Washington lost a true champion of arts and heritage last Friday. Senator Scott White, one of the prime forces behind the passage of SB 5834 in the 2011 legislative session, passed away last Friday at the age of 41.  Senator White leaves behind two young children and his wife, Alison.

I first met Scott years ago when he was a policy analyst for the King County Council. He later became the Council’s chief of staff. In 2002, Scott helped shepherd the county legislation that transitioned the King County Office of Cultural Resources into the Cultural Development Authority of King County, now doing business as 4Culture.  He took great pride in the role he played in that achievement.

In 2008, he ran for and won a seat in the State House of Representatives from the 46th legislative District, which happens to be my district.  Two years later, he ran for and won a seat in the state Senate, following the retirement of Sen. Ken Jacobson. Despite his freshman status, Scott was elected the Senate Majority Whip by the Senate Democratic caucus. He worked closely with King County leadership on a remarkable economic development bill in 2011 that came up one vote short of passage, but certainly not by lack of effort by Senator White. When it became clear in the closing hours of the 2011 session that the large economic development bill would not get that single necessary vote it needed in the Senate, Senator Scott White, Senator Ed Murray, and others, sponsored SB 5834 with the single objective of saving arts and heritage funding in King County. Scott introduced the critical amendment to Senator Murray’s bill that assured the bill’s passage in the House.

I am proud to have been able to call Scott my Senator. He will be greatly missed. On behalf of 4Culture, our sincere condolences to his wife and family.

Jim Kelly

© 2011, Senator Scott White, Washington State Senate Democrats

4Culture is pleased to finally announce the 2011 Individual Artist Project award recipients! In late June, our Board of Directors approved recommendations from the 4Culture Arts Advisory Committee to support 72 artist-generated projects to benefit of citizens of and visitors to our region.

The Individual Artist Projects peer review panel reviewed 314 applications. Project budgets totaled $4,676,895 with requests to 4Culture totaling $1,725,457. This year’s peer-panel recommended that 72 artists receive a total of $345,070 in award funds this year.  The criteria for this program includes: excellence as demonstrated in the work sample and project application, project feasibility, and the public benefit to the citizens and visitors of King County.

Eligible projects may be at any stage of development including initial planning, development and final production. The presentation of funded projects provides public access to creative experiences to residents and visitors across our County. 4Culture is the largest annual funder of projects by individual artists in Washington State.

A few projects recommended for funding include:

• Abdoulaye Sylla, a master dancer and drummer from Guinea, West Africa, will create an instructional video for students and audiences.
• Toby Campbell will compose, perform and release new music for string quartet in conjunction with film-scoring workshops for youth.
• Leah Warshawski will continue production on her documentary film about Rwandan filmmakers struggling to create and present film in their country.
• Sondra Simone Segundo will complete a Native American art and design book for educators.

This year’s selection panelists: Yadesa Bojia, Visual Artist, Shoreline; Jayme Yahr, Art Historian & Exhibitions Director, Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland/Seattle; Vincent Orduña, Actor, Director & Theater Manager, CARCO, Renton; Laura Ciotti, Musician & Project Manager, Sweet Bird Classics, Seattle; Christine Juarez, Director of Dance, Vashon Allied Arts & Faculty, Cornish College of the Arts, Vashon/Seattle; Mary Longhurst, Documentary Filmmaker, Federal Way; Tish Lopez, Writer/Screenwriter & English Faculty, Bellevue Community College, Bellevue/Seattle. Please contact us if you’re interested in becoming involved with 4Culture as a panelist, advisory or board member.

We strive to reach out to artists working around the County. From January 20^th through March 1^st application workshops were conducted in communities throughout King County, including Auburn, Issaquah, Des Moines, Richmond Beach/Shoreline, Redmond and Seattle. Following the March 9, 2011 deadline, peer panels were held on May 16^th, 17^th and 18^th for applicants applying in the disciplines of visual arts, literature, music, media, dance and theater.

