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Associated Press
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Arts grants head to Montana governor without cuts restored
Lawmakers have sent a bill funding arts grants to Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte without restoring awards that were cut amid a scuffle — driven by Anaconda Republican Rep. John Fitzpatrick — over organizations that didn't present their applications before a legislative budget subcommittee. The grants bill, House Bill 9, is a routine funding measure that routes investment earnings from the state's coal trust to grants that support cultural and aesthetic projects. As it was introduced this year, based on grant applications compiled by the Montana Arts Council and included in Gianforte's budget proposal, the bill would have allocated $954,000 to 75 organizations, with most awards either $12,000 or $13,500. However, Fitzpatrick and other lawmakers on a budget subcommittee voted in February to strike grants for 17 organizations that didn't appear in person or virtually at January committee hearings. They also reduced grants for another 10 organizations that had provided only written testimony. The funding that was freed up by those cuts was redistributed to other applicants, increasing the remaining allocations. At the time, Republican and Democratic committee members expressed concern about the non-appearances, which they said kept them from being able to effectively evaluate the proposals. 'It's not a very heavy lift to sit on a Zoom call for 15 minutes and give a presentation about your project and maybe answer a question or two from the committee in exchange for $12,000, $13,000,' Fitzpatrick said at a Feb. 17 meeting. 'But apparently we have a number of people who don't think that's part of the process.' Materials from the Arts Council provided to grantees in advance of the January hearings had indicated that testifying before the committee was optional. 'You are not required to testify, but the committee chair strongly encourages everyone to participate,' those materials read in part, adding that applicants could testify in person, via writing or by a Zoom video call. The arts council staffer who manages the grant program, Kristin Burgoyne, apologized for giving applicants the impression that testimony was optional, saying at a Feb. 21 meeting of the full House Appropriations Committee that she had misinterpreted Fitzpatrick's expectations. As the arts grant bill advanced through the remainder of the legislative process, lawmakers restored funding for a few applicants that they judged to have extenuating circumstances for not providing verbal testimony — in one case because an executive director had left for another job and in another because an executive director had died. However, Fitzpatrick has resisted restoring other grant awards, instead using the funding cuts to broadcast his displeasure with how the Arts Council, a state agency, is managing the grant program. He's said he doesn't like how the grants are awarded to some of the state's largest arts organizations session after session, creating a dynamic he's likened to an 'entitlement program.' 'The Arts Council I think has made a serious mistake,' Fitzpatrick said as the bill was debated on the House floor April 7. 'Instead of vetting these projects and creating some criteria to rank them and select some that should be better than others, they've kind of treated this thing like running salami through the slicer — everybody gets a piece of the pie.' A separate bill sponsored by Fitzpatrick, House Bill 757, would rework how the arts grants are awarded in future sessions, requiring the Arts Council to rank proposals with a system that prioritizes smaller organizations and ones that haven't received recent grant awards. That bill has passed both chambers of the Legislature with bipartisan support and is headed to the governor. As the debate has drawn on, Fitzpatrick drew criticism for not disclosing that his wife, Connie, is on the board of a grant recipient that got more money than originally proposed. St. Timothy's Summer Music Festival in Anaconda had its grant increased from $5,000 to $12,600 as a result of the cut dollars being redistributed. State law generally requires legislators to disclose conflicts of interest before taking part in a legislative matter 'that would directly give rise to an appearance of impropriety as to the legislator's influence, benefit, or detriment.' In a statement to the Daily Montanan, Fitzpatrick said he isn't affiliated with the festival himself and does 'not personally benefit' from the grant. Fitzpatrick's son, House Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, referenced the Daily Montanan's coverage of his father as he made an ethics disclosure during the House debate on the grants bill. 'My mother is a board member of one of these groups that's getting some money here under this — I guess I'll disclose that,' Fitzpatrick said. 'I guess I'll disclose that for him too.' Among the organizations that lost funding as a result of the wrangling over the bill are the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture in Bozeman, the Alberta Bair Theater in Billings, the Billings Symphony Society, the Bitterroot Performing Arts Council, Butte Citizens for Preservation and Revitalization, Cohesion Dance Project in Helena, the Daly Mansion Preservation Trust in Hamilton, the Glacier Symphony and Chorale in Kalispell, the Grandstreet Theatre in Helena, the Lewistown Arts Center, Queen City Ballet in Helena and the Whitefish Theatre Co. A full list of the organizations funded or defunded as the bill heads to the governor's desk is here. ___ This story was originally published by Montana Free Press and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate stands by decision to cut some arts groups' funding, give more to others
