immediate action needed

FACT SHEET from ART/NY

Proposed 2010-11 NYSCA Budget

On April 27, 2010, Governor David Paterson announced a revised Executive Budget proposal for the 2010-11 fiscal year. This new proposal recommends a total of $25.2 million for NYSCA's Local Assistance (grant making) budget.

The Governor's proposal also calls for a 2011-12 Local Assistance allocation of $25.2 million.

The Governor's most recent proposal represents a nearly 40% [39.4%] decrease in Local Assistance funding from 2009-10 levels ($41.6 million).

A 40% cut to NYSCA's Local Assistance Budget far exceeds proposed cuts at most other New York State Agencies.

Governor Paterson has also proposed reducing NYSCA's administrative budget to $4.84 million in 2010-11. This represents a nearly 12% [11.84%] decrease from 2009-10 levels ($5.49 million).

The Governor's proposed 2010-11 budget for NYSCA totals $30.4 million. This places New York State's funding of the Arts on par with Minnesota, which provided $30.3 million dollars in arts funding in 2009-10 (the 2nd highest level of funding in the US behind New York). Source: National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

At this level of funding, New York State's per capita spending on Arts would drop from $2.48 to $0.77. New York's ranking as the 3rd highest per capita support for the Arts in the US would drop to 26th, ranking just above Arkansas at $0.74 per capita and below the national average of $0.90 per capita. Source: National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

ACTION STEPS: Please fax the attached letter or call your State Senator and Assembly Member immediately.


April 27, 2010

Dear State Senator/State Assembly Member ____

Today I learned that Governor Paterson made additional cuts to the State budget. Among the agencies he targeted is The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), which is to receive a $17 million cut. Not only is this one of the State's smallest agencies, it was hit with the largest cut! This year, NYSCA had a budget of $42+ million. Today, the Governor proposed that the Agency receive $25 million - a 40% cut to the Local Assistance Budget!

With its current budget of $42.6 million dollars, the New York State Council on the Arts fostered a $25 BILLION INDUSTRY! In other words, despite the recession, the Arts have served as a Secret Stimulus package for New York State.

Why then, would the Governor, who is trying to save the State money, consider a cut which will COST it $10 Billion in revenues from tourism, jobs, and hurt the small businesses that depend upon the arts for their livelihood?

The arts also drive neighborhood revitalization. If these cuts go through, what will happen to Chelsea, Dumbo, Williamsburg, Fort Greene, and Jackson Heights?

While the $17 million he proposes to cut is a tiny portion of the State deficit, it represents over a third of the agency's funding! These cuts take us back to the Agency's budget levels in 1992 (when A.R.T./New York had 150 theatre members, as opposed to the nearly 300 members we have today). In fact, the cuts are so severe that NYSCA will have to institute staff furloughs.

Isn't $17 million a small price to pay for an industry that provides financial, social, and spiritual sustenance to New Yorkers? Do we really expect New York to remain the State of the Arts when we fund the arts at its lowest level since 1989? Do we really expect to remain the arts capital of the world when our per capita funding will rank 26th in the country, just above Arkansas?

Please support restoration to the New York State Council on the Arts.

Sincerely,