Your state arts agency is pleased to announce that the fiscal year 2011 (July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011) Guides to Grants for Organizations and Schools are now available on our website at www.azarts.gov. The deadline to apply is Thursday, March 18, 2010. Some grant programs have letter of intent or draft submission deadlines of Friday, February 26, 2010.
Most Arizonans are aware that our state’s budget remains unbalanced for the current and upcoming fiscal years. Because state agency budgets might not be known prior to the beginning of fiscal year 2011, the Arts Commission has elected to move forward with the grant programs that are of greatest value to arts organizations and schools, preserving the integrity of the grant application and review process, as well as existing funding formulae. Once the fiscal year 2011 funding outcome is known, it is possible that percentage reductions could be applied to grant recommendations, as was done during the fiscal year 2010 grants cycle.
Though grant guides are now available, please be aware that the new Arts Commission website will launch in February 2010. We will direct you to the new Guide to Grants page when the renovated website goes live.
Staff Restructuring
Over the last 27 months the Arts Commission’s state funding has been reduced by nearly 50%, with more reductions looming. In that time we have decreased our staff by more than one-third. Unfilled positions have affected our ability to accommodate grantee requests as well as our capacity to provide services to the arts and culture industry, in this time of tremendous need.
As a result our agency, like so many of your organizations, has undertaken efforts to realign duties. The most visible of these changes involves the assignment of grants to different staff contacts and the creation of a grants processing team. In the past, staff contacts were assigned based on grantees’ artistic disciplines. Starting immediately, staff will be assigned by grant type or area.
Grants types or areas have been assigned as follows:
Mandy Buscas, Arts Learning Director
- Arts Learning: Community Enrichment
- General Operating Support, Education
Adriana Gallego, Director of Strategic Initiatives
- Arts Link to Tourism and the Economy
- General Operating Support Level II
- General Operating Support Level III
- Locals Aid
- Organizational Development Grants
Alex Nelson, Arts Learning and Poetry Out Loud Coordinator
- Arts Learning: Artist in Residence
Jennifer Tsukayama, Director of Strategic Partnerships
- Basic Aid
- Festival Project Grants
- General Operating Support Level I
- General Operating Support, Tribal Museums
After grants have been awarded, all inquiries related to processing will be managed by the grants processing team:
Ginny Berryhill, Grants and Information Technology Manager
Jaya Rao, Accessibility and Grants Coordinator
More information related to these agency changes can be found in the newly published grant guides and will be listed in future grant award agreements. If you are a current grantee, your new grant contact will likely introduce herself via email.
Please contact us with any questions about this message, and thank you for your continued work on behalf of the Arizona arts industry
