In the Cut

On a budget page that proposes massive cuts to education and the arts, the state of New York also expresses its "strong commitment to quality public education". Irony is lost in the confusion--poor thing.

Governor David Paterson's Executive Budget was proposed in January, and has not yet been adopted. In fact, New York State is still operating without a budget, well after the budget deadline has passed. Governor David Paterson has ordered a set of 1-day cost-saving furloughs--but those have been blocked after legal appeals by state worker's unions.

Theoretically, there is still time for your voice to be heard on these cuts.

Find your local representative's contact information at Americans for the Arts' Arts Action Center.

Sing Out

he Center for Arts Education Staying in School (pdf), a highly anticipated rdicates that you may indeed be doing something meaningful with your life in art.

"High schools in the top third of graduation rates were more likely to have offered students an opportunity to attend an arts activity, such as a theater performance, dance recital, or museum exhibit, than schools in the bottom third."

The CAE report in "dedicate resources to support arts instruction," and

This report collides head on with Governor David Paterson's massive $3 billion deficit reduction plan for New York State. Education will take the force of the blow—losing $480 million of its budget between now and the end of the fiscal year on March 31, 2010.

Tell everyone.

Sing-along

Happy Days Are Here Again

If you are an independent TA in NY State or a fearless leader trying to find money to pay Teaching Artists, you may have noticed that there is no more extra money in the budget for art. 

None. 

Less than none.

We wonder just how bad it will get.

Sure, it may be cathartic and accurate to blame the rich people for bringing back the depression, but, since we desperately need their leftover money to continue our work, it would not be politic to offend them.

According to a report by Giving USA, recessions do not seem to be a strong determining factor in arts giving and regular non-rich people also like to give money to worthy causes.

That's good news. That raises the possibility that there is still some money somewhere in your neighborhood community. It is probably hidden in people's wallets and the job is to get them to take it out and hand it to you before the end of the year.

The Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT) is a multiracial organization that promotes the connection between fundraising, social justice and movement-building. They sound like hippies, but they are so smart about getting the money...it's thrilling.

According to the experts at GIFT, here are three key things to know about fundraising:

1. People give when they are asked, and rarely give when they are not. Even when people are asked, they don't always give. So, you need to ask for more gifts than the number you need to bring in, and you need to be comfortable with people saying "No."

2. Donors are not ATMs. You need to thank them and keep them posted on what your organization is doing with their money if you want them to give more than once.

3. You can't raise all the money your group needs by yourself. Spend some time building a team of people to help you.