Welcome to the Arts Council of Indianapolis' site designed to provide information about the arts community and related arts funding issues.
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2009 City Arts Funding Update
The City County Council has approved the 2009 City of Indianapolis budget. The Council approved the Mayor's proposal for $1 million in arts funding. City funding supports arts outreach and education programs and many other community activities to 75 different arts organizations annually. The Arts Council of Indianapolis will be reviewing the allocation plan and funding programs for 2009 over the next several months and will be announcing programs and guidelines by the end of the year.
The Arts Council and the arts community do understand the critical financial challenges of the city. We are continuing to work with a group of city councilors, Mayor's staff, and arts leaders to find alternative sources of public funding for the future.
The arts in Indianapolis are an invaluable investment; besides the economic activity they generate - nearly $500 million each year, 15,000 full-time jobs and $52 million in state and local tax revenue - for residents and visitors alike, they are fundamental to the quality of life in our city.
The information below lists important facts about the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis funding to arts organizations. If you are interested in letting your public officials know how important the city's investment in the arts is to you or your organization, click here for more information.
Public investment in the arts is critical to continuing not only the education and outreach programs supported with the city's funding, but also in leveraging private funding, generating economic activity and tourism, attracting and retaining younger people to our community, and providing a strong message that the arts are an important part of our city.
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- PRIVATE ORGANIZATION: The Arts Council of Indianapolis is a private non-profit organization established in 1987.
- ARTS COUNCIL OPERATIONS: In addition to the annual grant program through the city's allocation, the Arts Council offers many other programs and services designed to support and advance the arts in Indianapolis. Arts Council salaries are not paid through the city's allocation. Program costs not associated with the city's allocation are supported by individual contributions, grants from foundations and corporations, and one annual fund raiser.
- USE OF FUNDS: The City's allocation is used only for the grants programs that support Marion County arts and cultural organizations. No city funds are used to support ongoing operations, including employee salaries and benefits.
- FUNDING REQUIREMENT: The funding allocated from the City of Indianapolis is only available to arts organizations -- not individual artists. This is a requirement placed on the Arts Council by the City of Indianapolis.
- GRANTS PROCESS: The Arts Council of Indianapolis' board and staff do not make the funding decisions about the arts organizations. The Arts Council uses out-of-state grant panelists to determine the merit of each application. This eliminates favoritism and conflicts of interest. The adjudication panels are open to the public. All grants awarded must leverage additional funding and not all applications received are funded. In addition to the city's core arts groups, applications are received and grants are made to new and emerging arts organizations each year.
- CITY GRANTS: The funds awarded to arts organizations represent between .05% to 10% of an organization's budget. The programs and projects supported include free programs, discounted tickets and admission, community outreach programs, and support to pay individual artists for programs and performances at Indianapolis arts venues. Click here for a list of grants supported with city funding in 2008.
- OTHER GRANTS: The Arts Council provides funding support and grants from other sources (in addition to the city's allocation) for a variety of arts-related initiatives, including fellowships, arts projects, and public art programs. For a list of only the city-supported grants for 2008, click here. Arts Council newsletters, annual reports, and other documents include listings of all grants awarded by the Arts Council for a specific time period, including those not funded through the city's allocation.
- ARTS COUNCIL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES: The Arts Council of Indianapolis offers free services to artists including workshops, technical assistance, paid exhibition and performance opportunities at the Indianapolis Artsgarden, free publicity and marketing assistance through its website: www.indyarts.org. Arts organizations also benefit from free workshops and technical assistance opportunities as well as industry-leading research projects.
- PUBLIC ART: The city's public art program has funded local, regional, national, and international artists. The program is managed by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and does not use the City of Indianapolis allocation to fund this program. Current funding for this program comes from private sources, most notable the Lilly Endowment, to the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission. This includes the Chakaia Booker exhibition that is currently on display in Indianapolis and receiving international acclaim. It also includes local artist Jeff Martin's Urban Silos project and other public artworks around the city.
