Dear Trustees:   Just a brief bi-weekly follows (although still choc-a-bloc with helpful updates!):   ALASKA In case you missed it — here’s a recap of the tumultuous week: We recently shared with you the disheartening news that Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy line-item vetoed a bipartisan budget package put forth by the Alaska legislature, which eliminated all FY20 funding for the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA). We are now delighted to report that full funding for ASCA has been restored! As NASAA recently reported, after Governor Dunleavy’s line-item veto of 182 items, including all funds for ASCA, the…

Dear WESTAF trustees: Usually, this bi-weekly recap finds its way to you on Mondays, but I’m getting a bit of jump on it this week, and no shortage of activity on the WESTAF front! More information coming at ya! Questions? By all means reach out! Here we go:   SNEAK PREVIEW OF OCTOBER BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING IN DENVER Plans for our October 23 – 24 trustees meeting are coming together. We should have a hotel and meeting location to announce soon! It’s going to be a jam-packed few days, with planned encounters between trustees and staff (at cocktails and…

Dear Trustees:   It’s a really busy season at WESTAF—lots has unfolded with lots more in development! Read on…   ALASKA This situation continues to unfold in a frightful way. While there is still some hope pinned to the Capital Budget, there is not a lot of attendant optimism for a positive outcome. On Friday morning, WESTAF released an official statemen to all of social media channels and email lists to level-set its stance and commitment regarding the situation. During our State Arts Agency Professional Development Session in Denver last week, we hosted a moderated Q&A session with ASCA Chair Ben…

ALASKA Most of you have been closely following the situation in Alaska. Absent of state sales or income tax, funding for public services in Alaska is derived from oil and gas industry revenue that is directed into the Alaska Permanent Fund—a $44 billion state savings account, some of which is returned annually to Alaska residents in the form of Permanent Fund Dividends (PFDs). These funds are around $3K per year, per Alaskan, although the exact amount is still one of many unresolved legislative issues as of Friday, July 12  the legislature ended their effort to overturn the governor’s vetoes.  …