A Message from the Director
Taking office next month, new leaders at the national, state, and local levels will be facing economic challenges not seen in decades. Tough financial decisions will have to be made. Nevertheless, what we do know is this: The arts must remain an integral part of our lives. Investment and engagement in the arts is critical to the economic, social, and dare I say, moral climate of our society. Both President-Elect Obama and Governor-Elect Markell have presented strong cases in support of the arts. You can access their position statements from our home page at www.artsdel.org.
 Now, more than ever, advocacy for the arts is essential. It’s no secret that for the time being, money—both public and private—will be even tighter. Advocacy efforts to promote sustained funding for the arts are important. But advocacy is more than just asking for money. In fact, asking for money is most effective as a follow-up to more informative advocacy efforts. The first step in advocacy is winning converts to your cause: friend-raising before fund-raising. In the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, "If you believe in great things, you may be able to make other people believe in them, too."
Speak up for the arts: how they serve as an economic engine, creating jobs and revenue; how they educate youth and adults alike in schools, community centers, and public programs; how they challenge us to examine who we are as a people and a nation. Most importantly, tell your story about the arts: what the arts have done in your life. Tell it to people who matter to you, people who can make a difference. After all, no one can tell your story better than you.
For even more talking points and advocacy materials, visit our own advocacy page and those of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and Americans for the Arts.
Grant Information
Fiscal Year 2010 grant guidelines and application forms will be posted on the Division’s website by early January. The application deadline is March 2, 2009.
NEA awards Challenge America grants to two Delaware Organizations
The Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education and the Grand Opera House will each receive $10,000 Challenge America grants from the National Endowment for the Arts for Fiscal Year 2009. The DIAE is receiving the grant to support the presentation of Ali Bradley's Sound'n Movement, a tap ensemble of dancers and jazz musicians, and related outreach activities; and The Grand is receiving support for the 2009 Stages of Discovery Series targeting elementary, middle, and high school students. ( Full list of grant awards in this cycle.)
AFP Loan Fund – Deadline January 15
The Brandywine Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals has established a permanent interest-free loan fund in partnership with the Delaware Community Foundation. Support for the fund was provided by AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Discover Card, Bank One, Wilmington Trust, Co., Delaware Division of the Arts, Lynn and Foster Friess Foundation. One portion of the fund is designated specifically for arts organizations, and one portion of the fund is designated specifically for southern Delaware organizations.
Nonprofit organizations may apply for loans for training programs or courses in areas such as fundraising, board development, strategic planning, program development, marketing, public relations, and other capacity-building disciplines. Organizations may apply for up to $4,000 or 75% of the total costs of a specific course or conference, including registration fees and reasonable travel expenses. Read more about the program and click here for the application.
Build the capacity of your organization
Need help in financial management, fundraising, marketing, governance? The Division has just added a new collection of web tools for arts organizations. Find sites for online and nearby training, online newsletters, toolkits for a variety of purposes and useful sites located by topic including: Fundraising, Marketing, Planning, Evaluation, and more. Go to www.artsdel.org/capacity to check out the resources.
New for small nonprofits: IRS 990s
New for small tax-exempt organizations whose gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less is that they may be required to electronically submit Form 990-N, also known as the e-Postcard. What’s not new is that organizations whose gross receipts exceed $25,000 have always been required to file a 990.
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 added this filing requirement to ensure that the IRS and potential donors have current information about your organization. Visit the IRS site for more information.
Register Online
The Division of the Arts has now joined Shop.Delaware.gov in order to provide the convenience of online registration for STARTUP classes for arts organizations and the Division’s biennial Arts Summit. Workshop descriptions can be located on the Division’s site at www.artsdel.org/worddocs/STARTUPClasses.doc.
 Sign up for Delaware Scene Stealers
Visit DelawareScene.com and sign up to receive Scene Stealers, a newsletter with a variety of upcoming arts and cultural highlights delivered to your e-mailbox.
Participants at the 2008 Poetry and Fiction Writers Retreat
led by Delaware’s Poet Laureate Dr. JoAnn Balingit (far left)
and Dr. Cruce Stark (seated on the floor in the center), novelist and retired University of Delaware professor.
Sponsored by the Division of the Arts, the retreat was held October 23-36, 2008 at the Biden Center in Cape Henlopen State Park.
|
