In 2011, Kansas made headlines by eliminating all public funding for the arts. That meant the state no longer qualified for federal matching grants of more than $1 million. But some recent changes mean the state will reapply for the lost federal dollars.
During the last legislative session, lawmakers restored state funding for the arts. And now, the state’s arts agency, the Creative Arts Industries Commission, will reapply for federal grants.
Some of the lost federal money had come from the Mid America Arts Alliance. That group’s executive director, Mary Kennedy says the devil is in the details, but this is a step in the right direction.
“It’s not the last step, there’ll be many more issues that will to be resolved in order to arrive at fiscal year 2014 with federal and state funding, but it’s a good first step,” says Kennedy.
Right now, it’s unclear if Kansas will have its federal funding requests approved.
The earliest Kansas could receive any federal money would be the middle of 2013.