4Culture also encourages artists from across King County, working in all disciplines, to learn about our opportunities. Artists can access information about 4Culture’s funding programs by signing up to receive our on-line newsletter, which is emailed out monthly. It provides information about upcoming 4Culture opportunities for artists, such as: Gallery4Culture, e4c, Site Specific and our Touring Arts Roster, as well as, opportunities from other organizations and helpful tips from the field.

After working for seven years to secure funding for this and numerous other funding programs, 4Culture, with bipartisan support of the state legislature, was able to secure funds for this program through a portion of the King County Lodging Tax. We look forward to receiving many new applications next year!

© 2009, Toby Campbell, Anomie Belle, Image: Anthon Smith

UPDATED May 12, 4:00: Apologies for any confusion the last 36 hours with our post from yesterday (below). Bills have been introduced, withdrawn, had their name changed, have links on the site, that later don’t work etc.  Things change quickly in Olympia, and we will continue to do our best to let you know any breaking news as soon as we know. As of this afternoon, the new bill SB 5958 sponsored by Senator Scott White is once again showing up on the state legislative site. We also saw that a previous bill from Regular Session SB 5834 was moved to the floor by the Senate Rules Committee.

Even having been at this seven years, we don’t always know what it means when we see new or moving bills. Especially during special session… But what we can say is that any action on these bills is a signal that leadership in the State Legislature are still working on this issue. We will let you know as we know more as soon as we can.

UPDATED May 11, 4:00: We understand the bill SB 5958 is being updated. The link below has been removed from the legislative website. Check back for more public information.

This afternoon, we received word that the Washington State Senate has dropped a new bill that includes future funding for 4Culture’s programs. SB 5958, sponsored by Senator Scott White, would provide ”economic development by funding tourism promotion, workforce housing, art and heritage programs, and community development.”

The full bill can be viewed on the bill page, but the sections that pertain to 4Culure’s future funding are drafted as follows:

• Allows the spend-down of the 4Culture endowment between 2013-2020;
• Provides an additional $1 million in 2012 and $2 million annually from 2013 to 2020;
• Allocates 32.5% of lodging taxes for arts and heritage beginning in 2021.

If passed into law by the state senate and house of representatives during the special session this year, this bill would allow for the continuation of the programs of 4Culture.

Quaale Rasmus Log House, courtesy of Harvey and Lisa Blanchard
2008 Landmark Rehabilitation recipient

As you may know, the 2011 Washington State legislative session in Olympia is in full swing. We are trying to track the bills related to our work within the fields of arts, heritage, preservation and public art. We will post a list regularly on our blog. Additionally, when legislation is introduced, which directly affects 4Culture’s funding, including King County Lodging Tax, we will post that as well.

If you are interested in following along with us, check our blog tag “bill watch” and/or add an RSS feed for that tag. If you know of other bills we should be tracking, please let us know.

Heritage and historic preservation fans should also be sure to check out the Bill Report list published by the Washington State Heritage Caucus each week.

• SB 5469 & HB 1371 – Addressing boards and commissions. (Washinton State Arts Commission)
• SB 5100 Concerning expenditures for works of art. (Washinton State Arts Commission)
• SB 5109 – Eliminating the requirement to purchase public art with appropriations made for construction of public buildings.(Washinton State Arts Commission)
• HB 1554 – Concerning Washington’s motion picture competitiveness.
• HB 1024 & SB 5003 – Adding to the scenic and recreational highway system.
• SB 5183 – Recognizing “Native American Heritage Day.”

© 2007, Bill Long

Deadlines for 4Culture’s Individual Artist Projects (IAP) and Group Arts Projects (GAP) are coming up in early March. We have some great workshops coming up to help you navagate the process. At these workshops you’ll also have an opportunity to ask questions about your specific project ideas.

No need to RSVP, just take a look at our application guidelines and show up with your project ideas and questions. We hope to see you soon!

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

GROUP ARTS PROJECTS – March 2, 2011
Provides support for innovative arts projects by organizations and ensembles, and/or programs or events that stimulate cultural development.

