How our mentorship program works:
- Anyone can sign up to be a mentor. Sign up here!
- The list of available mentors is available to UCA members through the member-only log in section of our website. Log in, read through the list of available mentors, and then contact the individual(s) who seem most interesting to you and ask them to be your mentor! View the list of individuals willing to serve as mentors (you must be an active member of UCA to access this page. If you need help figuring out your log in info, please contact us).
Board applications are due Friday
Utah Cultural Alliance has two boards, one for our 501(c)3 organization that oversees our professional development and awareness building programs, and our 501(c)4 organization that oversees the bulk of our advocacy work.
Applications are open now for the 2018 term. Deadline to apply is July 21st.We’ll hold interviews in September, and the existing boards typically decide on who they'd like to invite to the boards in the fall. We allow two, three-year terms. UCA is a working board and board members are expected to donate but we don’t specify a minimum level. Board members take a job duty and collectively, their board work takes about 10 hours a month or less.
We are especially interested in applications from these areas: Diversity (Race, Geography [esp. southern and central Utah], Media, and/or Politics); Advocacy for culture; Financial planning; History/archivist; Fundraising; Humanities (esp. folk arts, literary arts); Education: arts education, humanities education, arts integration, STEAM, private teaching; Membership growth; Museums; Marketing; and Social Media.
If you’re interested, the application is here: https://goo.gl/forms/550stZDPDCKJsjWx1
Culture Clubs
Utah Cultural Alliance has been around since 1980. UCA has done a lot for Utah’s arts and humanities groups in that time but we think it’s time that we had a full-time voice that can be truly statewide and fully and constantly present before government. We invite you to become a member of our new donor club for $100, $40, or $10 a month. The Culture Clubs are primarily for INDIVIDUALS. Even if your organization is already a member of UCA, we invite you to become an individual member of the Culture Clubs.
Perks include free tickets to UCA events, a special party, and private tours. More info and to join: http://www.utahculturalalliance.org/donor
Federal Advocacy updates/alerts
Some good news and bad news on the federal level.
National Endowments
- Good news: Interior Appropriations has ignored the Administration's request to defund cultural organizations and has recommended $145 million each to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.
- Bad news: this amount represents a $5 million cut to each organization.
- Action Alert: Keep your calls in favor of NEA/NEH to Congressman Chris Stewarts office as he also sits on the full Appropriations Committee. Ask him to fund the NEA and NEH at $155 million. Phone numbers are listed below.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- Good news: The House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Draft Bill provides essential public media seed funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in its draft bill (a portion of its $445 million typical allocation)
- Bad news: Funding for public media's Interconnection infrastructure system was eliminated. Interconnection enables virtually every American to receive local station programming for free. If Interconnection funding is eliminated, it becomes nearly impossible for local stations to broadcast programs and important public safety communications to you.
- Action Alert: No members of Utah's federal delegation serve on the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations subcommittee. However, since Congressman Stewart serves on the main Appropriations committee, you can contact his office and ask him to support funding for Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Interconnection program.
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Only good news here: the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is listed at $231,000,000 in the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Draft Bill. This is at the same level as the year prior.
Johnson Amendment
Only bad news here: Buried within section 116 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, is a provision meant to weaken the Johnson Amendment, that prevents nonprofits from making political donations. This provision will make it so that the IRS can't revoke a church's 501(c)3 status if they donate to campaigns unless the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue says the IRS can revoke the church's status and also notifies the House Ways and Means committee. Basically, it makes the entire process far more political. An amendment was offered to the appropriations bill to strike section 116 but that effort to strike that section failed 24 to 28. Our Congressman, Chris Stewart, voted against striking 116. The text of section 116 is as follows:
SEC. 116. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Internal Revenue Service to make a determination that a church, an integrated auxiliary of a church, or a convention or association of churches is not exempt from taxation for participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office unless.
(1) the Commissioner of Internal Revenue consents to such determination;
(2) not later than 30 days after such determination, the Commissioner notifies the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate of such determination; and
(3) such determination is effective with respect to the church, integrated auxiliary of a church, or convention or association of churches not earlier than 90 days after the date of the notification under paragraph (2)
Action Alert: Contact Utah's entire delegation and ask them to support any amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill that strikes section 116.
Phone Numbers for Utah's Federal Delegation
Cultural Asset Map
Utah Cultural Alliance is about to launch our statewide cultural asset map!!! We have spent about a year working on making this project a reality. This interactive map will show all of Utah's diverse cultural businesses and individuals. We will also include monuments, public art, items of historic importance, and more! Stay tuned for the release of our asset map and info on how to add yourself, but in the meantime, you may want to work to collect the following information:
- Mission/Description
- URL
- Address
- Phone Number
- Contact email
- Average annual budget or revenue
- Number of employees (if applicable)
- Number of events annually (if applicable)
- Upcoming events -- link to your entity’s Now Playing Utah page
- Rental rates (if a venue)
Thank you so much for all you do for Utah's cultural sector. We appreciate everything you do to make our state livable and vibrant!
Sincerely,
Crystal Young-Otterstrom
Executive Director
Utah Cultural Alliance
801.652.0737
[email protected]
www.utculture.org
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