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August 2015 News & Updates 
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Director's Letter

Fiscal Year 2016

At the end of each fiscal year, we are required to report statistics on all of our grant programs to the Minnesota State Arts Board. While fulfilling an important requirement, this process also provides a snapshot of how broadly access to excellent arts activities is spread as the result of State of Minnesota funding.
 
In the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2015, MRAC received 838 applications and awarded 457 grants totaling $3,214,221 to organizations, including a grant to VSA Minnesota for its regranting program, the ADA Access Improvement Grants for Metro Arts Organizations. All of these grants were funded by an appropriation to MRAC from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the State’s general fund, and a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.  MRAC also received 346 applications from individual artists in the Next Step Fund program and awarded 37 grants totaling $180,450 with funds from The McKnight Foundation. MRAC also provided, free of charge, 14 arts management training sessions and 32 grant application workshops.

My point in providing these statistics is not to boast about MRAC, but rather to help illustrate the phenomenal amount of arts activity in our region. A common observation from grant review panelists is how interesting it is to learn about the number, breadth, and depth of artists, organizations, and projects in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Indeed, the list of activities funded by MRAC in the “Recent Grant Awards” section of our website illustrates the large number of activities, the vast array of art forms, and the widespread access to the arts in all seven counties of the region.  

With our 2016 fiscal year just under way, we look forward to another great year, and I encourage you to contact us with any comments or questions.
Sincerely,
 
Jeff Prauer
Executive Director 

Arts Achievement Awards

Arts Achievement Awards Press Release 


MRAC is pleased to honor Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts and Young Dance as this year's Arts Achievement Award recipients! As a part of this announcement, MRAC would like to share a feature video of the two groups.

 
2015 Arts Achievement Awards


Arts Achievement Award Video



The MRAC Arts Achievement Award is designed to call attention to the outstanding contributions that arts organizations make toward strengthening communities and increasing access to the arts in the 7-county metropolitan region.

Arts Achievement Awardees



Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts (BLCA) 
The Center is a wellspring for the community providing inspiration, enrichment, enjoyment, opportunities, and education through the arts.

Young Dance
For over 25 years, Young Dance has offered a place for youth in our community to grow body and spirit through the creative expression of modern dance.

Management Consulting Grants

The Management Consulting Fund provides grants of up to $1,500 to cover consulting fees related to small projects designed to strengthen the management or administration of the group.

Click for more information...

Management Training Grants

The Management Training Fund program provides grants of up to $600 (maximum $300 per person per training*) for the staff and volunteers of nonprofit arts groups to attend management-related workshops, seminars or conferences. 

Click for more information...

Community Arts Grant Application Workshops

The FY 2016 Community Arts, Round 1 grant deadline is Monday, October 5, 2015 at 4:30 p.m. with an earliest project start date of December 16, 2015. The following workshops are designed to help groups prepare MRAC Community Arts grant applications. Participants will become familiar with the grant program and online application process and learn how to write effective MRAC grant proposals. Please click on the linked workshop date to register.

Tuesday, September 8, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m
Wednesday, September 9, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 10, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Friday, September 11, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

All applications must be submitted using MRAC's online Grant Interface. Guidelines and a link to the grant interface are available on the Community Arts grant program page. 

The workshops are free and 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.  

Arts Management Trainings

MRAC is pleased to offer Arts Management Training opportunities. The workshops are free, but we ask that you register in advance. To register, click on the linked training title. Please contact us if you need special accommodations to attend a training event. Please click on the linked workshop date to register.
 
Accessibility, Transportation, & Your Arts Organization 

Arts Activities Support Grant Panels 

The FY 2016 Arts Activities Support, Round 1 grant applications will be reviewed the week of September 14, 2015. The panel review meetings will begin each day at 9:00 a.m. with a short panel re-orientation.

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 or participate in the panel's discussion.
 
The daily schedules of panel reviews will be available in our September newsletter and on our website in September.

Resource Updates

The following are non-MRAC opportunities that are listed at the discretion of MRAC. The following listing does not indicate an endorsement.   

FY 2016 Grant Application Deadlines

Below are the remaining FY 2015 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 p.m. on the deadline date. "Submitted" means that your application has been received and time-stamped by the MRAC Grant Interface server.  
 
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          Next Step Fund, (11:59 p.m.)
3/7/2016          Arts Learning, Round 2
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 

MRAC FY 2015 Summary  


In FY 2015, MRAC received 838 applications and awarded 457 grants totaling $3,214,221 to arts organizations and/or projects including 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 346 applications from individual artists in the Next Step Fund program and awarded 37 grants totaling  $180,450 with funds from The McKnight Foundation. MRAC also provided 14 arts management training sessions and 32 grant application workshops.

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