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST PROJECTS – March 9, 2011
Provides support for projects by artists working in all disciplines.

UPCOMING FREE PUBLIC WORKSHOPS:

RICHMOND BEACH/SHORELINE
Individual Artist Projects & Group Arts Projects
Wednesday, February 9, 2011 • 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Richmond Beach Library, 19601 21st Ave NW, Shoreline

REDMOND
Individual Artist Projects & Group Arts Projects
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 • 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Redmond Regional Library, 15990 NE 85th St. Redmond

SEATTLE
Group Arts Projects— Deadline:  March 2, 2011
Thursdays, February 3rd, 17th & 24th   
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
4Culture, 101 Prefontaine PL S, Seattle

Individual Artist Projects — Deadline: March 9, 2011
Tuesdays, February 1st 8th, 22nd & March 1st
Noon – 1:00 p.m.
4Culture, 101 Prefontaine PL S, Seattle

© 2010 Fred Lisaius, Amber Mosquito, Individual Artist Project award recipient

On January 3rd, the Metropolitan King County Council passed Ordinance 2010-0624, adopting King County’s State Legislative priorities for 2011. The agenda outlines-in two short pages-the top ten priorities that King County government is asking state legislators to consider during this year’s session.

Among our government’s top priorities are extending King County visitor revenues for arts and cultural funding programs through 4Culture.

The retirement of some of the debt used to finance public stadiums presents an opportunity to extend those revenue streams. We believe that those local county taxes should be locally managed. We support the extension of these revenues in keeping with their historical intent, which is the investment in facilities and programs that directly stimulate tourism, attract visitors, generate economic activity, and support arts and culture programs throughout King County.

Overall, the priorities stated in the County’s legislative agenda underscore a single objective:  King County seeks the flexibility, tools, and authority to help address critical needs in a time of continuing fiscal challenges.  These objectives focus on customer service, partnerships, and ways to bring down costs.

On January 3rd, the Metropolitan King County Council passed Ordinance 2010-0624, adopting King County’s State Legislative priorities for 2011. The agenda outlines-in two short pages-the top ten priorities that King County government is asking state legislators to consider during this year’s session.

Among our government’s top priorities are extending King County visitor revenues for arts and cultural funding programs through 4Culture.

The retirement of some of the debt used to finance public stadiums presents an opportunity to extend those revenue streams. We believe that those local county taxes should be locally managed. We support the extension of these revenues in keeping with their historical intent, which is the investment in facilities and programs that directly stimulate tourism, attract visitors, generate economic activity, and support arts and culture programs throughout King County.

Overall, the priorities stated in the County’s legislative agenda underscore a single objective:  King County seeks the flexibility, tools, and authority to help address critical needs in a time of continuing fiscal challenges.  These objectives focus on customer service, partnerships, and ways to bring down costs.

You are most certainly aware that the task for legislators in Olympia this year to pass a balanced budget will be daunting. I won’t recap some of the highlights of the Governor’s budget proposal. Much has already been written about the potential impact of the budget on programs impacting the cultural sector statewide. There is little comfort in the knowledge that culture is not being singled out. The recession has reduced state revenues to the point that many essential social, human and education services cannot be adequately funded.

In this environment, does it even make sense for 4Culture to ask the legislature to fund arts and heritage in King County?

My answer is an emphatic, “yes!” Let’s dispel the myth that funding culture means we have less for social services. In fact, the opposite is true. Arts and heritage are an economic engine, not a hand-out; they directly provide thousands of jobs and indirectly, thousands more. They are a key component of the tourism sector, drawing visitors to our region. After the Picasso exhibit closes at Seattle Art Museum, we’ll get a clearer picture of the economic impact of this three-month event. Judging from my two visits to Picasso and seeing first-hand the crowds that packed the galleries, I think it will be most impressive. Shortly, ArtsFund will release data from its most recent Economic Impact survey, which undoubtedly will confirm that attendance at arts events and ancillary spending contribute millions to the local economy and generate millions in tax revenues to the state.

