Minnesota Administrative Rules

1900.1710 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND PROCESSES FOR PRESENTER SUPPORT PROGRAM.

Subpart 1.

Definitions.

A.

"Series" means a sequence of professional arts presentations or events, related in some way, and marketed as a set to an audience.

B.

"Presenting organization" means an institution exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that has been established in Minnesota and is engaged primarily in presenting arts activities; or an artist service agency that works to maintain an independent operation dedicated solely to the arts. Presenting organization does not include schools, universities, libraries, civic organizations, or other community service agencies.

C.

"Presenting affiliate" means an organization that is hosted within with a nonprofit, tax-exempt, nonarts institution and must also have:

(1)

a distinct identity;

(2)

professional arts management;

(3)

continuing arts programming;

(4)

evidence of a broad community following, as validated by the sale of season tickets, organized public classes, or a charitable membership;

(5)

a citizen advisory or governing board;

(6)

evidence of the receipt of other charitable arts support; and

(7)

a certified audit of the financial activity specifically addressing the arts activities of the affiliate organization.

D.

"Charitable arts support" consists of contributions and donations from foundations, corporations, businesses, and individuals; grants from government agencies excluding Minnesota state Arts Board grants; the proceeds from benefits, special events, and memberships which are tax-deductible as charitable contributions; contributed assets released from restrictions; and contributed support to affiliate arts organizations from their nonprofit or government host institution.

E.

"Unrestricted contributed revenue" is defined as contributions without donor-imposed restrictions.

Subp. 2.

Purpose of program.

The presenter support program shall provide an opportunity for the public to experience new, diverse, and outstanding live artistic performances, exhibitions, screenings, and readings in the visual, performing, and literary arts; and shall encourage presenters to build strong arts series programming within their communities.

A.

The series presenter support grants are intended to nurture high quality, statewide programming.

B.

The institutional presenter support grants must provide unrestricted support to high quality, established presenting organizations throughout the state.

Subp. 3.

Uses of grants.

The presenter support program shall provide grants to Minnesota presenting organizations. Any arts board funding received by an affiliate organization must be expended for arts programming only and not for expenses related to the host institution.

A.

The series presenter support program must provide grants to presenting organizations to support both the artistic fees and administrative costs necessary to present an artistic series of state, national, or international touring artists and companies.

B.

The institutional presenter support program must provide unrestricted support to high quality, established presenting organizations.

Subp. 4.

Advisory panel criteria to make recommendations to board.

The advisory panel criteria apply to the specific programs in items A and B.

A.

For series presenter support, the three review criteria by which a series presenter support applicant shall be evaluated by the advisory panel are: artistic excellence of the companies, artists, or exhibitions to be presented is the primary criterion. Program administration and demand for the series within the community are secondary criteria and equally important to each other.

(1)

Artistic excellence of the companies, artists, or exhibitions to be presented shall be demonstrated by:

(a)

the qualities and characteristics of the artistic activities;

(b)

contributions to the artistic growth of the presenter's constituency;

(c)

program selection that reflects a diversity of artists or genres;

(d)

how the activities support the presenter's mission and complement and build upon past programming; and

(e)

the quality of the artistic activity considering the funds available for artistic fees.

(2)

Program administration shall be demonstrated by:

(a)

presentation skills and experience in areas such as marketing and evaluation;

(b)

strong cash commitment to the series, with income derived from a variety of sources;

(c)

the level of administrative costs associated with the series in comparison to artistic fees;

(d)

the relationship of decisions to planning and evaluation processes; and

(e)

series stability viewed in terms of organizational stability, strength of fiscal position, and leadership.

(3)

Demand for the series within the community shall be demonstrated by:

(a)

accessibility to and continued development of broad audiences, including efforts to increase accessibility as shown by an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) plan;

(b)

objectives which address the community's artistic needs;

(c)

the role of the presenter as an advocate for the arts in the community; and

(d)

efforts to create community understanding and awareness of works of art through educational offerings and programs.

B.

The institutional presenter support grant must be based on two components of one review process: the formula funds component and the merit component. An applicant meeting the eligibility and review criteria shall receive an award in the formula funds component of the grant. An applicant that can show exceptional achievement in any of the stated criteria shall also receive an award in the merit component.

The four review criteria by which an institutional presenter support applicant shall be evaluated by the advisory panel are listed in this part. Artistic excellence and leadership shall be the primary criteria. Management and fiscal responsibility, accessibility and education, and service to the state shall be secondary criteria and equally important to each other.

(1)

Artistic excellence and leadership shall be demonstrated by:

(a)

the qualities and characteristics of the artistic activities relevant to the specific artistic disciplines or services provided;

(b)

contributions to the artistic growth of the presenter's constituencies;

(c)

professional presentations or events that reflect a diversity of artists or genres;

(d)

how the activities allow the arts form and artists to develop;

(e)

opportunities for the involvement and support of Minnesota artists;

(f)

the qualifications and achievements of artists and artistic leadership; and

(g)

the relative balance of artistic planning and decision making as they relate to financial decisions.

