During the Kansas Arts Commission meeting Wednesday, the Governor’s Office reported that the National Endowment for the Arts has provided a final opinion that privately donated dollars will not be matched by the NEA.

From their letter about Kansas, the NEA states “Arrangement contradicts the notion of a federal/state partnership and does not meet eligibility requirements of being financially supported by the state.”

 

In light of the decision, the Hays Arts Council is asking the city of Hays for a one-time allocation of $35,00 to help the Arts Council shore up a three-year projected Kansas Arts Commission grant loss of approximately $51,000.  City Commissioners will vote on the request Thursday.

Previously, the NEA and the Mid-America Alliance for the Arts have awarded $1.3 million in grants each year to Kansas.

 Earlier this year, Gov. Sam Brownback eliminated state funding of the Kansas Arts Commission, dismissed the agency’s employees and created a private group, the Kansas Arts Foundation, to raise arts funding.  The move was made as part of state budget cuts.