On Thursday afternoon, about 30 minutes into my meeting with Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, the first-term politician rose from his swivel chair and walked into a room near his office on the 16th floor of the Rath County Office Building. The sound of rummaging could be briefly heard. I exchanged quizzical looks with the [...]
The waterfront is coming alive with each passing summer season. We’ve see advancements at the Inner Harbor, the Outer Harbor, parks along Black Rock Channel, the Erie Basin Marina, and of course The Buffalo River. To add to the momentum, the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) has announced a chunk of funding that will [...]
The Arts Services Initiative announced Wednesday the completion of its 2013 decentralization grant program, which will distribute $98,700 to arts groups in Erie County. The grants are scheduled to be announced in a ceremony at 3 p.m. today in Suzuki Strings, 4 Webster St., North Tonawanda. The event includes performances from Tony-nominated actor Stephen McKinley [...]
The Arts Services Initiative of Western New York will map the economic impact of the arts and culture in the region with help from a new $25,000 grant. The funds come from the Arts & Culture Research Fund established last year by the New York Community Trust to answer exactly what arts and culture contribute [...]
Arts & Culture Research Fund Awards $110,000 to Measure the Impact of the Arts Throughout New York State New York, May 21 - What exactly do arts and culture contribute to New York City and State's economy and to community development efforts? Are neighborhoods with cultural organizations safer, healthier, more economically vital or stable? The [...]
The Oishei Foundation recently announced a dollar-for-dollar challenge grant to the Niagara Falls City Council to help restore funding to the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (NACC). The City Council Majority has recently eliminated $30,000 in City funding to the NACC and has verbally turned down the Oishei Foundation's offer of $15,000 if the City [...]
Call it the latest round of the battle to fund the arts in Niagara Falls. Mayor Paul A. Dyster this morning called on the city council to accept a $15,000 "challenge" grant made earlier this month by the John R. Oishei Foundation. The grant, if matched by the city council, would go to fund the [...]
(NIAGARA FALLS) There is a clash over cultural and arts funding in the city of Niagara Falls following a surprising budget cut by the City Council. 30-thousand dollars in the city budget for the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center was slashed by a council majority on Monday. They said the money was needed for resources [...]
For anyone who might not be familiar with Arts Services Initiative of Western New York, there's a lot of catching up to do. To start, the initiative was forged in 2011 in order to fill the need for a non-profit organization that could be instrumental in a range of services for artists and art organizations. [...]
With its first full year completed, the Arts Services Initiative of WNY is looking ahead with plans to create an economic impact report for the nonprofit cultural sector as well as new programming. The financial report, last collected in 2005, will use figures collected for the group’s cultural data project as well as new information. [...]
