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topE-Newsletter July, 2009
In This Issue
FY2010 Grant Increases
MRAC Arts Achievement Awards
Arts Activities Support Grant Awards
Arts Activities Support Grant Deadline
Training
Annual Meeting
Resource Updates
MRAC Holiday Hours
Forward to a Friend
MRAC on Facebook
MRAC FY08 Summary
Quick Links
Resources
About Us
Greetings!

In late June, MRAC announced that maximum grant awards in most of our programs will increase in our fiscal year 2010, beginning July 1, 2009. This is the first increase in grant sizes in many years, and comes at a time when we believe arts organizations need it most. Details on all of our grant programs for FY2010 can be found in the Grants section of our website.

The Minnesota State Arts Board recently posted guidelines for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) grants for Minnesota arts organizations.  The deadline is July 13, 2009, but the application procedure is relatively simple.  If you have received a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board or MRAC or any of the 10 other Regional Arts Councils in any of the last four years, you may be eligible to apply.

We are delighted to announce that the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent, and Kulture Klub Collaborative are the recipients of the first MRAC Arts Achievement Awards.   The MRAC Arts Achievement Award recognizes two organizations each year that particularly exemplify MRAC's mission of incorporating the arts into the daily lives of communities. MRAC received 45 nominations representing 41 organizations, and the MRAC board of directors served as the selection panel. Their task was extremely difficult because of the richness of outstanding organizations in the 7-county region.

Anticipating the arrival of new funding generated by the Legacy Amendment, we will be seeking your input on the disbursement of these funds in the areas designated by the legislature of Arts Access, Arts Education, and Arts and Cultural Heritage.  Please watch your e-mails and our website for a survey that we expect to distribute in July.  

Sincerely,

Jeff Prauer
FY 2010 Grant Amount Increases

The maximum grant request amounts have increased for several MRAC grant programs. Click on the linked grant program name for more information about that grant program and to download the FY2010 guidelines and application.

Arts Activities Support, $10,000 (Round 1 - Deadline: Monday, July 13, 2009)
Community Arts, $5,000 (Round 1 - Deadline: Monday October 5, 2009)
Creative Intersections, $10,000 (Round 1 - Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2009)
Organizational Development, $10,000 (Deadline: Monday, November 9, 2009)
Capital, $10,000 (Deadline: Monday, November 9, 2009)
Management Consulting Fund, $1,500 (Deadline: monthly)

Click here for an overview of the FY2010 guideline changes.

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MRAC Arts Achievement Awards Announced

 The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council board of directors has selected Kulture Klub Collaborative and The Center for Hmong Arts and Talent to be the first two recipients of the MRAC Arts Achievement Award, which includes a cash payment of $2,500. The nominations were reviewed by the MRAC board of directors based on how an arts group was exemplary in:
·    Causing artists and arts activities to thrive, and/or
·    Integrating the arts into the social fabric and identity of a community(s) , and/or
·    Enhancing understanding of the public value of the arts.

Click here to read the press release.

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Arts Activities Support (round 2) Grant Awards

 The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council's second round of FY09 Arts Activities Support grants will fund 36 arts activity projects that will reach approximately 77,000 people. The organizations and projects chosen demonstrate both strong artistic quality and a connection to a community need. This round's funded projects include ethnic dance performances, dance and performing art instruction, theater and puppet performances, visual art exhibitions, concert series, art classes, radio recording sessions, youth art opportunities, poetry readings, and an art of aging exhibit and presentation.

Click here for a list of this round' s grant recipients sorted by county. Each entry includes a short description of the project and the amount of the award. The grant recipients' web address (when available) is also included as a way to access more information about the specific arts organization and project.

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FY2010 Round 1 Arts Activities Support Grant Deadline
The next deadline for Arts Activities Support grant applications is Monday, July 13, 2009 with an earliest project start date of September 23. Applications must be RECEIVED by 5:00 P.M. on the deadline date. This is not a postmark deadline.

Make sure you have the current materials. Visit the Arts Activities Support grant program page for more information about the grant program and to download the guidelines and application.
 
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MRAC training opportunities will begin again in the fall
MRAC's Annual Meeting

MRACs annual meeting will be held July 28 at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center from 4:30 to 6:30 P.M.

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Resource Updates (These non-MRAC opportunites are listed at MRAC's discretion. The listing does not indicate an endorsement.)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Public Law 111-5) stimulus grants to help preserve jobs in Minnesota's nonprofit arts sector are available through the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB) in partnership with Arts Midwest. Grants range from $10,000 to $25,000 and no match is required. Eligible Arts organization must have received a grant from the MSAB or a Minnesota Regional Arts Council (RAC) in the last four years, among other criteria. More information is available at  http://www.arts.state.mn.us/grants/2010/arra.htm. Deadline: July 13, 2009.
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The Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grants support and assist artists at various stages in their careers. The grants encourage artistic development, nurture artistic creativity, and recognize the contributions that individual artists make to the creative environment of the state of Minnesota. Grants will be awarded for career building and for the creative development of artists. For more information visit www.arts.state.mn.us/grants/artist_initiative.htm. Deadline: July 30, 2009.
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The Minnesota State Arts Board Cultural Community Partnership grants are designed to enhance the careers of individual artists of color through partnership projects. An applicant can collaborate with another Minnesota artist of color or a Minnesota nonprofit organization. For more information visit www.arts.state.mn.us/grants/cultural_community_partnership.htm.  Deadline: July 31, 2009.
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Jerome Foundation Minnesota Film and Video Program is a production grant program for emerging, individual film and video artists whose work shows promise of excellence. Collaborative projects in which creative control is shared are also eligible. This program serves artists who work in the genres of experimental, narrative, animation and documentary production. For more information visit http://www.jeromefdn.org/IV~Grant_Programs/B~Minnesota_Film_and_Video/ Deadline: July 31, 2009.
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20UNDER40 is collecting essays about the future of the arts and arts education written by emerging leaders under the age of forty for an anthology of new ideas, thoughts, and perspectives from young artists, teaching artists, arts administrators, arts researchers, and other arts and arts education professionals. For more information visit www.20under40.org.
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The University of Minnesota and the Midwest Arts in Healthcare Network (MAIHN) will host the Society for the Arts in Healthcare international 2010 conference April 28 - May 1, 2010 in Minneapolis. A call for papers requesting abstracts for presentations for the conference is online at http://thesah.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=21. Deadline: September 25, 2009.

Interested in a non-MRAC training opportunity, but not sure that your organization can afford the fee? MRAC offers a training fund grant to help arts groups pay for training opportunities that will strengthen their organization. Click here for more information on MRAC's Management Training Fund grant.

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 MRAC Holiday Hours

The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council will be closed July 3 for Independence Day.

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Forward to a Friend

Please forward our e-newsletter to people who may be interested in information about MRAC grant deadlines and awards, workshops, training opportunities, resource updates, and other MRAC news. We do not share our e-mail subscriber list with others.

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MRAC's on Facebook

Now there is a new way to find out what is happening at MRAC. Connect with us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metropolitan-Regional-Arts-Council/70028766401?ref=ts

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 MRAC FY08 Summary
In FY08, MRAC received more than 385 grant requests and awarded 228 grants totaling $875,136. Seven percent of the grants were awarded to first-time applicants. Funded projects served 7,576 artists and reached more than 300,000 audience members. MRAC also provided skill-building workshops and networking activities to 391 people from 216 different organizations. MRAC is largely funded by an appropriation from the Minnesota Legislature. MRAC also receives a generous grant from The McKnight Foundation.

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