Funding cuts prompt arts-grant changes

After seeing its funding slashed by more than 70 percent in this year's state budget, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs is moving ahead with new priorities.

The $2.15 million that the council has available for grants this year, out of a total $2.25 million state appropriation that includes some $839,000 in National Endowment for the Arts money, compares with $7.6 million in grant awards the council made in fiscal 2009.

And last year's amount wasn't even one-third of what the council had nearly a decade ago. In fiscal 2001, before state funding started to drop, the council gave out nearly $26 million in grants.

“You ask yourself the question, when you've gone from a matter of $26 million statewide, down to $2 million, what do you do to remain viable ... and remain a steward for arts and culture in Michigan,” said John Bracey, executive director of the council.

“We have a little bit of money, and we're going to try to do the absolute best we can.”

For the current year, that includes:

• Asking arts and cultural organizations what they need the most and allocating the majority of its grant money toward a new program providing funds for operational support and projects.

Under the Program for Operational and Project Support, grants are available to help organizations with operating costs such as salaries, marketing, equipment and space rental, and supplies, as well as with projects.

Applicants for operating grants fall under a tiered system in which their last operating budget determines the size of the grant they can request. The range tops at $20,000 and goes down to $5,000.

For projects, funding requests must be a minimum of $5,000 and can be no more than $7,500. In both operating and projects grants, recipients must provide at least an equal cash match.

• Allocating about $500,000, some 36 percent less than last year, to continue a mini-grant program in which the council disperses money to 19 regional agencies around Michigan. The agencies offer grants of up to $4,000 to nonprofit organizations, schools and municipalities to support a variety of arts and cultural programs.

“It's an incredibly important program to us and our mission,” Bracey said.

• Reinstating a program, begun last year as a pilot, that helps schools pay for the transportation costs of field trips to designated council-affiliated arts and cultural organizations.

This year's total funding for the School Bus Fast Grants is $60,000, triple last year's amount. Grants of up to $500 are available.

Bracey said that besides providing an educational experience for students, arts and cultural venues benefit from field trips that had been on the decline.

• Continuing to work with organizations that provide additional services and assistance: the Michigan Humanities Council, advocacy group ArtServe Michigan, and Minneapolis-based Arts Midwest, an association that encompasses nine Midwest state arts agencies.

Mike Latvis, director of public policy at ArtServe, said he can appreciate “how hard it was to try to decide how to divvy up just north of $2 million.” The state council “made the best of it,” he said.

“Their goal was to spread this money as far as they could, to ensure that the impact of arts and culture in Michigan doesn't suffer. And I think that they did a good job of that.”

Latvis said the outreach that the council did, asking organizations what they needed, was a good move as was not charging grant application fees this year.

At present, given Michigan's continuing budget straits and a potential shortfall of more than $1.7 billion in the upcoming 2011 fiscal year, the outlook isn't good for rebuilding general-fund support for the arts grants.

Latvis said that while ArtServe will continue to advocate for increased funding and fight against any further cuts, the group is placing a high focus on the November elections and informing candidates about the significance and economic importance of arts and culture to the state.

“We're not saying that arts and culture, that we're going to turn around the state budget or the state for that matter, but we're one of the eggs in the basket,” he said.