Press releases [Jan. 3, 2007]

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release 03 January 2007

Media Contact: J. James Public Information Officer 404-685-2784 jjames@gaarts.org

Grassroots Arts Funding Allocated for Targeted Counties
More than $80,000 in Funding Available to Support Local Arts Projects
Atlanta - Additional arts-project funding is available for more than forty Georgia counties. The funding is available through Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) and its Grassroots Arts Program (GAP) to ensure that every county has access to state-supported arts programming and funding especially small, traditionally underserved communities.
Karen Paty, Community Arts Development Manager for GCA, explains that funding is determined by the state legislature. "All of the counties in the state are provided an allocation of funds determined by a formula set by the Georgia General Assembly. Half of the county allocation is a flat rate, shared equally among all counties. The remaining half is determined on a per capita basis." Paty also states that each year many counties do not utilize monies that have been earmarked specifically for their region. "While GAP is intended to function as a local regranting program that allows for community based decision making concerning the allocation of these funds, each year we have many Georgia counties without a re-granting or GAP agency. Funds for one county cannot be transferred to another county and we strongly believe in the necessity and value of allocated funding for every county in the state, therefore, in the absence of local GAP agencies, GCA will temporarily act as the re-granting agency for the counties in which funding is available."
The intent of GAP is to support arts programs and services as broadly as possible. Approved sub-grantee projects should create opportunities for community-wide access to the arts, target underserved populations, and/or contribute to activities that have a positive impact on

Grassroots Funding Available/Page 2

community development. Funded activities must be accessible and available to the general public or designed as outreach to specific underserved populations. Funds may support art activities only.
Applications are available via the GCA Website and must be returned to the agency postmarked no later than February 1, 2007. Eligible projects and programs must be completed and expenses incurred within the 2007 fiscal year (between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007). Additionally, GCA requires sub-grantees receiving GAP funds directly from the Council to be incorporated in Georgia, be a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization as certified by the IRS or be a unit of government.
Representatives of organizations who would like additional information, should contact Karen L. Paty by calling (404) 685-2796 or sending an e-mail to kpaty@gaarts.org. Funding is available in the following counties:

County

Available Funds

Baldwin Bartow Bleckley Burke Carroll Chattahoochee Coweta Crisp Dodge Dooly Dougherty Fannin Floyd Gilmer Glascock Gordon Hancock Haralson Harris Heard Jefferson Johnson Laurens

$ 2,359 $3,128 $ 1,549 $ 1,809 $ 3,404 $ 1,628 $ 3,451 $ 1,803 $ 1,733 $ 1,546 $ 3,619 $1,749 $3,485 $1,838 $ 1,326 $2,345 $ 1,510 $ 1,893 $ 1,844 $ 1,533 $ 1,687 $ 1,473 $ 2,364

County
Lee Lincoln Macon Marion McDuffie Murray Muscogee Pickens Polk Pulaski Schley Stewart Sumter Taliaferro Terrell Towns Troup Twiggs Union Warren Washington Webster Wilkinson Whitfield
-MORE-

Available Funds
$ 1,870 $ 1,468 $ 1,608 $ 1,438 $ 1,784 $2,158 $ 5,833 $1,827 $ 2,198 $ 1,498 $ 1,355 $ 1,392 $ 2,077 $ 1,314 $ 1,532 $1,492 $ 2,705 $ 1,523 $1,687 $ 1,418 $ 1,782 $ 1,322 $ 1,514 $3,312

GEORGIA ARTS TRUST/Page 3
Georgia Council for the Arts is a state agency that provides support for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations throughout the state. Established in 1965 as the Georgia Commission on the Arts, its mission is to encourage excellence in the arts, support the arts many forms of expression and make the arts available to all Georgians by providing funding, leadership, programming and other services. Funding for the Georgia Council for the Arts is provided by the Georgia General Assembly, the National Endowment for the Arts and other private and public sources.

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