Community Arts Grant Deadline Approaches

Everyone hears that the arts are dying and are the first to get cut in a school budget. The Arts Council of Rockland (ACoR) is trying to keep the arts afloat with a grant program.

These grants fund arts activities that are community based to help pay for artist fees, marketing fees, direct administrative expenses and other direct arts-related costs. This year's grant will apply to projects in 2011.

Those that are eligible:

• be a Rockland-based and a non-profit organization
• or be an individual artist sponsored by a non-profit organization
• the project must be available to the general public
• attended one of the informational meetings
• the organization must have a board of directors or a governing body that meets to review and review policies
• All activities conducted by the organization do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

An organization can submit up to three requests, but the ceiling is $5,000 for one organization. The grant will cover up to 75 percent of the project's costs.

The application form is found on the ACoR's website, but act quickly because the deadline is Wednesday at 1 p.m. for applications. Only typed or computer generated applications are accepted.

These grants are funded by the decentralization program of the New York State Council on the Arts. Most questions about the grant are found on the application form.