As for the future of the lodging taxes distributed by 4Culture for arts and heritage in King County? It is in the hands of the legislature. Securing lodging tax revenues for arts and heritage in King County in the 2011 session will have no impact on the state’s biennial budget. None. Legislation sponsored in the last several years simply asks the state to give 4Culture permission to spend down its endowment over a period of seven years, with the promise of a small portion of lodging taxes being re-authorized for culture in 2021 to sustain the program after 2021. It’s a bet on the future. It’s a simple message.

Will a simple message be heard in the “noise” that will dominate this session? Will legislators be willing to look ahead to what we can all only hope will be better times?

I think they will. In the last couple of years the House and Senate have passed bills that fund arts and heritage. They just haven’t passed the same bill yet.

Now the clock is running out. I’m confident that the sun will not set on arts, heritage and preservation in King County.

Image: Lucia Neare’s Lullaby Moon, photo by Michael Doucett

A sigh of relief was heard across King County this month as 221 arts organizations and 20 local arts agencies, representing all 9 county council districts, opened their 4Culture Sustained Support award letters.

“The City of Enumclaw is extremely grateful for this opportunity.  It is making the difference in keeping the cultural lights on or shutting down.”
—Gary LaTurner, City of Enumclaw Arts Commission

“I have never, in all the time I have worked here, gotten so many rejection letters from proposals I’ve sent.  It’s a big deal that we can count on 4Culture’s support for our program.”
—Museum development director

“Thank you for your help.  In these difficult times, we especially appreciate your persistence.”
—Marilyn Swafford, Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra

4Culture provides the region’s arts organizations with operating support totaling  $1,658,400 through the 2010 Sustained Support program. This program supports King County-based arts organizations with a minimum three-year history of producing high quality public programs in all arts disciplines, including: music (66), theater (52), visual art (24), dance (22), education (18), media (14), service organizations (12), literary (11), festivals (9), presenting organizations (10), other (2). Organizations may use the funds to offset operating costs, and make programs more accessible to the residents of and visitors to the county by offering free programs or providing discount ticket/admission/class prices.

View the full list of 2010 award recipients

“Our third annual installment of “Accord-O-Rama: A Squeezebox Spectacular” almost didn’t make it to the stage.  This low-cost and popular family tradition squeezed back to life only with news of this grant.  As a result, almost 400 appreciative fans clapped and danced through a lively afternoon featuring musicians from five cultural traditions.”
—Wier Harman, Town Hall

“Operating support means validation for who we are and what we do as an organization. It gives us the ability to best meet the needs of the schools and communities we work with and to be flexible and responsive when unforeseen opportunities (or challenges) present themselves. It’s the most important support we can get.”
—Una McAlinden, ArtsEd Washington

“4Culture’s contribution helps ensure KEXP’s continued ability to offer our community rich music experiences, while we support performing artists from Seattle and around the country.”
—Tom Mara, KEXP

The current revenue stream for Sustained Support and other 4Culture programs comes from a portion of  King County lodging taxes collected in 2009.  This modest allocation has supported the arts in King County for 20  years.  With the lodging industry hit hard by the recession, lodging taxes revenues were down 17% in 2009 in comparison to 2008. In recognition of the impact of the recession on arts organizations, the 4Culture Board of Directors took several measures  to maintain dollars necessary for Sustained Support and Individual Artist projects at 2009 funding levels:  Administrative expenses were reduced, staff furlough days were implemented, unclaimed awards more than three years old were recaptured, and the Board made a one-time decision to allocate an additional $1.1 million from interest income and reserves for  the 2010 budget.

Under current state legislation,  the lodging taxes that support cultural programs in King County expire on December 31, 2012, after which  4Culture will rely only on the interest generated  by  the endowment that has been building since 2001, in accordance with state requirements.  This will decrease the funding  available for all 4Culture arts, heritage and preservation programs by approximately 80% beginning in 2013. 4Culture in partnership with King County will continue to work with the legislature to secure a portion of future lodging taxes for cultural programs in the county.

