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 E-Newsletter | May, 2012 |
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Greetings! Last month, MRAC held two "Big Check" events, the first at Silverwood Park in St. Anthony, and the second at the Eden Prairie Community Center. These events provide us with the opportunity to recognize the outstanding work that grantees do in increasing access to the arts in the 7-county region. We invite members of the legislature so that they can hear about how the arts affect their communities. Despite the fact that the events occurred during the last scheduled week of the legislative session, we had excellent attendance by legislators. We'd like to thank State Senator Chris Eaton and Representatives Jim Abeler, Bob Dettmer, Mindy Greiling, and Melissa Hortman for attending the event at Silverwood Park, and Representatives Steve Smith and Kirk Stensrud for joining us in Eden Prairie. We'd also like to thank all the arts groups who received the "Big Checks" for helping us show the important impact of arts funding. We received 32 nominations for the annual MRAC Arts Achievement Awards. The MRAC Board will review these nominations in June and will select two recipient organizations to each receive a $5,000 cash award at the Board's July meeting. We will announce the recipients in our July newsletter, so stay tuned! Finally, MRAC's FY 2013 deadlines are set. You can find them in this newsletter and on our website. We are in the process of finalizing the FY 2013 guidelines and applications. They will be available on June 4, 2012. Sincerely,
Jeff Prauer
MRAC Executive Director
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Creative Intersections Grant Awards
MRAC's FY 2012 Creative Intersections grants will fund eight projects that will build and enrich communities through an engagement in the arts. MRAC's goals for the Creative Intersections program are to support innovative partnership projects that address a community challenge or leverage an opportunity within community for growth and enrichment. Visit www.mrac.org/news/Awards.html for a list of this round's grant recipients. Each entry includes the amount of the award and the grant recipients' web address (when available). The Creative Intersections grant program is funded through the legislative appropriation for the arts and the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund of the Legacy Amendment.Back to top |
FY 2013 Grant Deadlines
Arts Activities Support, Round 1 - Monday, July 9, 2012
Organizational Development - Monday, September 10, 2012
Capital - Monday, September 10, 2012
Community Arts, Round 1 - Monday, October 8, 2012
Arts Learning, Round 1 - Monday, November 5, 2012
Community Arts, Round 2 - Monday, January 7, 2013
Creative Intersections - Monday, February 11, 2013
Next Step Fund - Monday, March 4, 2013
Arts Learning, Round 2 - Monday, March 4, 2013
Arts Activities Support, Round 2 - Monday, April 8, 2013
FY 2013 grant guidelines and application forms will be available on June 4, 2012.
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Arts Learning Grant, Round 2 Panel Dates
Round 2 of the FY 2012 Arts Learning grant applications will be reviewed May 16, 17, and 18, 2012. Click on the linked date to see the order of reviews for that day. May 16, 2012May 17, 2012May 18, 2012The panel meetings are public, open meetings. Constituents are encouraged to come and listen to the reviews to gain a fuller understanding of the process and hear the panelists' comments directly. Applicants may listen to the proceedings but are not invited to make presentations or participate in the panel's discussion.
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Arts Activities Support, Round 2 Panel Dates
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| Arts Activities Support Grant Workshops
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Collecting Photos!
The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council uses photos of arts activities from the past year on our website and in our print materials such as our brochure and annual report. We look for a variety of photos that will show the diversity of our community and the range of arts activities and arts disciplines that MRAC funds. Photos are selected for use based on our needs and photo quality. For more information and to submit your photos, please visit our photo submission page or contact Mara Miller by email at mara@mrac.org. |
| MRAC Training
Fundraising Events on a Budget
Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m., Metropolitan Regional Arts CouncilPanel Discussion, in partnership with MAP for Nonprofits
How can small organizations create effective fundraising events with a limited budget? What is an effective fundraiser, anyway? Are you trying to raise community awareness, introduce new people to the art of your organization, raise money, or all three? You will hear examples of different types of fundraisers and learn about resources that can help you present a successful event. The panel will also address how to determine your fundraising event budget and event goals, and ways to evaluate your success.
Amy Wagner, Associate Director at MAP for Nonprofits, will moderate the panel discussion. Panelists include:
- Debra deNoyelles, Development Director, The Soap Factory
- Jessica Peterson, Founder, Yellow Tree Theatre
- Joel Rainville, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and Volunteer, In The Heart of The Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre & Cricket Theatre
Developing an Individual Giving Campaign
Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m., Metropolitan Regional Arts Council
Presented by: Elaine Weber Nelson, MAP for Nonprofits
Why do people give or not give to nonprofits and what is the best way to ask for support? Individual donors make almost 75% of all charitable contributions to nonprofits. Learn to tap the potential base for support in your own backyard. Participants in this session will discover the key elements of a strong individual giving campaign, explore what motivates people to donate, learn how to invite people to be a part of an organization, and discover the process of relationship-building and ongoing donor engagement. You'll learn how to partner with donors and not pick their pockets!
Successful Grant Writing: Telling Your Story Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m., Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Presented by: Elaine Weber Nelson, MAP for Nonprofits Move beyond numbers and words and reach into the heart of raising funds from grant-makers. This session will explore what really matters to funders and how to present your request in the most positive light. You will leave more confident in your ability to speak to program officers and better prepared to share the right information with the right funders for your project. Many small to midsized arts organizations don't have a professional development team; this is a great opportunity for those who wear the grant writing hat (whether paid or volunteer) in your organization! Elaine Weber Nelson has worked in marketing and development for more than 20 years. Her development experience includes annual fund efforts, extensive grant-writing, board training, capital campaign management, marketing and planned giving. Elaine is currently an adjunct professor at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She has served two terms on the board of directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals and consults with non-profit organizations in the areas of marketing and development.
