In this issue:

• PAA Urges Congress to Support the NEA
• NEA Announces Recent Grant Awards
• Emergency Preparedness Webinar
• New Arts Ed Resource from ECS
• Meet with Congress During Recess

PAA Testimonies Urge Congress to Support NEA Appropriations

In May, PAA submitted written testimonies about the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. These subcommittees make recommendations for the NEA's budget.

PAA's testimonies highlighted the value of the NEA's support for the performing arts in the United States, included specific examples of PAA member organizations' programs and services that have received recent grant support from the agency, and urged the committee to fund the agency at $155 million for fiscal year 2018. Click here to read PAA's testimonies.

NEA Awards $82.06 Million in Grants Nationwide

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently announced that it has awarded 1,195 grants to nonprofit arts organizations across the nation. This is the agency's second round of funding for FY17, and awards were made in categories for various artistic disciplines as well as in the Our Town creative placemaking and Research: Art Works categories.

"The American people are recognized for their innovative spirit, and these grants represent the vision, energy, and talent of America's artists and arts organizations," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "I am proud of the role the National Endowment for the Arts plays in helping advance the creative capacity of the United States."

Click here to learn about the grantees and the projects that were supported: http://bit.ly/2rrEOcJ.

Webinar on Performing Arts Emergency Preparedness

The Performing Arts Readiness project is offering a free webinar on Thursday, June 29 to provide an introduction to why emergency preparedness is critical to protect performing arts organizations from external risks and internal vulnerabilities. Localized emergencies, regional disasters, and catastrophic events can have a devastating impact on performing arts organizations where even a brief loss of business can threaten sustainability.

Sign up here: http://performingartsreadiness.org/events/

PAA recently joined the national steering committee of the Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project, an initiative supporting a variety of programs to increase the knowledge and ability of performing arts organizations to create and execute emergency recovery plans. The PAR project is supported by a three-year, $2,500,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and is being administered by lead partner LYRASIS, a leading member-based nonprofit organization serving libraries, archives, and museums.

New Arts Education Resource from ECS

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) announced the latest chapter in its growing resource ESSA: Mapping opportunities for the arts, its special report highlighting the ways that states and districts can engage the arts in the ongoing work of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

In its new chapter, "Tiers of Evidence," the report breaks down the four categories of "evidence-based" strategies that support student learning as defined in ESSA and outlines arts education research that falls into these categories.            

ECS plans to add new chapters to this report as states move forward with ESSA implementation. The report also contains chapters on topics such as: Accountability, Title I, and a Well-Rounded Education.  

 Don't Forget to Visit Your Elected Officials During Recess! 

 

Legislators are headed back to their states and districts soon for the July 4th recess. This is a key time to build and strengthen relationships with members of Congress, which is essential so that they are aware of the work the performing arts do in communities. Try to meet in person with your lawmakers if possible and don't underestimate the important role congressional staff play in making policy recommendations.

Contact your legislators to thank them for their support of policies that affect the performing arts sector or encourage them to consider the important impact our sector has on their communities. You can find contact information for your lawmakers' local and Capitol Hill offices here: http://bit.ly/2jsHDDb. Check out the 2017 House calendar (http://bit.ly/2gHL2yM) and the 2017 Senate calendar (http://bit.ly/2lwx2rC) to plan ahead for recess periods.