© Giant Magnet, Carolina Chocolate Drops. Photo by Bruce Deboer

As I write this, the 2010 state legislative session is in overtime, with legislators battling over the revised 2010 budget, grappling with a $2.9 million deficit.   Does the legislature “enhance revenues,” as the Senate prefers, or cut programs more deeply, as the House prefers?  This is the conversation and debate that is keeping the legislature in Olympia.

Bills in the House and Senate that would designate a portion of future lodging taxes (which don’t go away, no matter what the legislature decides to do with them after stadium debt is retired) for cultural programs in King County have stalled once again, but not because legislators are anti-art.   On the contrary.   The arts and heritage piece runs into very little opposition and has remained unchanged in all permutations of the bill(s).   Unfortunately, there hasn’t been support for an arts/heritage-only bill, so arts and heritage funding is contingent on funding for affordable housing, stadium maintenance, cultural development authorities, public health, human services, tourism promotion, youth sports and on and on and on.   Too many things are lumped into the bills creating too many opportunities for legislators to say “no.”  Some want stadium maintenance, but not affordable housing, given the sources of the tax revenues (“visitor taxes.”)   Others want affordable housing, but don’t want more public funds going to stadiums at a time when so many other services are being cut. Still others oppose extending restaurant and car rental taxes and certainly the two state sales tax credits after Qwest and Safeco debts are retired – these are not the taxes that 4Culture uses, but have been wrapped into these bills, making for another point of contention.

So for the sixth consecutive year, it is unlikely that bills securing funding for arts and heritage in King County in the future will pass the House and Senate this year.

The current revenue stream ends on December 31, 2012.   This will have unfortunate consequences for arts and heritage organizations in 2011.  Here’s why.

The lodging industry has been hit hard by the recession.   Occupancy rates are down, so in order to attract customers, room rates have been lowered as well.  That’s a double whammy for 4Culture.   Obviously, fewer taxes are collected when rates are lower and fewer rooms are booked.   Funding we received from lodging taxes in 2009 were down 17% in comparison to 2008.  So far in 2010, lodging tax collection is down another 18%.   That may change as the year progresses, since we only have numbers for January and February, but I don’t expect a  miraculous turnaround before the end of the year.

The way our funding programs operate is unusual for a government entity.  A government’s 2010 general fund budget is based on revenues the government expects to collect in 2010.  That’s why, when there is an unexpected downturn, governments scramble mid-year to correct the budget, to find additional cuts to absorb the impact of decreased revenues.   But 4Culture collects revenues in one year and allocates them for grant expenditures the next year.   The monies that we award in 2010 are based on the actual revenues collected in 2009.

We knew by mid-2009 that 2010 would be a tough year.   Without any intervention, our grant funding this year would have been devastated.   We are almost entirely holding the line in our key programs in 2009 in comparison to 2008, due to several one-time actions taken by 4Culture staff and Board. The Board allocated interest income and reserves, reduced operating expenses in 2009, and imposed staff furloughs and other restrictions as part of the 2010 budget, just like many of your organizations.  We also re-captured $260,000 in project awards more than three years old that for one reason or another were not going forward.

These measures allowed us to cobble together enough funds to maintain dollars necessary for Sustained Support and Individual Artist projects at 2009 funding  levels.   We are not likely going to be able to run a facilities construction projects program until late in the year at best, or support a second cycle of equipment funding, but we have been able to keep dollars for other programs. We are seeing record numbers of applications in some areas – up 25% in Arts Sustained Support applications – so there’s no question that this year, more than ever, resources are scarce.

For 2011, however, just like your businesses, we have no more rabbits to pull out of our hat. We’ve looked under every rock for revenue, and  already re-captured all the project awards that we feel confident won’t go forward.

Most important, it is unlikely that we  would use our remaining reserves to plug the hole.  We now must begin planning for a future that does not include annual lodging taxes for arts and heritage.  That future, having access only to interest income beginning in 2013, means that the only responsible position is to put every possible dollar aside and not program any interest income in 2011 or 2012. We have a $10 million dollar a year business with thousands of outstanding grants to wind down, and no more capacity to continue awarding funds we will be unable to monitor.

