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Save Arts and Cultural Funding in Pennsylvania!
Greetings,
Today, the Pennsylvania Senate is calling for ZERO funding
for arts and culture in the FY 09-10 state budget.. If the
Senate version (SB 850) prevails, there will be no arts and
culture grants in the state of Pennsylvania starting on July 1
of this year.
Please write your representatives and senators today. If
you have already taken action, send a follow-up letter using the
form, or give your legislators a call (find contact information
here).
Our message is simple: restore funding for PCA and PHMC. As
always, be sure to add your own stories. How does your
organization's work impact the community? How have you been
impacted by a performance or cultural organization? Would your
organization be forced to close without this funding?
Forward this alert and campaign to friends, family, and
colleagues, or forward to your email lists - and urge them to
take action. As we last week - time is of the essence. Nothing
is what we'll get if we do nothing now - take action today!
Thanks for all that you do!
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Governor Ed Rendell (if you live in Pennsylvania)
Your Representative (if you live in Pennsylvania)
Your State Senator (if you live in Pennsylvania)
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Support Arts and Cultural Funding in Pennsylvania!
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am writing to urge you to support the Governor's proposal for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (which includes $14 million for Grants to the Arts) and restore funding to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The recently introduced Senate budget proposal would zero out these line items completely. This budget is particularly important, because it funds the vital grants that support arts and culture organizations statewide - revitalizing communities and maintaining jobs in the sector.
Total elimination of both line items would be disproportionate to other cuts. Though tough times have translated to tough choices all across the board, a slumping economy is particularly tough on nonprofit arts organizations, who are finding less support from corporate and philanthropic institutions.
Arts and cultural organizations make a significant impact on Pennsylvania's residents. The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance's research report, the 2008 Portfolio, found that visits to cultural organizations in Southeastern Pennsylvania total over 15 million, or four visits a year per resident. These organizations provide over 19,000 jobs, and have been a valuable asset to small towns and urban neighborhoods.
The Greater Philadelphia area is known for both its established arts and cultural institutions and smaller community-based organization. Both kinds of organizations provide children with educational programming that keeps them engaged in valuable after-school programs that improves creative thinking and cognitive development. 43% of all visits to arts and cultural organizations are free of charge. Any further cuts in funding for these groups would force many to shutter completely and deplete our residents of critical resources and services.
I hope you consider the importance of arts and culture in Southeastern Pennsylvania. A last minute cut to our region's arts and cultural organizations will negatively impact our communities in the long term.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
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Instructions:
Click here to take action on this issue or choose the "Reply to Sender" option on your email program.
Tell-A-Friend:
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
 Tell-a-Friend!
What's At Stake:
The process began in February, when Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell presented his budget proposal. In it, the allocation for the PCA's Grants for the Arts (the line item that includes familiar programs such as AOAP, Preserving Diverse Cultures, Program Stream, and Project Stream) was proposed at an 8% cut for fiscal year 2009-2010. That would bring the funding level from $15.225 million to $14 million. PHMC's funding was also cut, and its Museum Assistance Grants Program, which supports hundreds of museums, history, and heritage sites across the state, was zeroed out.
The Governor's proposal has been met with rising financial challenges in the last few months. Original estimates placed Pennsylvania's revenue gap at $2.3 billion for the current fiscal year. Over the past 3 months, that anticipated shortfall has grown more than $700 million.
What does that mean? It means that both the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives are looking for things to cut in order to close the widening revenue gap. Many programs have been targeted for elimination, and that list now includes all funding support for arts and culture.
OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO!
So, you've sent your alert, and told your friends, and you still have time to do more? Here are a few other steps that would help:
- Have your board contact your audiences, members, and subscribers about the issue.
- Ask the vendors who rely on your business to contact your legislators.
- Write letters to the editor.
- Contribute comments to online blogs and articles about the state budget.
- Follow up with a letter that demonstrates how your work supports your community, especially the social and economic impact of your work and educational outreach.
- Look for opportunities to present the information from this alert whenever you have an event or meeting - curtain speeches, board meetings, outreach events, etc.
- Get all of your constituents to sign up for advocacy alerts.
- If you're having shows/exhibits in May and June, add a 1-page insert about the budget in your program booklets.
Campaign Expiration Date:
June 30, 2009
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