CA For The Arts’ Post

📣Join the Movement for Creativity! ✨ Do you care about the growth and sustainability of California’s creative sector? Artists are the future, spearheading social cohesion and belonging, and shaping the very fabric of our society. Join a network of change-makers building power for statewide arts advocacy by becoming a member with CA for the Arts. Our programs, webinars, and resources center artists, culture bearers, nonprofit arts organizations, and creative industries, equipping practitioners with knowledge and a network to move the needle on issues affecting the field. Through this work, we are building a movement that advocates for the essential role of Art and Culture in our daily lives and economy, and the need to adequately invest in it. Just last week, CA For The Arts alongside coalition partners, legislative arts champions, and statewide arts advocates fought tirelessly in the California Legislature to protect state arts agency funding from disproportionate budget cuts and save the Equitable Payroll Fund from elimination. As a result, the legislature has agreed to restore $12.5 million in funding for the Equitable Payroll Fund and $5 million to the California Arts Council. The arts funding was restored following an aggressive campaign from arts advocates, employers, and unions who sent more than 9,000 letters into the legislature, held over 30 meetings, and a press conference we led outside the Capitol. If you want to support our efforts consider becoming a member of CA for the Arts. With your membership, we can continue to grow this movement, advocate for the arts, and ensure a vibrant, creative future for California. 🌟 We have a special new member perk: Join for as low as $5/month or $50/year and be entered to win a Swag Package that includes a shirt, coaster, and other prizes. Learn more and grow with us by visiting: caforthearts.org/grow 📷 : Left: NeFesha Yisra'el, Director of Programs at CA For The Arts Right: Eduardo Robles, Senior Manager of Communications at CA For The Arts #GrowWithUs #BuildTheMovement #ArtWorkIsRealWork #CAfortheArts #CAArtsAdvocates #SupportArtsAdvocacy

UNITE! Come together with statewide arts workers, culture bearers & arts advocates and rally to restore arts funding at the State Capitol TODAY at 11:00 am. We will meet at the North Side on L Street, between 10th and 11th Streets. Together alongside industry leaders, we are advocating to restore more than $22 million in cuts to state arts funding proposed in Governor Newsom’s recent May Revise, which includes a $10 million cut to the California Arts Council, representing a greater than 38% reduction to its conservative $26 million grants budget. It also entirely eliminates $12.5 million in funding for SB 1116, the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund (a lifeline for our state’s arts workers). This would drastically position California at 45th in the nation in local arts assistance funding, just above Kentucky, Kansas and Georgia. ⁠ Arts workers are a pillar to California’s unique culture, impacting a broader national identity. We must protect their jobs and fight for their livelihoods. Without this vital workforce, California will lose the vibrant culture that makes our state special. We hope to see you at the Capitol today to oppose these proposed budget cuts that threaten our much-needed arts workers and cultural practitioners! Organized by CA Arts Advocates, Actors Equity, and Theatre Producers of Southern California. ✍️Send a Letter to Your State Reps Opposing 58% Cuts to Arts Funding: https://lnkd.in/dhgdrCtt ⁠ #CAC #Grants #ArtsGrants #CAisCreative #InvestCAArts #fundCAArts #CreativeEconomy #OpposeArtsCuts #ArtsWorkIsRealWork⁠

Learn more about the father of #juneteenth Al Edwards. Thanks to theGrio for writing this insightful article. #DEIB #DEI #history #diversity #inclusion #equity #AlEdwards

Join Jodi Whitted, D.S.W., M.S.S.W. at the Deepening Clinical Practice Conference for A Crash Course in Civic Engagement: Using Political Power to Influence Positive Change in Social Work Practice. Social workers are ethically bound to take social and political action to protect clients, the profession and broader society, but in a time when injustices are staggering, many practitioners are left wondering how one accomplishes such a task. In this afternoon session presentation, attendees will learn about diverse political theories that are used to explain political participation (or non-participation) and how they are applicable to their work as social work practitioners. In addition to learning about these power dynamics, participants will learn ways to engage personally and professionally in the political sphere through varying, accessible means of civic engagement that include petitioning, voting initiatives, volunteering on political campaigns, providing legislative testimony, and running for office. At the end of the session, participants will walk away feeling empowered to engage in policy change initiatives, with a deeper understanding of tangible methods that they can implement to make their voices heard and to advocate for the clients they serve. Deepening Clinical Practice Conference, June 14, 2024, Smith College Campus Center, afternoon session: 2:35 p.m. - 4:05 p.m. ET. 1.5 CEs. Learn more and register for the conference here: https://buff.ly/4bGEit5

In 2022, the Rozsa Foundation received feedback from our community suggesting that as a private foundation, we could play a significant role in advocating for increased government support for the arts sector. This resonated with our values and vision, leading us to allocate more resources to arts advocacy. We've been active in advocacy at all levels of government, from local to federal. We've joined initiatives like the Nonprofit Vote and the Canadian Arts Coalition, and we've invested in our own knowledge through professional development programs. Recently, there have been positive steps in Alberta, with the government announcing increases in funding for the arts. This is encouraging news. Moving forward, we plan to stay connected with relevant government ministries and continue advocating for the arts sector. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gA3jfNaC And don't forget, the dialogue series question for the week is: We want to hear from the community about what they think are important issues for government attention in the arts sector. What are your public policy priorities? Let your voice be heard! In case you missed out on what the 'Dialogue' series is, it is where we take a thought-provoking question or idea from our latest newsletter article and toss it out to our community, asking: 'What's your take? We invite you to dive in however you like! Share your thoughts by commenting, sending messages, recording audio clips, or emailing us —whatever suits you. 'Dialogue' is about your perspective on topics that impact the community. Your thoughts are the heartbeat of this series, so we encourage you to engage! . . . #rozsafoundation #artadvocacy #dialogue #art #artists #yycarts #alberta

