Arts funding at risk

“The arts lost 8 percent of America”™s philanthropic pie over the last five to seven years,” Dutchess County Arts Council President Benjamin Krevolin said. “In general, giving to the arts has pretty much remained flat or decreased as everyone else”™s piece has gone up, particularly for religion and education.”
That makes an aggressive fundraising program all the more important. The council relies on a variety of funding mechanisms, besides the nearly $300,000 it gets from the county. Through its United Arts Fund ”“ Westchester County has a similar program ”“ it raises money from a wide range of sources in the community that is distributed to pre-selected organizations. This year its goal is to raise $245,000 through its corporate and membership campaign.
Krevolin said there”™s been a shift in corporate philanthropy, making it more challenging to get corporate funds.
“You have to make something for corporations to hang a logo off,” such as a program or marquee, which unfortunately costs the arts council money. While corporations used to be happy just to make a community investment, today “they need to show a return to their shareholders.”
State money for the arts is tight, although New York State Council of the Arts”™s budget was increased by $5 million this year, improving the situation slightly. At the federal level, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) “is off life support” ”“ it got an extra $35 million this year from Congress ”“ but is still in critical condition, Krevolin said. The Dutchess County Arts Council got a special “chairman”™s initiative grant” from the NEA last year for the installation of public art at the Poughkeepsie train station. U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey was instrumental in bringing the chairman of the NEA to Poughkeepsie, where he conducted a grant-writing workshop.
Krevolin said a vital role of the council is providing the expertise to make sure those arts dollars are spent fruitfully. “I will look any taxpayer in the eye and tell them the value. When all is said and done, it”™s a very minimal investment. We work very hard at making sure we”™re absolutely accountable to the taxpayer. Every cent we grant we justify in blood, sweat and tears.”