Attention Arts Advocates:
Recognizing the great harm that the pandemic has caused the nonprofit arts and cultural community – a harm that has also been felt across other sectors and by so many families who have lost loved ones – Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA) has continued conversations with its bipartisan champions in the House and Senate Legacy Finance committees: Senator Carrie Ruud, Breezy Point, Republican, and Representative Leon Lillie, North St. Paul, DFL, as well as with Governor Walz’s Office.
On Friday, May 14, just three days after the federal government issued guidance on the use of these funds, Representative Lillie and Senator Ruud introduced legislation in their respective chambers directing $100 million in relief to the state’s nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that experienced a financial loss as a result of the pandemic. As expected, the Legislature did not take action on these bills before session ended; however, these bills make it clear to the legislature and the governor that the nonprofit arts and cultural organizations of our state matter and provide incredible economic impact.
The pandemic has left us all feeling isolated.
The Cultural Community Rescue Restart Grants would grant funds to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations across the state, including historically undercapitalized Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) arts and cultural organizations.
Approximately 1,400 statewide nonprofit arts and cultural organizations located in every corner of the state that have suffered financial losses during the COVID-19 pandemic would be eligible, including many of the very smallest organizations with all volunteer staff and board members.
The funds would be available to all nonprofit arts and culture groups that experienced loss from 2019 to 2020 and which received Minnesota Arts and Culture Legacy funds in 2019 or 2020. You may view HF 2637 and SF 2551 here.
The passage of this legislation is far from guaranteed. We anticipate there will be many needs and uses identified for the federal ARPA funds throughout the state. There is a great deal of work that must be done and MCA needs your help to keep this important relief package alive during the special session. We will alert you in the coming weeks about ways you can help.
Crowds ceased almost immediately.
On Monday, May 17, 2021, the Minnesota Legislature adjourned as is constitutionally mandated. The session ended without passing the state budget for the two-year period beginning on July 1, 2021, including the budgets for the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB) and Regional Arts Council (RACs) system, which distributes nonprofit arts funding to every corner of our state.
We anticipate the state’s biennial budget will be approved in a special session in mid-June and we are fairly confident that MCA’s budget request will be approved as requested. We also are fairly confident Minnesota’s nonprofit arts community will retain 47% of the Arts and Culture Legacy Fund for the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system as MCA requested. However, we are monitoring the work closely and will alert you if action is needed in a few weeks.
The session also ended with the Legislature authorizing Governor Walz to spend $500,000,000 of the approximately $2.8 billion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds coming to Minnesota from the federal government. Although not yet determined, we anticipate the Governor will spend the majority of these funds on costs associated with COVID-19 health care.
We look forward to experiencing art together again.
MCA is your champion for the nonprofit arts community at the Legislature and your watch dog at the Capitol to ensure the health and success of our nonprofit arts community. In the case of this special relief package, MCA has also partnered to advocate for our important cultural organizations (such as museums and other humanities groups) to build a big tent to protect the vitality of our entire nonprofit creative community. We anticipate calling on you, our advocates, for help in the coming weeks on this legislation.
MCA needs you.
MCA is a 501(c)(4) lobbying organization that relies solely on your membership dues to fund our work. We have no access to any CARES relief, no opportunity for PPP loans, no ARPA funds, and zero charitable contributions for our work. All of our work is funded by your dues. We need your help today.
Our fiscal year ends June 30. Even as we advocate at the Capitol on dozens of video calls each day and meet virtually with nonprofit arts and cultural groups across the state, we are working to close our fiscal year and remain the strong, vibrant organization that you have helped us build.
Please join or renew your membership today online at MCA's website: http://artsmn.org/
Thank you,
Jennifer Halcrow
Interim Executive Director
P.S. MCA is a 501(c)(4) membership organization for the purpose of lobbying and influencing legislation. Memberships to MCA are not deductible under current IRS guidelines as charitable contributions.
