A D V O C A C Y

Campaign for the Arts

Campaign for the Arts is advocating for $400,000 in increased discretionary grant funding to the RI State Council for the Arts (RISCA).  

The request for a $400,000 increase to the RI State Council for the Arts (RISCA) for competitive grant funding was heard in both the House and Senate Finance Committees in the past two weeks.  While we had a strong show of support from testimony at the Hearings, it's not enough.  We need to continue sending the message to members of the Education and Finance committees on how important this increased funding is to the arts in Rhode Island.  

For every $1 spent on an arts experience, an additional $23 is spent by in state attendees ($38 by out of state attendees) in surrounding establishments.  With this, the arts in Rhode Island are a wise investment.  RISCA supports artists that contribute to the positive impact on education, our economy, workforce development, and quality of life in our state.  Increased funding is needed to take the arts to the next level in performance and sustainability.  If the arts is important to you, we encourage you to help us get this message out.

action  Contact the Members of the House and Senate Education and Finance Committees today.  Write a letter using this sample or the points below as a base.  Remember to add your own story that relates the personal impact the arts has had on your life as a constituent in Rhode Island. 

Click the links below for Excel spreadsheets with mailing addresses: 

Send Letter to Representatives - Finance Committee 
Send Letter to Senators - Education and Finance Committees 

Click on the links below to send the Committee members an email:

Email the House Finance Committee.
Email the Senate Education and Finance Committees.

Or visit here to reach them by phone:

http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Scripts/email/LegEmail.asp

We encourage as many formal letters as possible.  Use this sample letter as a base and include one of these key points.  Whatever way you choose to contact our legislators, don't forget to include your personal story. 

Key Points:

*  Arts education is critical to developing our youth into responsible, contributing members of society.  A study by the US Department of Justice found that youth involved in the arts are half as likely to demonstrate delinquent behavior than those not involved in the arts.  Students with high school arts classes throughout all four years outperform those students with no high school arts on the SAT by an average of 90 points.  And students who participate in the arts, whether in school or after school, demonstrate improved academic performance and lower dropout rates.

*  Arts education better prepares students for the needs of the modern workforce.  According to the National Governors' Association brief, The Impact of Arts Education on Workforce Preparation, "School districts are finding that the arts develop many skills applicable to the 'real world' environment.  In a study of 91 school districts across the nation, evaluators found that the arts contribute significantly to the creation of the flexible and adaptable workers that businesses demand to compete in today's economy."

*  Competitive grants through RISCA reach every community in our State, having a positive impact on education, our economy, attracting and developing the workforce of the future and the quality of life in Rhode Island.  Check out FY06 Grant Recipients in your community.

• Education and Workforce:  These peer-reviewed grants include projects such as the Drug Intervention Community Educators in East Providence - using arts to get the message across on substance abuse to teens; the Ethnic Dance Project in the Central Falls School District - learning about cultural roots through dance; Girls' Industrial Arts Courses at The Steel Yard in Providence - gaining practical knowledge and fostering growth of high school-aged girls through learning blacksmithing and sculptural metalworking taught by female artisans in an all-female environment.  
• Our Economy.  For every $1 distributed to the artists and arts organizations by the State, an average $17 are additionally raised from private and out-of-state sources.  For every grant dollar given to an arts organization for programming, they continue to raise on average $17 more from private and out-of-state sources - leveraging investments in our community.
• Quality of Life.  RISCA competitive grants brings the arts to our lives through the festivals and events such as the Pawtucket Arts Festival, the RiverFolk Concert Series, FirstNight Providence.  They also support the creation of individual artwork through numerous RISCA Fellowships, work and results we enjoy as RI citizens. 

*  The arts are an economic stimulus for Rhode island and an effective investment opportunity for the future of our State.  For every dollar spent on the arts, an additional $23 from in state and $38 from out of state is spent by customers on an arts experience.  That means, for example, theatre-goers spend money on dinner, parking, etc, along with this arts experience, creating an economic stimulus for the surrounding communities. 

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