Quick post on some great news for all artists, teachers, organizations, and lovers of the humanities: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior has moved on a bill to increase National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities funding to $170M each, up from $155M each for FY2009.  All’s not safe yet, the bill now goes to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee.  Read the article here.

This is great news for arts organizations and artists who NEED TO BE ENTREPRENEURIAL in grant writing, and finding new ways to reach audiences through artistic expression.  Many of the grant opportunities that I’ve found on their website apply to:

“Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.”

But the good news for independent artists, young artists, freelancing musicians, is the potential to partner with a non-profit organization to apply for a grant.  For example, if you are a college string quartet, you could partner with a local school district to setup a mini-concert series for elementary school students.  The school district would receive the money, but will sponsor you because the purpose of the grant is to bring your music into the school district (and they’re legally obligated to).

Great ideas stem from great people and great partnerships.  Make a phone call, find the right avenue to share your art.  Get out of your practice room and make some friends.

If you plan (or currently do) make a living as an artist, you need to know how the arts industry works.  Also, NEA has published a helpful report on Artists in the Workforce.  This might be discouraging for all artists who want to make it big, but it’s important to know what you’ll face while pursuing your passion.

Click here to view NEA’s Artists in the Workforce Study

Click here to see NEA’s January report on the importance of arts and culture in the economic stimulus

Click here to go to the National Endowment for the Humanities Website

Click here for some Guidelines on Grant Writing (From the MN coucil on Foundations)

I still remember watching tapes from the library from Bernstein’s Concerts for Young People.  Go change a life: