Friday, March 12, 2010

AN URGENT MESSAGE FROM THE FLORIDA CULTURAL ALLIANCE

The Florida Legislative Fiscal Year 2010-2011 state budget process in underway. You must engage NOW to help prevent deeper cuts to our state's investment in its arts and cultural grant-program line items. Below are the initial recommendations for arts and cultural grant-program line items administered by the Florida Department of State.

Where the SENATE Stands as of 3/10/2010 on FY 2010-2011 Cultural-Grant Line Items:
Today, March 10, the SENATE Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee Chairman recommends ZERO for the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs' grant-program line items.

Where the HOUSE Stands as of 3/10/2010 on FY 2010-2011 Cultural-Grant Line Items:
The HOUSE Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee met this afternoon, and in their committee meeting materials, the Committee Chairman only recommends the following:
  • Cultural and Museum Grants -- $1,500,000 (currently this line item is $2,500,000)
  • Florida Humanities Council -- $150,000
  • Historical Preservation Grants -- $650,000
ACTION NEEDED NOW: Call and e-mail all the key legislators who deal with state appropriations listed in the Excel files we created for you that includes Senate and House Appropriations Leadership contacts, and members of both the House and Senate Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committees. You can easily download and use these contact files at this link.
SUGGESTED MESSAGE: Note for the advocate: Please personalize your message to legislative staff if you call and in your e-mails to legislators. Let them know the impact these state cultural grants mean to your organization and community. Florida's arts and cultural resources this current fiscal year have already received a 92% cut in state support from just a few years ago. Cutting grant appropriations even deeper in Fiscal Year 2011 for our state's arts and cultural resources is cutting more jobs throughout our state and further weakening a statewide cultural infrastructure that helps build Florida's economy, not deplete it. Florida's arts and cultural industry provides and supports
  • 88,326 full-time jobs throughout the state
  • $3.1 billion in local economic activity and
  • delivers $446.5 million in local and state government revenue
For every dollar Florida invests in its arts and cultural industry, $5 is returned to government. Florida already ranks 49th nationally in state appropriations for its arts and cultural resources, and invests only 14 cents per Floridian. Please restore funding for arts and cultural grant line items to Fiscal Year 2008-2009 levels, which is a total of $6.2 million
-- an 81% cut from just a few years ago. Please do not cut state support for cultural resources that are critical to downtown/community revitalization, tourism, business relocation and retention, student achievement, crime prevention, jobs, health and wellness, economic diversification and development, and quality of life. Florida's arts and cultural resources are part of the solution to get our state back on a strong, economic track. Please restore these line items to FY 2008-2009 levels, and do not cut them any deeper than current fiscal year levels -- jobs are at stake:
  • Cultural and Museum Grants -- $4,851,800
  • Specific Cultural Project Grants -- $800,000
  • State Touring Program and Fellowships -- $300,000
  • Florida Humanities Council -- $288,000
Thank you for your time and consideration.

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