(2)

Management and fiscal responsibility shall be demonstrated by:

(a)

evidence of sound financial planning and marketing that supports artistic programs;

(b)

the relationship of decisions to planning and evaluation processes;

(c)

the extent to which planning includes the viewpoints of artists and the audience;

(d)

board composition and roles, staff qualifications, and responsibilities;

(e)

organizational stability and fiscal position;

(f)

strong cash commitment to the presenting activities, with income derived from a variety of sources;

(g)

the relationship of projected earnings to earning capacity;

(h)

commitment to a balanced budget;

(i)

evidence of a long-term plan to apply reserves wisely, where reserves exist; and

(j)

the challenges and opportunities associated with the artistic disciplines involved, geographic location, and availability of resources of an applicant.

(3)

Accessibility and education shall be demonstrated by:

(a)

efforts to increase accessibility as shown by an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) plan;

(b)

qualities and programs that make the organization approachable and available to a broad public audience;

(c)

how well the actual audience matches the intended audience;

(d)

efforts to create community understanding and awareness of works of art through educational objectives;

(e)

commitment to education beyond regular public programming; and

(f)

the role of the organization and its leaders as advocates for the arts in the community.

(4)

Service to the state shall be demonstrated by:

(a)

evidence of artistic impact in the community, region, state, or nation;

(b)

the organization's contribution of a unique art form or service;

(c)

the national or international reputation of the organization; or

(d)

the ability of the organization to reach a broad constituency throughout the state.

Subp. 5.

Additional eligibility requirements.

A.

All presenter support applicants must meet the additional eligibility requirements in subitems (1) to (6) to apply for funds:

(1)

The applicant must be a presenting organization or presenting affiliate as defined in subpart 1 and be engaged in presenting activities.

(2)

The applicant must demonstrate two recent consecutive years of arts presenting experience in Minnesota.

(3)

The applicant must not apply for or have received an institutional support or folk arts sponsorship grant from the board representing the same activity or fiscal year of funding.

(4)

The applicant must not propose or engage in activities that only consist of single events, fairs, festivals, or touring programming intended to serve primarily elementary or secondary school students.

(5)

Organizations based in or primarily serving an academic program are not eligible.

(6)

The project budget may not contain combined funding from a regional arts council and the board that amounts to more than one-half of the project's total cash expenses.

B.

In addition to the requirements in item A, all series presenter support applicants must also meet the requirements in subitems (1) to (3).

(1)

The applicant must demonstrate an annual series cash expense of at least the minimum dollar amount as determined by the board and printed in current program information.

(2)

The applicant must sponsor at least three professional artists, companies, exhibitions, or screenings during an annual season in a community or the number of artist groups printed in current program information.

(3)

The applicant must not apply for or have received an Arts Across Minnesota host community or festivals grant from the board representing the same activities.

C.

In addition to the requirements in items A and B, all institutional presenter support applicants must also meet the requirements in subitems (1) to (3).

(1)

The applicant must be able to demonstrate in its two most recently completed certified audits that it meets the minimum operating expense level requirements as determined by the board and printed in the current program information.

(2)

The applicant must sponsor at least five professional artists, companies, exhibitions, or screenings during an annual season in a community or the number of artist groups printed in current program information.

(3)

For applications submitted for Minnesota state Arts Board fiscal years 2002 and 2003 support, an applicant's unrestricted revenue over a two-year period must consist of at least five percent charitable arts support calculated by determining the dollar amount of charitable arts support donated over a two-year period and determining the percentage the charitable arts support represents in relation to the applicant's total unrestricted revenue, excluding investment income, received over the two-year period. This requirement must be evidenced by the applicant's most recently completed certified audits.

For applications submitted for Minnesota state Arts Board fiscal year 2004 and all subsequent years' support, an applicant's unrestricted revenue over a two-year period must consist of at least ten percent charitable arts support calculated by determining the dollar amount of charitable arts support donated over a two-year period and determining the percentage the charitable arts support represents in relation to the applicant's total unrestricted revenue, excluding investment income, received over the two-year period. This requirement must be evidenced by the applicant's most recently completed certified audits.

Subp. 6.

Interviews.

Applicants must agree to participate in an interview or site review if requested.

Subp. 7.

Dollar amount of grants.

A.

For series presenter support, the minimum grant shall be determined by the board based upon available resources and printed in current program information. The maximum grant is 20 percent of the projected cash expenses of the proposed series.

B.

For institutional presenter support, grant amounts must be determined for both the formula funds and merit components.

(1)

For the formula funds component of the grant, all grantees shall receive the same percentage of their qualifying two-year average operating expenses. The board shall calculate the amount of each grant based on the eligible applicant pool and funds available.

(2)

For the merit component of the grant, the minimum grant award must be based on the applicant's operating expenses according to the category established annually by the board and listed in the current program information. The category shall be determined by the operating expense level requirements described in part 1900.1510, subpart 5, item B. The maximum grant award for the merit component shall be ten percent of the applicant's operating expenses for the most recently completed and audited fiscal year.

Statutory Authority:

MS s 129D.04

History:

21 SR 5; 23 SR 1380; 24 SR 663; 25 SR 1653; 28 SR 854

Published Electronically:

September 14, 2007