topMRAC e-newsletter
June 2015  
In This Issue
Arts Learning Grant Awards
Arts Activities Support Workshops
Next Step Fund Panel
Arts Activities Support Panels
FY 2015 Deadlines
MRAC Management Training
Holiday Hours
FY 2014 Annual Report
Photos Needed!
Forward to a Friend
FY 2014 Summary
Quick Links

 

If you saw the outcomes of the painting and photography classes I've toiled away in over the years, or heard me sing, or play the piano, you would know that I am not an artist. My grandest artistic experiences have been sitting, standing, cheering, smiling, thinking and even crying as  an audience member and supporter. And for these countless memories, I thank you!

 

I also thank you for the opportunity to serve as the MRAC board president for the past two years, despite my lack of artistic talent. This month marks the end of my fourth three-year term on the MRAC board, the first of which began in the 1990s when I worked at a small arts organization, Asian American Renaissance.

 

To experience the vitality, quality, range, depth, strength and diversity of this arts community over the years has been rewarding and a complete honor. Without the great work and support of MRAC's constituents and stakeholders such as you, this region would not have grown into the enviable arts scene it is today. And the trajectory shows no signs of waning.

 

I recently attended a business seminar at which the presenter said, "Who wouldn't want to be a part of something alive, incomparable, invigorating?" Ditto!

 

Thank you again for allowing me, an art fan, to be a part of something grand.

 

Best regards,

 

Christine Murakami Noonan
President of Board of Directors
Arts Learning Grant Awards

On May 26, 2015, MRAC awarded $250,877 to 26 organizations in the second round of its FY 2015 Arts Learning grant program. The Arts Learning projects chosen will provide high-quality, age-appropriate arts education for Minnesotans of all ages to develop knowledge, skills, and understanding of and/or through the arts for children, youth, and adults by engaging people in extended arts experiences and activities with clearly articulated learning objectives. The Arts Learning grant program is a direct result of the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund of the Legacy Amendment. All applications go through a competitive peer review panel process. The MRAC board of directors makes the final decisions on all panel recommendations.

 

Click here for a list of awarded projects sorted by county of activity. Organization websites are included when available as a way to get more information about the groups and awarded projects. Please note that the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are separated from the surrounding suburban Hennepin and Ramsey counties.

 

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FY 2016 Arts Activities Support, Round 1 Grant Workshops

The FY 2016 Arts Activities Support, Round 1 grant application deadline is Monday, July 13, 2015 with an earliest project start date of September 23, 2015. Grant guidelines and a link to the online grant application interface are available on the Arts Activities Support grant program page.

MRAC offers workshops designed to help groups prepare MRAC Arts Activities Support grant applications. Participants become familiar with the program, online application process and learn how to write effective MRAC grant proposals. It is a great opportunity to get questions answered on your project ideas. The Arts Activities Support workshops will be held;

Tuesday, June 2, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Wednesday, June 3, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Thursday, June 4, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Friday, June 5, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

The workshops are free, but we ask that you register in advance. To register, click on the linked workshop date. The workshops will be held in the MRAC conference room at 2324 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55114. Please contact us if you need special accommodations to attend an application workshop.  

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Next Step Fund Grant Panel     

 

The FY 2015 Next Step Fund grant applications will be reviewed Tuesday, June 16, 2015. The panel review meeting will begin at 9:00 am with a short panel re-orientation. Click here to see the order of reviews for the day. 

 

Panel meetings are public, open meetings, and 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.

 

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FY 2015 Arts Activities Support, Round 2 Grant Panels    

 

The FY 2015 Arts Activities Support, Round 2 grant applications will be reviewed the week of June 8, 2015. The panel review meetings will begin at 9:00 am with a short panel re-orientation. Click on the linked panel date to see the order of reviews for that panel day.   

 

June 8, 2015 

June 9, 2015 

June 10, 2015 

June 11, 2015 

June 12, 2015    

 

Panel meetings are public, open meetings, and 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.

 

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FY 2016 Grant Application Deadlines

Below are the FY 2016 grant application deadlines. All applications must be submitted using the online MRAC Grant Interface. Unless otherwise noted, all applications must be submitted by 4:30 pm on the deadline date. "Submitted" means that your application has been received and time-stamped by the MRAC Grant Interface server.  

