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Resolutions Adopted at the
67th Annual Conference of Mayors
New Orleans, Louisiana
June 11-15, 1999 |
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ARTS, CULTURE AND RECREATION
SUPPORTING THE NEA'S CHALLENGE AMERICA
INITIATIVE
WHEREAS, the United States Conference of Mayors supports the National Endowment
for the Arts’ efforts to make the arts accessible to all Americans throughout the
nation and to build a strong cultural infrastructure for public support of the arts at the
federal, state and local levels; and
WHEREAS, the President and the National Endowment for the Arts have proposed a
major new initiative entitled CHALLENGE AMERICA for the FY 2000 budget, which would target
$50 million in new resources, if fully funded by Congress; and
WHEREAS, CHALLENGE AMERICA would accomplish two broad purposes: 1.) to engage
arts organizations, the American people, and communities in placing the arts at the center
of community and family life and 2.) to foster development of new cultural initiatives and
programs in previously underserved area; and
WHEREAS, CHALLENGE AMERICA is an opportunity to strengthen America’s
communities through the unique power of the arts. Organizations and individuals from the
public, private and nonprofit sectors – arts organizations and artists, state and
regional arts agencies, local arts groups, businesses, teachers, and schools – will
be encouraged to generate innovative ideas for new arts programs. For more than 30 years,
the Endowment has helped build a network and infrastructure which bring the arts to the
center of community life. As the millennium approaches, CHALLENGE AMERICA would refocus
new resources to expand the reach and impact of Endowment initiatives, a crucial part of
the agency’s mission; and
WHEREAS, CHALLENGE AMERICA funds would be distributed in four distinct ways: 1.)
An estimated 1,000 communities nationwide would receive small- to medium-sized arts
project grants through a streamlined, user-friendly review process assisting
under-represented areas of the country, 2.) Approximately 150 arts communities nationwide
would receive large grants for comprehensive, community-based projects, 3.) Between 10 and
20 National Initiatives would receive funding. These projects would be developed in
partnership by national organizations and other federal agencies, and 4.) State Arts
Agencies would receive 40 percent of Challenge America grant funds – further
upholding the Endowment’s congressional mandate to support arts activities in every
state,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the United States Conference of Mayors
endorses the National Endowment for the Arts’ CHALLENGE AMERICA initiative and urges
Congress to fully fund this program in the FY 2000 appropriations.
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