Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition

Artists leaders and artist-run groups addressing policy issues that affect artists in Massachusetts

Urgent Call To Action: Support The Cultural Facilities Fund!

[dropcap type=”rounded” color=”blue”]T[/dropcap]he Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee has cut the vital Cultural Facilities Fund by 1/3, from $75 million down to $50 million. This is a serious blow to maintaining our cultural infrastructure throughout the state. MALC has joined with MASSCreative to fight this cut.

Please take a moment to read MASSCreative’s call to action, contact your state representative today, and ask him or her to support Rep. Cory Atkins’ Amendment #1 to restore funding of the Cultural Facilities Fund to $75 million.

From MASSCreative:

I just got word that the Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee cut the Cultural Facilities Fund to $50 million in House Bill 3920. Can you call your House Representative right now and ask them to support Rep. Cory Atkins’ Amendment #1 to restore the Cultural Facilities Fund to $75 million?

The House is expected to debate the bill on the floor at 1pm on Wednesday, March 5th. Your action is most needed right now.

Find your MA House Representative’s contact information: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.aspx

When you call or email, if you can, please share a story of the impact of the Cultural Facilities Fund in your community.

As you know, last fall, Gov. Deval Patrick recognized how important the Cultural Facilities Fund is for repairing and rebuilding the Commonwealth’s aging cultural venues when he tripled his annual allocation from $5 million to $15 million. To keep the Governor’s annual allocation at that level, H.3920 needs to be funded at $75 million, which is what the House Committee on Bonding recently recommended.

As a leader in the creative community, you know that the need for this funding is high. The Massachusetts Cultural Council has already received requests this year totaling $50 million, when there is only $15 million to spend.

Can you make the call?

If you’re not sure what to say, we’ve included a sample below. And, please shoot me a quick note on how your call went.

Keep up the good work,

Matt Wilson, MASSCreative

Sample:

Hi. My name is [NAME] and I live in [CITY/TOWN]. I’m calling to urge Rep. X to support Rep. Cory Atkins’ Amendment #1 to H.3920 to restore the Cultural Facilities Fund to $75 million. The Cultural Facilities Fund has made a huge impact in my community by Y.