ACSO eNEWS provides updates and opportunities for California's orchestras and classical music field.


November 21, 2017



We are thankful for all you do in your communities and for supporting our work to help advance the field.

Please give our thanks to your board, staff, musicians, and patrons who contribute to making classical music flourish in the West!



2018 Annual Conference - Call for Sessions
 
Save the date for the 2018 Annual Conference, August 9-11, in Sacramento. We want to hear your ideas! ACSO invites you and your colleagues to submit conference breakout sessions. This three-day convening is planned around your needs and in response to industry challenges and trends. It is designed to focus on skill-building and to facilitate collaboration, exploration, and connections on multiple levels. The call for session closes on Friday, December 15. 

 Please complete and share the call for sessions at:  www.acso.org/2018callforsessions.

Arts Council Grant Season!  

Does your organization want to make a difference through culture and creative expression? The California Arts Council and the Nevada Arts Council want to help! 

California
State arts funding in California saw a significant permanent increase this year. Greater investment equals greater opportunity to meet the demand for arts and cultural experiences across California.  Don't miss out on your chance to apply for state arts grants. Register for a free informational webinar on Tuesday, December 5th to get an overview of the California Arts Council's 2017-18 grant programs. 


Nevada
Applying for NAC's grants can be a highly competitive process for limited funds. The strongest applications demonstrate a deliberate and thoughtful planning process that includes an understanding of the population or community to benefit from the proposed project, an assessment of needs, and a concise explanation of how the project was designed and how it will be funded. Grant reviewers look for a clear demonstration that methods are in place to monitor, assess, promote, and evaluate the project.



Senate Restores NEA Arts Funding for FY'18
 
Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), soundly rejected President Trump's attempt to terminate the nation's cultural agencies by fully restoring FY 2018 arts funding to $150 million for both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

What's Next?
Congress extended its deadline to December 8th to pass legislation to fund government agencies and programs, including the NEA.  At that time, they will need to either pass or further extend that deadline again in order to keep the government running. Other key factors still in play this fall include possible veto threats from the President, focus on tax reform, recovery funding, and not reaching agreement on increasing the looming debt ceiling caps.

Urgent Action
Senate Tax Reform Bill Restricts Charitable Giving
 
We need you to take advocacy action early this week on the federal tax reform bill to prevent Congress from harming the financial health of charities in your state and across the country. Our best chance of protecting charities is this week.  Take two minutes now  to send a customizable email and/or tweet to both your U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative at this key point in the legislative process to support charitable giving. Because time is of the essence, please also consider making a phone call directly to your Senator's D.C. legislative office ( see list here ). Constituents like you play an important role in their decisions. Make your voice heard!

How Does Your Organization's Health Compare to Organizations Like Yours Nationally?

The KIPI (Key Intangible Performance Indicators) Dashboard is a free web tool provided by the National Center for Arts Research (NCAR) and powered by DataArts. This personalized and confidential dashboard showcases scores and trends for arts organizations across nine key indicators. Individualized data is available for most organizations that have completed their Cultural Data Profiles (CDP).

I f you have updated your data in your CDP over the past year you can login to see your scores on your KIPI dashboard. NCAR has recently added new features, including making it easier to download and print your dashboard, and grouping arts services organizations and arts alliances in their own sector rather than grouped with miscellaneous. 

You can access the dashboard by logging directly into DataArts and visiting the "Powered by DataArts" section


Membership Renewals
Membership renewal season is here - FY18 memberships began on October 1, 2017. Save time by renewing your membership today  online, by calling the ACSO office at (800) 495-2276, or by downloading and mailing in the  individual or  organizational membership forms. 


Upcoming Dates and Reminders

December 31
2016/17 Memberships Expire

January 22
ACSO Board of Directors Meeting - Monterey, CA
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