Round 43: Small Business/Big Change: Economic Perspectives from Artists and Artrepreneurs is one of several projects in the running for the Robert E. Gard award. This is the inaugural year of the award which recognizes and celebrates an exemplary project from 2015 that has successfully crossed the arts into community life in meaningful measurable ways.

On Arts Advocacy Day, Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) announced new legislation to strengthen the creative economy to a crowd of over 500 arts advocates.

The NABE Foundation, a partner of Americans for the Arts and the charitable arm of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) is awarding its eighth annual Americans for the Arts scholarship to encourage the integration of the arts into the economic education process.

After Missouri’s annual Capitol Christmas tree decorating ceremony on December 8, Missouri Citizens for the Arts delivered 1,006 letters to Governor Jay Nixon asking for increased budget consideration for the Missouri Arts Council (MAC). The organization's initial goal was to drop off 500 letters but quickly surpassed its target as letters poured in from across the state in support of the arts.

The City of Austin, highly regarded for its culture of live music, released the findings of its first music census in June 2015. The census reported that over 68 percent of Austin musicians made less than $10,000 annually and that 20 percent were living below poverty levels. In addition, the city found that respected music venues were closing due in part to rising rental costs.

On Wednesday, August 12, the Des Moines Register published an op-ed by John Pappajohn titled "The Arts Mean Business in Iowa." The op-ed comes several days ahead of the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus, held on August 14 and co-hosted with the Iowa Arts Council, Iowa Alliance for Arts Education, BRAVO Greater Des Moines, NAMM, and the United States Conference of Mayors. 

Americans for the Arts and Cultural Data Project (CDP) announced Monday a new collaboration between the two organizations as we begin our fifth national economic impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry, Arts & Economic Prosperity 5.

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, and The Cultural Data Project (CDP), the most significant national resource for in-depth data about nonprofit arts, culture, and humanities organizations, today announced a new collaboration between the two organizations as Americans for the Arts begins its fifth national economic impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry, Arts & Economic Prosperity 5. 

Congressional Arts Caucus co-Chairs Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ) led a bipartisan letter requesting $154.466 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in FY 2016. A record-breaking 134 House members joined them in that request!

The letter especially highlights the economic impact of the arts and the NEA/Walter Reed Healing Arts Partnership.

The signed letter is available for download here.

Apply now for Colorado Creates, the Colorado Creative Industries' largest grant program. Grants are awarded to support nonprofit cultural organizations and communities for arts and cultural activities. Last year,150 grants totaling $1,125,000 were awarded across Colorado. The funding period for projects is Oct. 1, 2015 - Sept. 30, 2016, and the deadline for receipt of online applications is 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2015.

Freshman member Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) joined Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) as co-chairs of the Congressional STEAM Caucus.

Americans for the Arts is pleased to be holding its 2015 Annual Convention in Chicago, a diverse city that embraces artists, creators, and innovators. The largest national gathering of arts leaders and their partners in creative business, education, and government, the convention is expected to draw upwards of 1,000 attendees. 

On May 18, the North Carolina House of Representatives released its budget plan. In the plan, the House has proposed to revive the state’s tax credit for restoring historic and cultural buildings, which was allowed to expire last legislative session.