Arts Advocacy for Grantees

As a grantee and constituent, you have a very powerful voice when it comes to influencing decisions about public funding for the arts and arts education. We urge you to seek out elected officials and community leaders to let them know how you have benefited from Arts Council funding.

Get Legislators Involved

• Meet with your legislators and talk to them personally about the importance of funding cultural activities.
• Invite legislators to performances, openings, classes, etc.  Publically recognize them at events and give them an opportunity to speak.
• Add legislators to your mailing lists for events, media announcements and newsletters.
• Follow-up with any offers you make to meet, send invitations, provide further information, etc.  Legislators should be treated like corporate sponsors.

Other ways to make the case for public funding for the arts:

• Join the Vermont Arts Council   Insert link
• Join the Americans for the Arts “Arts Action Fund” It’s free!
• Write an article for your newsletter about how critical VAC funding is and the difference it makes to your organization/school/students etc.
• Present the VAC’s Executive Director, Chair or Board member as a speaker at one of your important events.
• Get one of your board members or your executive director to write an opinion piece or letter to the editor crediting the VAC for support and indicating the importance of public funding.
• Arrange for an article in your local newspaper about the VACs funded programs in your organization.
• Create a lobby display or some other public exhibit for the library, the town hall, the school, etc. For example, showcase students’ work or other VAC-supported activity.
• Send a special letter home to parents from the Principal or Executive Director illuminating the work of the VAC and the programs it supports in your school/organization.
• Send a letter to School Board members or other officials expressing the value of the arts.

Contacting Elected Officials

It is very important to take a few minutes to thank those elected officials responsible for appropriating funds to the VAC and NEA.

Vermont's Congressmen:

Senator Patrick Leahy	Senator Bernie Sanders	Representative Peter Welch

Send a message

Vermont's Legislators

• List of Representatives 2009-2010
• List of Senators 2009-2010
• Committee Assignments
• Send a message to your Legislators

Letter Writing Suggestions

• Keep your letter to one page.
• Get your organization’s board chair to sign the letter.
• Thank officials for this year’s VAC appropriation and for your grant.
• Tell compelling stories about how your work affects the community.
• Describe whom the program/project will serve, emphasize its public benefits (e.g., promoting education, access for underserved communities, economic impact).
• List private dollars your organization has raised to match the state grant and describe how the state grant helps leverage these dollars.

Sample Letter to a Legislator

Dear _____:

I am pleased to report that we have received a grant of $2,000 from the Vermont Arts Council. Thank you for your continued support of the agency and for this year’s appropriation.

VAC’s support is an essential component of our organizational infrastructure. It is an investment in our institution as well as in the community we serve. Here at the New England Youth Theater, young people gain technical skills in the arts, and develop self-confidence and poise that will help them succeed in many life experiences along the way.

I hope we can welcome you at the New England Youth Theater soon, so we can show you firsthand how your support affects our community. I will contact you within the next few weeks to schedule a time when you might come see our center or attend a performance. We would be most honored if you would say a few words at one of our events.

Thank you again for this investment in the Vermont Arts Council and in our organization. We will be in touch soon with news about our upcoming season.
 
Sincerely,

____________

Press Release Samples

Press releases are an important opportunity to demonstrate to Vermont communities the importance of public funding for the arts!  Although you are receiving an Arts Council grant now, an article may be best approached several months later about your project or a particular program once it is up and running. Please acknowledge the Council in these articles. 

In order to help legislators understand the impact of public funds for cultural activities, we suggest you contact your local legislators and ask them for a quote to include in your press release.  This could include a comment on how public support enables you to reach new audiences, foster community development, provide the highest quality programming, contribute to the local economy, or develop models for integrating the arts into school curriculum etc. 

Remember: Funding for the Vermont Arts Council is dependent on the support of the Governor, the State Legislature, and Congress through the National Endowment for the Arts.  We need your help to demonstrate that funding for the arts is a worthwhile investment!