The main stairway to the third floor of the Montana Capitol building is seen on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. (Nathaniel Bailey for the Daily Montanan) A controversial bill to support arts programs but that left more than a dozen without expected funds passed a near-final hurdle in the Senate on Monday. On a 29-21 vote, the Senate approved House Bill 9, with a reminder from Sen. Ellie Boldman, D-Missoula, of the source of the funds for the programs. 'These projects are powered by coal,' said Boldman, who carried the bill in the Senate. HB 9 appropriates $953,500 for cultural and aesthetic grants, including money for museums, at least one library, a history project, dance company and other arts groups. Originally, around 75 groups asked for grants of $12,500 to $13,000 each, but that's not how legislators allocated the dollars. Earlier this session, sponsor Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, sparked criticism from people in the arts community after he suggested groups whose representatives didn't testify at the Capitol about their programs were 'slackers' and shouldn't get funding. 'They're running a business, and they can't even take five minutes for a 'give-me' check?' Fitzpatrick, chairperson of the subcommittee, said earlier. Some arts leaders said they didn't know their appearance was mandatory. Staff from the Montana Arts Council, which administers the program for the state, told lawmakers that they had mistakenly communicated to the groups that their attendance was not required, and attendance would not impact funding. Nonetheless, legislators in the subcommittee unanimously agreed to cut funding from groups that didn't show up in person to testify and reduce funds for groups that submitted only written testimony. Lawmakers subsequently made only slight adjustments to the bill, and on the Senate floor Tuesday, Boldman stressed that the funding allocations are up to legislators, who are not a rubber stamp. 'It's not a lot of money, but it's still public money, so we do take that seriously,' Boldman said. She said if groups didn't appear either remotely or in person, then their applications weren't funded, and 17 fell into that category. However, Boldman described the funded projects as 'awesome' and representing counties across Montana. She described the process in response to a question from Sen. Jacinda Morigeau, D-Arlee, about how funding decisions were made. Morigeau said some of her constituents had reached out to tell her the process wasn't clear this year. 'I just wanted to stand up on their behalf and say that it is a real detriment to some of these small rural, rural, rural programs, that they weren't funded,' Morigeau said. However, Morigeau also said she would encourage them to apply again in two years. Sen. Bob Phalen, R-Lindsay, wanted to know if some of the establishments that received funding were 'still displaying obscenities.' Phalen said he wasn't referring to any specific project but to a bill he sponsored in 2023 to curb obscenity. In response, Boldman said she wasn't aware of any establishments showcasing obscene material. Earlier reporting by the Daily Montanan found the applicant for one group requesting money was Fitzpatrick's wife, and it was among those that received more money than originally proposed, and the only one to receive more than twice its original request. Fitzpatrick, though, earlier told the Daily Montanan that he didn't have a conflict of interest to disclose, at least not any more than he could be seen to have one with any other number of groups in his district. On the Senate floor, Boldman said she too is connected with some of the groups, such as a children's theater in which her son participates. Sen. Christopher Pope, D-Bozeman, said he supported the bill, but he also didn't want to see arts organizations stricken from the bill in the future, having seen 'quality organizations being crossed off.' However, Sen. Denley Loge, R-St. Regis, said the grants help small communities such as his, and he appreciates the idea that those who want support show up. 'It shows that they have to have a little skin in the game of time and involvement,' Loge said. The bill earlier passed the House on a 58-39 vote, and it needs to pass another vote in the Senate.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Montana Legislature debates the future of arts and culture funding