Join YW Boston and Parity on Board and advocate for diverse representation on public boards and commissions in Massachusetts! Take five minutes now to email your local state representative and ask them to sign on to Amendment #801 in the House Budget: 1. Go to https://buff.ly/2p1j7Nu and type in your address to find your legislator and their email address. 2. Copy and paste the message below into an email. 3. Don’t forget to edit your Representative’s name, your information, and add anything else personal you may want to share about why this issue is important to you. Thank you for your service in promoting a more equitable Massachusetts! If you’d like to share any responses or follow up on this movement, please reach out to Brianna Savage, YW Boston’s Associate Director of Advocacy at BSavage@ywboston.org. TO: (Your Rep’s Name) FROM: YOURSELF or YOU on behalf of YOUR ORG SUBJECT: Please Sign on to House Budget Amendment 801 Dear Representative X, Please sign on to Budget Amendment 801 (Nguyen). This amendment will provide for increased diverse representation on state boards and commissions. Public boards and commissions have substantial impact on policies and initiatives on education, health and human services, housing and economic development, labor and workforce development, public safety, and more. We need more diverse representation in membership, leadership, and governance that broadly reflects the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and offers a variety of perspectives on the decisions that shape our community and our future. This is particularly important for the needed increased appointment of Black women to state boards and commissions. To promote and recognize increased parity on state public boards and commissions, this amendment provides for data collection and reporting by the state. This approach is based on the Nasdaq rule approved by the Securities & Exchange Commission. Current board members will not be replaced or removed from their positions. Individual applicant or nominee information other than broad identifying demographic information will not be disclosed. We ask you, Representative X, to please sign on to support this amendment today. Thank you for your interest and support. For any questions, please reach out to Mary Ann Walsh at MAWalsh@governmentalstrategies.com or 617-447-371. Sincerely, YOUR NAME YOUR TITLE & ORG (IF APPLICABLE) ADDRESS/NEIGHBORHOOD #YWBoston #DEI #ParityOnBoard #Advocacy #mapoli

In times of funding uncertainty, arts organizations face a critical decision: Should they prioritize political advocacy over artistic programming? This question is more relevant than ever as we navigate an increasingly polarized political landscape where arts funding is often on the chopping block. How we allocate limited resources can make or break our organizations' futures. What's your stance? Agree or disagree: Arts organizations should focus more on advocacy than programming when funding is uncertain. Share your thoughts and experiences below! #artsadvocacy #nonprofitstrategy #culturalfunding #artspolicydebate

Email from Grantmakers in the Arts: ---------- Dear Grantmakers in the Arts community, Please join Grantmakers in the Arts in endorsing the National Worker Cooperative Development and Support Act (HR 7721 [https://lnkd.in/evRSvYnZ]), which aims to promote and expand worker-owned cooperative businesses in the United States by endowing the Small Business Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, Department of Commerce, United States Department of Agriculture, and Department of Labor with responsibilities and authorities to implement programs and initiatives to support worker co-ops. Individuals and nonprofits can endorse here [https://lnkd.in/epDXmPUE]. Here is more information [https://lnkd.in/eQbQ8rT9] on the bill. Here is the text [https://lnkd.in/evRSvYnZ] of the bill itself. Grantmakers in the Arts supports cultural self-determination as a part of economic self-determination toward intersectional economic justice. GIA has a vision for the future in which our field has become investors in culture – broadening who/what entities receive support. Toward making that vision a reality, GIA shares resources on the solidarity economy [https://lnkd.in/eUumFWfA] and how to support it. Grantmakers in the Arts holds Public Policy & Advocacy [https://lnkd.in/euHbnR-7] as one of its core funding focus areas. As part of realizing this vision, we teach our members about advocacy and lobbying[ https://lnkd.in/e3ZgbrC2], the difference between the two, and how grantmakers can support both.  We hope you join us in advocating and supporting advocacy for economic self-determination for artists and all workers. Pa’lante, Eddie  Torres, Grantmakers in the Arts President & CEO

Today, Juneteenth, marks a day of freedom and advocacy, and a recommitment to dismantling the systemic racism that persists to this day. Read more lessons from #Juneteenth on the MAZON blog: https://loom.ly/Ve30oFQ

NEW REPORT ON MAINE'S CIVIC HEALTH According to a report just released by Colby College, "MAINE RANKS FIRST IN THE NATION IN ATTENDING PUBLIC MEETINGS AND PARTICIPATING IN GROUPS." Oh my gosh. This makes me so proud. I love our state right now. Yay Maine! Here are some other impressive national rankings. Maine is - 4th in contacting or visiting public officials - 6th in discussing issues with families, friends, or neighbors - 9th in working with neighbors to improve their neighborhood or community Six in ten Mainers believe that “while people might not always have the same opinion, we are still able to find common ground." Yet while our relative rankings are high, civic health across the country as a whole is low. Over thirty other countries have higher voting rates than the US, which has recently been about 62%. Here in Maine, about 30% to 40% of could-be voters are not participating in most elections. And participation among young people is frighteningly low across the country, and in Maine. This is a fantastic report. Well researched. Well written. Very high quality. It shines light on the issue of the day: our civic health. Get the full report here: https://lnkd.in/etgYddmh