In Saturday’s (5/23) Grand Rapids Press (Michigan), Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk reports, “Arts and cultural organizations funded by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs are facing a mid-year funding cut of 3.74 percent. MCACA voted unanimously on Thursday to impose an across-the-board cut in funding for nearly all state-supported arts and cultural groups in the wake of a $286,000 reduction imposed earlier this month in the council’s current-year budget. … The funds that were cut in Thursday’s action are expected to be taken out of the July 15 installment due from Lansing, according to Mike Latvis, director of public policy for ArtServe Michigan, a nonprofit advocacy group for arts and culture. … The Grand Rapids Symphony received the area’s biggest grant. A 3.74 percent reduction in their $224,200 award would be $8,385. … MCACA’s cut was part of a $1.5 million reduction in funds for the state Department of History, Arts and Libraries, of which the arts council is a part. In September 2008, MCACA awarded a total of $7.9 million in grants to museums, theaters and symphony orchestras for the current fiscal year that began on Oct. 1.”
Posted May 27, 2009