 

7/13/2015   Arts Activities Support, Round 1

8/31/2015   Capital

8/31/2015   Organizational Development

10/5/2015   Community Arts, Round 1

11/9/2015   Arts Learning, Round 1

1/11/2016   Community Arts, Round 2

3/7/2016    Arts Learning, Round 2

3/7/2016    Next Step Fund, (11:59 pm)

4/11/2016  Arts Activities Support, Round 2

4/11/2016  Arts Achievement Award

 

Weekly       Management Training Fund

Weekly       Emergency Accessibility

Monthly     Management Consulting Fund

 

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MRAC Management Training 

Work with a Consultant: Addressing your Management Needs

Wednesday June 3rd, 2015 10:00 am to 12:00 pm 

Presented by Bethany Gladhill and Shannon Forney 

Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, 2324 University Avenue W, St Paul, MN 55114 

 

Does your arts organization have a management need for creating a fundraising plan, conducting an audience study, or restructuring account codes for more accurate reporting? Did you know that Management Consulting Fund projects can be effective pre-planning grants for a larger organizational development project? Did you know that groups located in the greater metro are eligible for two Management Consulting Fund grants in a year?

 

This session will walk through how to articulate a bite-size management project that is relevant and competitive for the Management Consulting Fund grant program. Hear from veteran arts consultant Bethany Gladhill about best practices and pitfalls in working with a consultant. You will learn why it is so critical to articulate and agree on project goals and expectations and get the inside scoop on this small but mighty grant program.

 

Bethany Gladhill is an experienced consultant in nonprofit and arts management in the areas of strategic planning, evaluation, operational management, marketing, and fundraising. Following positions as Director of Operations at Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Finance Director at the Jungle Theater, and Managing Director of Nautilus Music-Theater, she began working exclusively as a consultant in 2010. Bethany holds a BA from Tufts University and a Masters of Historic Preservation from Goucher College, Baltimore.

 

Shannon Forney is the MRAC Program Director for the Management Consulting Fund, Management Training Fund, Organizational Development, Capital and Emergency Accessibility grant programs. She holds a Masters of Administration in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University's School of Business in St. Paul, Minnesota and a BA in Theater from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.

 

The workshops are free, but we ask that you register in advance. Please click on the linked workshop date to register. A list of upcoming MRAC training events and the handouts from past presentations are available at www.mrac.org/workshops/artsmanagementtraining. Please contact us if you need special accommodations to attend a workshop.  


MRAC Holiday Hours

MRAC will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2015 for Independence Day.

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FY 2014 Annual Report 
 

All of our grant awards from FY 2014 are available in a downloadable document--the MRAC 2014 Annual Report is now online! Thank you to all of our awarded groups whose work helps us meet our mission of increasing access to the arts in 7-county metropolitan area communities. We also thank Body Cartography, Drama Interaction, FTF Works/Herocycle - photo by Mike Neuharth, Iny Asian Dance Theater - Photo by Cam Xiong, Marcy Puppet Dragons Residency,  Magic Lantern Puppet Theater, Open Eye Figure Theatre - photo by Mark Vancleave, Poetry Picnic - photo by Bruce Silcox, Theatre Pro Rata - photo by Charles Gorrill, Wayzata Symphony Orchestra - photo by Dawn Anderson, and Yellow Tree Theatre for supplying the photos we used in this year's report.

 

Please note: with 490 grants awarded last year, the annual report is a fairly large file and may take a moment to download. It also may not display correctly in Firefox. Please contact Katie Kaufmann at [email protected] if you would like an emailed pdf.  

 

 

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Photos Needed for a New Brochure!

The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council needs photos of arts activities from the past year to use on our website and in our print materials such as our brochure and annual report. We are looking 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 based on our needs and photo quality.


For more information and to submit your photos, please visit our photo submission page or contact Raeisha Williams by email at [email protected].

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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.

 
MRAC FY 2014 Summary 

In FY 2014, MRAC received 814 applications and awarded 452 grants totaling
3,175,634 to arts organizations and/or projects including a 220,000 grant to VSA Minnesota for its re-granting program, the ADA Access Improvement Grants for Metro Arts Organizations. These grants were funded by an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the State's general fund, and by the voters of Minnesota, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. MRAC also received 340 applications from individual artists in the Next Step Fund program and awarded 38 grants totaling 182,586 with funds from The McKnight Foundation. MRAC also provided 23 arts management training sessions and 30 grant application workshops.

Photos for top ribbon provided by: Caponi Art Park, Twin Cities Housing Development Corporation, Twin Cities Women's Choir, Weavers Guild of Minnesota, and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

 

Photos for top ribbon provided by: Caponi Art Park, Twin Cities Housing Development Corporation, Twin Cities Women's Choir, Weavers Guild of Minnesota, and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.