Two-Year Operating Support Grant

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$15,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Lake Superior Writers
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
In Progress
Start Date
February 2017
End Date
April 2019
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
St. Louis
St. Louis
Project Overview

Two-Year Operating Support Grant

Project Details

Support for a part-time paid Administrator, rent, insurance and creation of marketing materials.

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

Janeen Carey: vocalist, retired Hibbing Community College librarian and information media specialist; Kate Fitzgerald: Program Director North Shore Music Association, writer; Adam Guggemos: graphic designer, art events promoter; Michelle Ronning: jewelry designer and maker; Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Moira Villiard: visual artist; Jeanne Doty: Retired Associate Professor of Music at University of Minnesota-Duluth, pianist; Amber Burns: choreographer, dancer, actor, middle school art teacher; Margaret Holmes: visual artist, poet, former Children's Theatre employee; Tammy Mattonen: visual artist, co-founder of Crescendo Youth Orchestra; Quentin Stille: student liaison, College Music Director at KUMD.

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Janeen Carey: vocalist, retired Hibbing Community College librarian and information media specialist; Kate Fitzgerald: Program Director North Shore Music Association, writer; Adam Guggemos: graphic designer, art events promoter; Michelle Ronning: jewelry designer and maker; Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Moira Villiard: visual artist; Jeanne Doty: Retired Associate Professor of music at University of Minnesota-Duluth, pianist; Amber Burns: choreographer, dancer, actor, middle school art teacher; Margaret Holmes: visual artist, poet, former Children's Theatre employee; Tammy Mattonen: visual artist, co-founder of Crescendo Youth Orchestra; Quentin Stille: student liaison, College Music Director at KUMD.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2015 Special Session, chapter 2, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$15,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$17,765
Direct expenses
$32,765
Administration costs
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Lake Superior Writers' goal over the next two years will be to stabilize our finances as we develop branding and marketing materials to create awareness and increase participation in our programs. Measurable outcomes are: Improved financial picture with surplus remaining at the end of grant period. Financial stability will help to ensure that we can continue to retain an Administrator and meet our other operational expenses while we focus on our programming. An increase in Lake Superior Writers membership. Increased participation in Lake Superior Writers activities, such as entries to annual contest, workshop participants and attendees at our annual meetings. To measure the outcomes of this project, Lake Superior Writers will use the following methods: FINANCIAL RECORD KEEPING AND EVALUATION: The Administrator maintains Lake Superior Writers bookkeeping with QuickBooks Pro, where she writes checks, records deposits, and each month, reconciles the bank statements. Before each board meeting, she generates a profit and loss report and a balance sheet, and brings this information to present to the Lake Superior Writers Board. At the end of the June 30, she provides a fiscal year profit and loss report, along with a comparison to the last fiscal year, which allows the Board to check its progress with projected financial outcomes, including earnings from Memberships and Workshops. MEMBERSHIP TRACKING: The Administrator works with the Board to record and acknowledge memberships, including new memberships and renewals. Each April, Lake Superior Writers mails a membership renewal packet to our list, which allows members to renew by mail or through our website. The Administrator maintains and regularly updates an Excel spreadsheet of current and lapsed members, and offers reports on the status of the membership list and response to mailings at board meetings. PARTICIPATION IN LAKE SUPERIOR WRITERS ACTIVITIES: The Board is responsible for Lake Superior Writers Programming, and will track workshop enrollment and participation in the annual contest. BEFORE AND AFTER RESPONSE FROM MEMBERS. We will conduct two online surveys with our members, one before and one at the end of the grant period to measure their response to our new branding.

Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Project Manager
First Name
Gail
Last Name
Trowbridge
Organization Name
Lake Superior Writers
Street Address
301 1st St W Ste 308
City
Duluth
State
MN
Zip Code
55811-2755
Phone
(218) 728-1354
Email
writers@lakesuperiorwriters.org
Administered By
Administered by
Location

Griggs Midway Building, Suite 304,
540 Fairview Avenue North,
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone
(651) 539-2650 or toll-free (800) 866-2787
Email the Agency
Location

424 West Superior Street, Suite 104
Duluth, MN 55802

Phone
Project Manager: Rebecca Graves
218-722-0952
Email the Agency