Cutting Edge Strategies for Reaching and Keeping Today's Arts Customers," October 2-5, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois.
http://www.artsmarketingconference.org/
Dancing with Different Partners: Grantmakers in the Arts 2004 Conference. October 17-20. 2004 in Cleveland, OH
http://www.culturalcommons.org/eventdetail.cfm?id=922
Making Participation Count. November 7-9, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois.
http://www.independentsector.org/annualconference/2004/main.htm
Boardsource Leadership Forum: Challenging Board Practices, J.W. Marriott Hotel Washington, D.C., November 14 -15, 2004. http://www.boardsource.org/landingpage.asp?ID=55
National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts 2004 Annual Conference. November 18-21, 2004 in
Boston, MA ~ Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel
http://www.nationalguild.org
Moving Forward on Shifting Ground: Association of Performing Arts Presenters 48th Annual Members Conference/ January 8 11, 2005 in New York
http://www.culturalcommons.org/eventdetail.cfm?id=921
One State: Together in the Arts, co-convened by the Illinois Arts Alliance Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council. May 12-13 in Chicago, Illinois. http://www.artsalliance.org/conference.shtml
The Value of the Performing Arts in Ten Communities, a summary report on research conducted by the Performing Arts Research Coalition (PARC) and the Urban Institute, finds broad support for the performing arts among Americans.. The summary, available as a free download, highlights an audience for the performing arts in those communities surveyed that is unexpectedly large, with far-reaching cultural, social, and educational implications.
http://www.performingartsconvention.org/releases/PARC10CityfinalforNPACwebsite.pdf
This article by Clara Miller in the Nonprofit Quarterly examines the wisdom of looking a gift horse in the mouth: “In the nonprofit economy gifts are a significant, influential form of currency. And here, too, givers and receivers alike have difficulty describing — much less producing — the right gift. A shared set of rules of ‘gift physics’ that predict some of the intended and unintended effects of large gifts can help guide both sides. Conventional wisdom might prescribe that we avoid looking a gift horse in the mouth, but experience—from Troy to today—teaches us that a quick look into the gift horse’s mouth, helps givers and receivers alike avoid common pitfalls.”
http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/section/515.html
What's new in your patch of the prairie? artsnetwork-l@culturemail.org
Subscribers to Locals Online may
use the list serve to share ideas and ask questions of other members
of the Local Arts Network. To take advantage of this forum for
communication between local arts leaders, simply address your message
to artsnetwork-l@culturemail.org
(that's "l"; as in local, not the number 1). |
August 4, 2004 - Volume 5, Number 2