Had legislation passed in 2010, we would have had a different outlook, a greater willingness to use reserves now, knowing that new revenues would be available in the future.

What will 4Culture’s mission be in 2013, when funding for all of its programs and activities is 80% lower than it is today?   How will our Public Art division function, if it has to be the primary tenant in the Kaplan building and there are no more shared costs?

That’s the conversation we will begin with you this summer.   We will announce a series of public meetings, of our Board, Advisory Committees and constituents, to paint the picture of the future, after a 20-year old arts and heritage revenue source slides into the sunset.  This is not an idle exercise.

Jim Kelly

PS – In the event in the final hours of the extended 2010 legislative session a bill is passed to secure future lodging tax funding for arts and heritage in King County, please disregard the above.

Over the past several years, I’ve written many messages about 4Culture’s legislative efforts in Olympia.  Lodging taxes are the primary source of the revenues we use to support our major arts, heritage and preservation funding programs. In 2009, approximately 300 arts and heritage organizations received operating support, 95 individual artists  and 75 groups were awarded grants to do projects, thirty-nine heritage organizations and specialists received project support, and dozens of cultural facilities received capital or equipment funding.

Beginning in 2013, all of the revenue currently supporting arts and culture in King County will be re-directed to service debt on stadia.   4Culture will only have access to the interest generated by the endowment we have been building, in compliance with state law, since 2001.   An estimated $1.4 million per year.   At that level (roughly an 80% decrease), almost all of our funding programs and initiatives will be eliminated.

I attended two very interesting hearings in Olympia last week on bills in the House and Senate that would change the law so arts and heritage programs in King County would receive a portion of future lodging tax revenues.   Testifying on behalf of the two bills was Deputy County Executive and former State Senator Fred Jarrett.   Mr. Jarrett told the House and Senate Committees that vibrant arts and culture help King County attract innovative new businesses and the high quality workforce that will drive the region’s economy.  “How do we know that,” he asked, “because they tell us.”

One thing I’ve learned over the past six years is how difficult it is to have a bill become law. I’ve also gained an appreciation for the difficult task legislators face every year, not just in challenging economic times, but even in times when the state is in relative financial health.   We citizens, I’ve noticed, have no shortage of good ideas for how the state should allocate its resources.

Arts, heritage and culture live in the realm of “quality of life,” which sounds sort of soft and inessential in comparison to “basic health,” or “education” or “public safety.”    I, like Jarrett, would argue that investment in the region’s quality of life is the foundation on which a growing and robust future economy is built, spinning off increased tax revenues that enable us to better provide for the basic needs of the community.

I’ve seen lots of economic impact data over the years, and it is impressive; I’ve heard about the competitive advantage creative communities have in attracting a high demographic workforce.   All of that is real.  We have cultural assets that many communities can only dream of.  But the value of arts and culture isn’t just its impact on the economy.   It’s the intrinsic value to the young student who finds his or her calling playing in an orchestra or singing in a choir or performing in a musical; to the senior citizens learning to paint or sculpt; to the insurance broker playing his or her trombone in a community orchestra.    It’s the local history museum whose work helps deepen citizens’ connections to place.   It’s the pride communities take in their public art, their historic district, and their community festivals.

Economic impact, attracting innovative businesses and an educated work force, enhancing sense of place, providing a comprehensive education, increasing tourism, investing in the imagination and creativity of our citizenry: it just makes common sense.   Doesn’t it?

Jim Kelly

Photo: headed to Olympia at dawn for legislative hearings, 4Culture, 2010

Like all organizations, the recession has taken a toll on 4Culture’s revenue stream. 4Culture’s funding programs and levels of giving to the field are highly dependent on King County lodging taxes. Nationally, the hotel/motel industry is mired in the worst downturn in 50 years. On average, lodging occupancy is down 20% in 2009 compared to 2008. Seattle fares a little better than many communities, but occupancy is still down by 17%. Room rates are lower, further eroding revenues.