These workshops are presented by MRAC in partnership with MAP for Nonprofits. The workshops are free, but we ask that you register in advance. To register, click on the linked training date, visit our website www.mrac.org/training, email Mara Miller at mara@mrac.org, or call 651-523-6384. Please contact us if you need special accommodations to attend a training event.
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ADA Access Improvement Grants through VSA Minnesota
ADA Access Improvement Grants for Metro Arts Organizations are available to nonprofit arts organizations in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties with annual budgets less than $4,460,000. The focus of these grants, of up to $15,000 each, is to help make arts programming, activities, and facilities more accessible to people with disabilities. The grants are not intended for one-time activities, but should have the potential for significant or long-term impact in involving more people with disabilities as participants or patrons in arts programs. The grant program is administered by VSA Minnesota for the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Grant guidelines and application forms are available at www.vsamn.org/forms.html#adagrant, or contact VSA Minnesota a t 612-332-3888 voice/tty or access@vsamn.org. Application Deadline: May 11, 2012.
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Resource Updates (These non-MRAC opportunities are listed at MRAC's discretion. The listing does not indicate an endorsement.)
The Connect for Health Challenge, sponsored by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, will award up to $500,000 to nonprofits, schools and local units of government to support strengthening social connections in low-income communities across Minnesota. Challenge judges will select up to 20 grantees to receive up to $20,000 each, and Minnesotans will determine the recipient of one larger grant (up to $100,000) in a statewide public vote. More information is available at http://www.incommons.org/sites/www.incommons.org/files/connect_for_health_challenge_overview_final.pdf. ***Call for Artists: The College of Visual Arts (CVA) is seeking proposals for the annual Portals on Western public art installation exhibition program that supports the work of Minnesota artists. The Portals on Western public exhibition space is located in the windows and storefront of the CVA Gallery Building at the corner of Western and Selby avenues, creating a nexus between community organizations, small businesses, and the arts. For a full RFP visit www.cva.edu/gallery/portals_on_western/. Deadline: June 21, 2012.***
Call for Artists: The 3rd Annual Hamline Midway Heartwood Festival will be held Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is a parade and festival held at Newell Park (900 N. Fairview Ave.) that will have 10'x10' booths for artists to sell and display their work. Cost is $75 for a booth, or FREE with a donation of equal or greater value to the silent auction. To participate, submit an image of your work (file size no larger than 1MB) or a link to faith@hamlinemidway.org. For more information, visit http://hamlinemidway.org/art-fair.
Deadline: Friday, May 18, 2012.
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Americans for the Arts has launched a new website for Animating Democracy, a program that works to inspire, inform, promote and connect arts as a contributor to community, civic, and social change. The new site incorporates resources generated by Animating Democracy's Arts and Social Change Mapping Initiative, Arts & Civic Engagement Impact Initiative, and the wealth of publications, tools, and resources from Animating Democracy's first decade of contributions to the field. Supported by the Open Society, Nathan Cummings, Surdna, Lambent, and CrossCurrents Foundations, the website is amassing the stories and aggregating the evidence of the impact arts for change work is having across the country. Visit animatingdemocracy.org.
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The Minnesota State Arts Board application deadlines for the Fiscal Year 2013 grant round are now posted at http://www.arts.state.mn.us under DEADLINES/CALENDAR. Application information will be posted 6 to 8 weeks prior to the deadline.
Interested in a non-MRAC training opportunity, but not sure that your organization can afford the fee? MRAC offers a training fund grant for management or administrative-related training opportunities that will strengthen your organization. Click on the link for more information on MRAC's Management Training Fund grant. Back to top |
MRAC Holiday Hours
MRAC will be closed on May 28, 2012 for Memorial Day.
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 Logos Webpage! 
Trying to find the MRAC and/or Legacy Logo to use in your
publicity materials? Now MRAC has a webpage with downloadable logos and the required acknowledgement language. Visit www.mrac.org/resources/logos.html and help inform your fans about the importance of arts funding!
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Construction UpdatesThe Central Corridor LRT line is under construction along University Avenue. This will cause delays as traffic is re-routed and/or streets are closed. Please allow extra travel time when coming to visit our office.At times, access to the MRAC parking lots from University may be difficult due to the LRT construction. To get to our back entrance, use Myrtle St.--behind the MRAC building. You can access Myrtle from Raymond or Pelham. Click here to see a map to our back entrance.
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Forum of Regional Arts Councils Brochure
Are you outside our region? The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council is one of 11 Regional Arts Councils (or RACs) that along with the Minnesota State Arts Board shares the mandate to distribute the legislative allotment for the arts and a portion of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund of the Legacy Amendment. For more information about the RAC system and contact information for all 11 Regional Arts Councils, download the Forum of Regional Arts Councils of Minnesota brochure. Back to top |
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MRAC FY11 Summary
In FY 2011, MRAC received 1039 grant requests and awarded 508 grants totaling $3,330,010, including 34 grants awarded in the new MRAC Next Step Fund program for individual artists, funded by The McKnight Foundation, and a grant to fund VSA Minnesota's ADA Access Improvement Grants for Metro Arts Organizations. MRAC also provided 26 arts management workshops, the 9-month arts of leadership series for directors of arts councils and centers, 63 individual and peer coaching sessions, and 26 grant application workshops.
Photos for top ribbon provided by: FOCI Glass, Ballet Minnesota, Thursday Musical (© Virginia Padden), Caponi Arts Park (Photo of CAAM Chinese Dance Theater), Oratorio Society (© Kyrsten Gustafson), Masquers Theatre Company, and T.V. by Girls.
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