April 17, 2009

The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) today announced the availability of $432,100 in grant funding - $345,100 awarded to the council by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) and an additional $87,000 from Arts Midwest - to restore and retain jobs in the state's arts and cultural sector.

"The current economic downturn has taken its toll on Michigan's arts and cultural organizations, with many jobs already eliminated and many more in jeopardy," said Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs Executive Director John Bracey. "The Recovery Act funding will help these organizations hold onto or rehire employees who are critical to carrying out their artistic missions and attaining their public-service goals."

"Arts Midwest is very pleased to work in collaboration with our partners at MCACA in this historic effort to preserve jobs in Michigan's cultural community," said David Fraher, executive director of Arts Midwest. "In this challenging period, it is imperative for us all to understand that arts workers do play a critical role in our region's economy, and that a job saved - or created - in the arts is a job that will pay to put food on the table for a Michigan family, that will pay the rent or mortgage costs for a Michigan resident. We look forward to seeing the positive impact made by this important collaborative investment."

The application deadline is May 15, for funding to be spent between May 1 and Sept. 30, 2009. Applicants may request from $5,000 to $15,000. Application guidelines are available online at www.michigan.gov/arts or by calling (517) 241-4011. There is no application fee for this program.

A panel consisting of MCACA staff, council members, Arts Midwest staff and other consultants will review applications based on the following criteria:

• Quality of the organization.
• Potential of the project to have a significant and immediate impact on the arts work force.
• Significance of the project and position(s) to the mission and core work of the organization.
• Likelihood that the project will achieve the identified outcome(s) and the feasibility of the proposed performance measurements.
• Ability to carry out the project, including the appropriateness of the budget, the quality and clarity of the project goals and design, the resources involved and the qualifications of the project's personnel.
• The applicant's track record of responsiveness in current and past awards in terms of meeting MCACA contracting and reporting requirements.

Only organizations that received a fiscal year 2009 award from MCACA in the following programs are eligible to apply: Anchor Organization Program, Arts Projects Program, Local Art Agencies and Services Program, Arts and Learning Program and the Partnership Program.

Arts Midwest is a non-profit regional arts organization headquartered in Minneapolis, serving audiences, arts organizations and artists throughout the nine states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and beyond. Arts Midwest presents and sponsors performances and exhibitions seen by more than half a million people annually throughout the Midwest and around the world. Learn more at www.artsmidwest.org.

The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs serves to encourage, develop and facilitate an enriched environment of artistic, creative, cultural activity in Michigan. It is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/arts.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).