Reports that $9 million has been restored for the “arts” are inaccurate and misleading.

According to testimony delivered by State Treasurer John McCormac to the legislative budget committees this week, $9 million is proposed “to restore a portion of the funding for various grants through the Department of State.”

Total FY03 funding for the NJ State Council on the Arts, NJ Historical Commission and NJ Cultural Trust is $33.2 million, not $18 million that has been consistently referred to and used to suggest that $9 million is half. $33.2 million includes funding for grants and programs and staffing and administrative expenses for the three agencies.

Because no detail has been provided, and because the NJ state legislature at this phase in the budget process is the appropriating body, it remains unclear how the proposed $9 million will be allocated.

Of the 109 grant programs that were cut in Governor McGreevey’s original FY04 budget, the NJSCA, Cultural Trust and Historical Commission were each counted twice because their administrative funds are appropriated separately from their grant and program funds.

In 1991, funding for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts was cut in half to roughly $9 million. Within a year 20 arts organizations were out of business. Another 29 had to scale back significantly in scope serving a much smaller base.

Now it’s more important than ever to ROAR if you want to save arts and history funding in NJ! The May 14 rally was a success because over 200 arts and history groups were represented. Thank you to all who took the time to come together in Trenton! The advocacy effort has been successful to date because YOU have written, phoned, faxed or visited your local legislators to voice your concern.

As you have read and heard, the arts and culture aren’t the only one’s left out in the cold. We are down to the wire and the very difficult budget choices will be made in the next 7-10 days. If you haven’t yet contacted your legislators, DO IT NOW and remind them that the arts and history are everywhere—enhancing education, attracting business, bolstering tourism, and addressing the needs of our elderly, disabled and youth at risk!

You can still use the ArtPRIDE web site at www.artpridenj.com to email your legislators and we now have a form that you can fax back to your elected officials in the online Arts Crisis Resource Room. Use the contact information in the Email legislators part of our ACTION page for fax numbers.

Remember that you have the privilege, the power and the right to vote! June 3 is primary day. If you’ve been in touch with your legislators, you know who has been responsive and supportive of not only this issue, but others that are important to you. Do you part by voting on June 3. You can make a difference!!

Many of you were among the 400 organizations and individuals that signed on to an open letter that made the case for Arts and History funding. Once this full page ad runs pro bono in the Star Ledger and Trenton Times (look for it in the next week), we'd like your help getting it published in as many other New Jersey newspapers as possible.

The plan is to make a formal delivery of all of our postcards and petitions to the Secretary of State and other invited dignitaries. Divided into 21 boxes, the postcards/petitions will be carried by Arts and History students from each of the 21 counties. If you still have cards, copies of letters and petitions, please sent them to ArtPRIDE NJ, 165 Third Street #4A, Bordentown, NJ 08505. If you know a student who would like to represent your county, please contact ArtPRIDE.

We will email out our "Save New Jersey Arts/Save New Jersey History" logos in a format that can be printed out, personalized and made into small flags. We're asking that you drop them off at your legislators' DISTRICT offices on June 13, the day before Flag Day.

Anyone interested in representing arts and history in the halls of the NJ State House on the final legislative session days (June 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26 & 30) from 10 am - 3 pm should contact Berda Rittenhouse at 908-995-4279 or berdar@ptd.net

If you have a copy of a county and/or municipal resolution that has not been sent to ArtPRIDE or the Advocates for NJ History, please fax them to Michael Zuckerman at 609-884-2006. Those that reach him by June 10 will be sent out in targeted mailings to leaders of the legislature and the administration.

There will be daily advocacy opportunities as Secretary of State Thomas retraces this Revolutionary War campaign from June 21- 28. For details, check the History Advocates home page at http://209.71.66.31/savehistory/default.htm

Remind your audience members that we are in the final stages of this campaign and that we don’t want to see the final curtain come down on New Jersey’s arts and history groups. Add a message to your office or box office voice mail that directs them to the ArtPRIDE web site to express their concern.