In the Helicon Collaborative study produced in February of this year, our constituents in the field strongly recommended that funders be candid about keeping “grantees up to date on the options funders are considering and the allocation decisions they are making.”

So here goes:

4Culture will potentially have a 1.5 million dollar gap in our funding sources in 2010. We’ve been able to track the lodging tax returns and were able to anticipate this beginning last spring. We’ve been strategizing ever since. We took a good look at our administrative budget, and were able to cut many costs earlier this year. By doing so, are currently on track to underspend our approved 2009 operating expenses by a third this year, saving us approximately $250,000 that we can put toward next year’s programs. We also have tried to be strategic about investing staff time in efforts that could garner more funds for our constituents. For example, we applied for and received $250,000 in federal job stimulus funding to re-grant to our constituents in King County (beginning this year and going into next.) We recently made the decision to implement staff furloughs in 2010. Through this and a variety of other initiatives, we have identified an additional $250,000 we can apply toward the gap.

Even with all these efforts, we are still left with approximately 1 million less to distribute next year through our ongoing programs and have more choices to make. Our charter gives us a certain amount of flexibility with how much funding is allocated to specific programs. For example, we can preserve the amount of funding we have to offer in our arts and heritage operating support programs (sustained support) but by doing so, we will have to reduce our facility/equipment programs for the year. Another example: The arts program has one pool of money this is split between projects for groups and individuals. With fewer dollars, we’ll need to decide how much should go to individual artists and how much to groups who apply through this program.

Another question we’ve been weighing is: should we use reserves this year? Our reserves are interest income generated by the endowment we’ve been building since 2001, as mandated by state law. Unless the efforts to extend the use of lodging taxes for cultural programs is passed by the state legislature within the next three years future arts and heritage funding in King County will be entirely reliant on the funding generated from the endowment interest income. In other words, any reserves we use today will reduce the size of the endowment we may have to rely on after 2012, and reduce future funding.

The 4Culture Board has some decisions to make in the next month as we finalize the 2010 budget. Faced with trimming our programs, we have been turning to our citizen volunteer advisory committees to help guide us in how to prioritize funds for next year. (And of course, if you have thoughts to contribute, feel free to comment on the comments field below.) In the past, the board has chosen to prioritize and maintain steady levels operating support, and preserve funding for individual artists when times are tough. For the heritage community, we remain committed to funding Collections Care and Sustained Support. We will offer the Landmark Challenge grants in our preservation program at the same level as 2009. We may choose to postpone the deadline for Cultural Facilities Program, which would typically occur in January. The board also recently renewed a resolution stating that “the extension of the lodging tax to support cultural programs in King County is the highest priority of 4Culture.” This gives them the authority to continue to advocate on behalf of the field in the coming year with the goal of strengthening the revenue stream for cultural programs into the future.

The recession is affecting all of us, grantors and grantees. But this will pass as the economy recovers, which it will. In the end, we are likely to be stronger, leaner, more efficient, but in the meantime, know we are as passionate about of missions, programs and services as ever.

We will endure.

Jim Kelly

What do world-class figure skaters, vintage airplanes and internationally acclaimed composers share in common? The support of Snohomish County and the Snohomish County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) in promoting the very arts, culture and heritage organizations that bring tourism opportunities and visitors to Snohomish County.

The program is funded through the revenue collected from hotel and motel room rentals in Snohomish County. Funds will be available January 2010 and will be awarded on a competitive basis to eligible projects that best demonstrate their ability to draw visitors to Snohomish County. Historically, the average project allocation has been about $6,500.

Details of eligibility and other program requirements are available by contacting the Snohomish County Economic Development Division at 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, M/S #411, Everett, WA, 98201, or by emailing Wendy Becker at wend...@snoco.org.

Completed applications are due in the Economic Development Division offices by 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26. Applications received after that time and date will not be considered for funding.