Council Member James Comments on Proposed Cuts to Citywide Cultural Institution Groups

"The City is currently facing a $35.4M cut to Citywide Cultural Institution Groups (CIGs), which constitutes a 50% reduction in operating support, a loss of nearly 1,000 jobs, and cuts in services to school children.

CIGs are 33 cultural institutions located on City-owned property, which receive significant public capital and operating support to help meet basic security, maintenance, administration and energy costs. In return for this support, these institutions- which include zoos, museums, and historical societies throughout the five boroughs- operate as publicly-owned facilities whose mandate is to provide cultural services accessible to all New Yorker.

More than 9,000 CIG employees live and work in New York City. In 2010, CIGs contracted with more than 12,000 NYC vendors and contributed more than $500M to the local economy. CIGs like the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the New York City Ballet, the Bronx Zoo, and New York City Center are vital cultural attractions that bring millions of dollars in tourist spending to New York City.

I am committed to advocating for the restoration of funds to all CIGs, which provide an important cultural service to the citizens and visitors of New York City."

Sincerely,
Letitia James
Member of the City Council

ATTENTION: Funding Process for Department of Cultural Affairs

Council Member James has worked to ensure fair funding to cultural organizations in the past. In this upcoming fiscal year, we want ensure that all cultural organizations have timely and accurate information concerning applying for funds. Please read below to learn about this year's funding process.

DCA Funding FY 10

Funding and Eligibility

•Applications for Fiscal Year 10 funding through DCA will now be conducted online.
•Organizations with annual operating budgets over $250, 000 can receive funding up to $300,000 and those with operating budgets under $250,00 can receive up to $60,000.
•DCA will only fund up to 5 projects for each group. Funding for projects exceeding this number will not be considered.
•The DCA covers funding for non-profit organizations only. Capital projects and materials for arts are not covered by DCA funding.

Application Process

•Every group must apply.
•If a group has a 2-year funding contract approved last fiscal year, they do not need to apply again.
•When the application process begins, announcements will be made to groups who have received funding in the past but new groups will have to be told.
•In order to log on to begin the application, groups will need their organization I.D.- Groups who have received funding within the past three years will already have this and will need to contact DCA for a password. New groups will have to register online and will be issued with an organization I.D and password.
•All groups are strongly encouraged to read the five information links on the website before proceeding to the online application.

1)Commissioner’s letter
2)Guidelines
3)Instructions
4)Helpful hints
5)Application Checklist

It is strongly recommended that all groups– especially the new groups– go to the DCA application seminars for help. There will be 15 to choose from which will be held in all 5 boroughs.
-Details and locations of seminars will be released on the website

•Blank fields should not be left on the applications. Groups should either enter ‘N/A’ or ‘0’ for questions that are not applicable to them.

Deadline is March 23rd.