For Immediate Release: February 6, 2009
Contact: Jeff Morgan
Public Relations
515.281.3858
Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov
IAC reduces monthly Mini Grants by $19,000
(DES MOINES, Iowa) — The Iowa Arts Council today announced it has reduced its current budget for monthly Mini Grants by about $19,000.
IAC has canceled April and May Mini Grant application deadlines, leaving March 2, 2009, as the last Mini Grant application deadline for projects occurring during the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2009. Mini Grant applications must be in the IAC offices at 600 E. Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319 by 4:30 p.m., March 2, 2009.
IAC anticipates the Mini Grant program will resume in FY2010, which begins July 1, 2009. Mini Grant applications must be received the first working day of the month before the intended activity begins. The first application deadline for projects occurring in FY2010 is June 1, 2009. More information and application guidelines and rules can be viewed at www.iowaartscouncil.org
“It is with regret that we make this announcement today,” Iowa Arts Council Administrator Mary Sundet Jones said. “The April and May Mini Grant deadlines have been canceled to accommodate across-the-board state agency budget reductions for the current fiscal year. We had already trimmed $25,000 through various administrative cost reductions, but at this point in the year the only other place we could go for the remainder of our mandated cuts was the Mini Grants budget.”
In addition, IAC announced all applications for FY2010 Major Grants are due April 1, 2009, and canceled a second round slated for October 2009.
“Major Grants are usually awarded twice a year,” Jones said. “But we need to let applicants know right away that we expect to only have the April deadline for the next fiscal year. This change will save the administrative costs related to running two rounds of Major Grants. We may be able to re-open the second round in October once we know the outcome of state and federal budget decisions.”
Mini and Major Grants deliver the arts to Iowans through a range of programs and educational outreach, and are awarded to schools, individuals, arts organizations, and community organizations across Iowa. They are reviewed in seven categories, including:
- Artists
- Artists in Schools & Communities Residencies
- Arts in Education
- Conferences, Workshops and Forums
- Folk & Traditional Arts
- Organizations
- Public Art
Mini Grants are awarded each month, and applicants may request up to $1,500 in funding, which they must match. IAC has awarded 58 Mini Grants totaling $79,751 during the current fiscal year, out of a pool of 162 applications totaling $233,476.
Major Grants are awarded twice a year, and applicants may request up to $10,000 in funding, which they must match. For the current fiscal year, IAC awarded 43 Major Grants totaling $304,600. It received 151 Major Grant applications requesting nearly $1.3 million in funding.
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The Iowa Arts Council is a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and works to enrich the quality of life for Iowans through support of the arts. Funding for the Iowa Arts Council and its programs is provided by the state of Iowa and the National Endowment for the Arts.