METROPOLITAN ARTS COUNCIL OF GREATER KANSAS CITY
106 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108 artskc.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: The mission of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City (dba ArtsKC - Regional Arts Council) is to unleash the power of the arts. It does this through key initiatives that support our work: we bring together people, resources and ideas, we imagine, and we lead.

Promote the arts for their individual, community, and economic benefits.1. Community Resources: ArtsKC provides community resources and connecting and convening opportunities for the arts community. These include leadership networking discussions, hosting First Friday events, opportunities to participate at local arts festivals and other arts-related activities. In fiscal year 2017, it hosted an event around audience development in partnership with the Wallace Foundation. In fiscal year 2018, it hosted events around the tax-reform act and its impact and offered other relevant events that supported the arts community. In fiscal year 2019, ArtsKC hosted several smaller events that focused more on the entire region, such as the Lenexa Networking event.2. Cultural Portal for the Arts, now known as ArtsKCGo.com: Work began in fiscal year 2016 to launch a comprehensive cultural event calendar and resource directories that provide an easier mechanism for arts organizations to promote their respective arts offerings as well as for arts patrons to access information on upcoming events. Phase one of this portal, in response to one of the needs identified by the Regional Cultural Plan process, was launched in fiscal year 2017 with the Events Calendar. In fiscal year 2018, it launched the business module and the artists' directory. In year 2018 it launched the arts education module.3. Audience Development: Based on the Wallace Event and in the implementation of the ArtsKCGo.com, ArtsKC spent significant time in fiscal year 2019 researching ways to address small to mid-sized arts organizations' needs as they pertain to audience development. Many of these organizations do not have full-time dedicated staffing that can focus on reaching new and diverse audiences for long-term sustainability. ArtsKC began this work with the goal of creating tools to help address these needs, such as a marketing cohort pilot and working with local and national partners on the creation of data that arts organizations can use to better market their works.4. Encounter and Other Community Events: Events that foster support for local arts, events and art collections and serve as a conduit for greater arts appreciation, audience attendance and support.

Support artists and arts agencies with capacity building programs and grants.1. ArtsKC Fund, also known as the Grant-Making Program: This grant-making program provides grants and artist awards to arts organizations, arts programs and individual artists. Funds are received through workplace giving campaigns, individuals, businesses, foundations, municipalities and civic organizations. In fiscal years 2017 and 2018, grants to support arts education efforts were added. More than $4.6 million has been granted to artists and arts organizations since its inception in 2007.2. Mentorship Services for Arts Organizations and Artists: ArtsKC provides one-on-one direct assistance to arts organizations and artists on how to seek grant funding and in making the arts community aware of upcoming arts grant opportunities. 3. Now Showing: More than 50 companies support the Now Showing program where they can select artwork from more than 200 artists for display and sale at their local businesses. This promotes art in non-traditional areas as well as providing places for these artists to display and sell their works.4. Fiscal Sponsorships: ArtsKC supports the growth of local artistic ventures by serving as a fiscal sponsor for arts organizations or events to expand artistic reach. The fiscal sponsorships have included sponsoring the Fab Arts Collaborative, Brush Creek Art Walk, Bob Motley Completes the Field of Legends Project, The National Storytelling Network, the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, The Print Society of Greater Kansas City, MovementKC, Thinking UP!KC, and fiscal support for the Performing Arts Marketing Group (PAMG), also known as KC Live Arts.5. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives: ArtsKC works to build a more inclusive Kansas City through the arts by leading dialogues designed to prepare the next generation of diverse arts leaders. ArtsKC has collaborated with local and national partners in these endeavors. Several events were being planned in fiscal year 2019, with strong partners, to be held in 2020 around this initiative.

Advocate for the arts by educating the community, building relationships with government officials, and supporting the development of public funding for the arts. 1. Advocacy Overall and Action Alerts: More than 4,600 people were enrolled in the Action Alerts database as of fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. In fiscal year 2017, ArtsKC purchased a new engagement system called VoterVoice. Through a unique partnership with advocacy organizations in Missouri and Kansas, ArtsKC launched the first-ever bi-state VoterVoice platform in January 2017. Four arts organizations, from both states agreed to share costs and contacts to ensure a comprehensive approach to the agencies' geographic location. The software is supported by Americans for the Arts, so ArtsKC and their partners have regional and national resources to inform action requests. Fiscal year 2017 was spent getting the new system in place and evaluating its work moving forward. In fiscal year 2018, it focused less on the Action Alerts and activated an Advocacy Committee, consisting of Board Members and other Civic leaders, to move its Advocacy work forward more aggressively. It also launched an E-Mail Newsletter to more strategically keep contacts informed about important legislation. Successes were achieved in fiscal year 2019 based on the work of the Committee members. 2. Annual Awards Luncheon: ArtsKC hosts an annual luncheon in which individuals, arts organizations, schools and elected officials are provided awards and recognized for their contributions to the regional arts ecology. More than 1,000 people come together each year to recognize and thank these individuals and organizations for their stellar support for the Arts.3. Hosting and Sponsoring Advocacy Events: ArtsKC provides meeting space and resources for the hosting of events that raise the awareness of the economic value and quality of life that the Arts provide to the Kansas City region. It typically hosts one event per year. ArtsKC, with MCA coordinates a group of residents and civic leaders to attend the Missouri Arts Legislative Day in Jefferson City, Missouri. Typically more than 40 people participate each year. 4. Arts Education Advocacy: In fiscal year 2016 ArtsKC began exploring how it could help further the cause and promote the value of arts education. Research was done and partnerships formed. In fiscal years 2017 and 2018, ArtsKC provided grant support for arts education work, in partnership with the Metro Partners in Education program. This is currently a bi-state collaboration with an arts organization and two schools. This collaborative hosts an annual Arts Integration Symposium in July each year and offers professional development curricula during the school year for teaching artists to work with educators in both arts enhancement and arts integration. In fiscal years 2018 and 2019, ArtsKC contracted with a researcher to undertake evaluation of the curricula and document the benefits of arts integration in schools. 5. Arts & Economic Prosperity Study V: In fiscal year 2016, ArtsKC was the organization that gathered regional arts and economic prosperity data, in partnership with the Americans for the Arts (AFTA) National Study. This data was based on the calendar year of 2015 and was the fifth (5th) study done by AFTA In fiscal year 2017, the data gathering work was completed and ArtsKC worked with AFTA on the messaging to roll out the data for this Study to the region. The study generated data on the economic impact of spending by the KC region's not-for-profit arts and culture organizations and their audiences. ArtsKC also participated in the 2012 Arts & Economic Prosperity Study IV. This data will illustrate growth over the last five years. This data is vital to advocacy work to educate elected and government officials and the community about the arts' economic impact. The roll out of the data in fiscal year 2018 was done in conjunction with Johnson County Arts Council and the Kansas City Office of Cultural and Creative Services, providing a regional approach. Several presentations occurred in fiscal year 2019 around this data. It also has the AFTA Arts Economic Impact Calculator on its website and the use of this tool was also promoted.

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