Mar. 23—Legislators are doubling down on efforts to reform a set of state grants dedicated to local arts and cultural projects. On March 7, the House passed House Bills 756 and 757, revising the criteria for two cornerstones of cultural programing: the Historic Preservation Grant Program administered through the Department of Commerce and the Cultural and Aesthetic Projects Grant Program administered through the Montana Arts Council. Under the proposed changes, repeat applicants and larger organizations would be deprioritized for awards. House Bill 756 also restricts the ability of organizations to use Historic Preservation Grant funds for so-called "modern" improvements like security systems and accessibility ramps. The bills faced muted opposition in initial hearings. Critics like Kathy Barton, executive director of the Museums Association of Montana, acknowledged that the legislation's premise of prioritizing smaller organizations was not inherently problematic, while drawing attention to the atmosphere into which the legislation was introduced. "We'd like to preface our remarks by calling attention to the significant confusion that has resulted this year over established requirements of grant applicants and the expectations of the Legislative committees," said Barton. Her comments hinted at an increasingly adversarial relationship between Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, and the Montana arts and culture community. Fitzpatrick chairs the Joint Subcommittee on Long Range Planning, which is responsible for signing off on a handful of bills that distribute state grant funds. To apply for funds, organizations submit lengthy grant applications a year in advance of the legislative session, which are then reviewed and scored by executive organizations like the Department of Commerce and the Montana Arts Council. A list of the ranked projects is then given to the subcommittee for review. Though legislators rarely see the full grant applications, they can introduce amendments to alter the ranking and maintain the final say over what projects receive funding. "The statute is very clear," said Fitzpatrick during the subcommittee's first meeting. "The ranking process that the department used and brought to us is simply advisory. We can change that list. We can delete projects from the list. We can amend the dollars." In February, Fitzpatrick wielded that power by introducing an amendment to rescind funding from 27 arts nonprofits suggested by the Montana Arts Council. Five Flathead Valley nonprofits were among those penalized. Deidre Corson, the executive director of North Valley Music School, said that the decision contradicted how the subcommittee had traditionally handled the grant. "This is my 13th year being involved in the music school, and this is the first time I've seen something like this," she said. At a volatile Feb. 21 House Appropriations Committee hearing on the amendment, Fitzpatrick said the decision sent a message to organizations he called slackers for not participating in committee hearings previously understood to be optional. He also characterized the Montana Arts Council's administration of the Cultural and Aesthetic Grant Program as sloppy and offensive. An amended list of Historic Preservation Grant recipients that removed several high-ranking projects generated similar confusion. At a Feb. 27 hearing, Fitzpatrick explained that the subcommittee adopted its own criteria to review the projects, striking several projects that the department had ranked highly. Among the 39 projects removed from the list were projects at Historic Hotel Libby and Libby Lofts. When a fellow representative asked about the reason one project had been removed from the list, Fitzpatrick said the subcommittee "relied really heavily on the input from Senator [John] Esp, who happens to have some personal knowledge about this project." The changes drew criticisms from some representatives during a March 17 House floor session. "My concern is the work of the ranking committee doesn't seem to matter and worthy projects were eliminated," said Rep. Jane Weber, D-Great Falls. Weber also spoke out against House Bills 756 and 757, arguing that the introduction of new criteria would only further complicate what had already proven to be a tumultuous process. "As my mom used to say, let's not change the horses in midstream," she said, echoing the concerns of several other Democratic representatives. Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, cited the ongoing confusion as the catalyst for the new legislation. "We did not try to lay down the heavy hand this time," he said of House Bill 757. "We're hoping that the arts council and the arts community will take a look at this and begin to evaluate their behavior." Fitzpatrick characterized the grants as "entitlement programs" and maintained that, even if new criteria is implemented, the Legislature should have final authority over the disbursement of grant funds to ensure a competitive process. "If you want to protect this program and make it better in the future, you need to shrink it down," he said. The House passed HB 756 and HB 757 on March 7. The subcommittee's amended list of Historic Preservation Grant recipients also passed the House on March 19. The House Appropriations Committee is still reviewing the amended list of Aesthetic and Cultural Grant recipients. Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at hsmalley@ or 758-4433.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Miscommunication results in loss of funding for Flathead Valley arts programs
Mar. 6—State legislators have stripped funds from five local arts nonprofits, accusing the organizations of showing disrespect for the legislative process by not attending committee hearings. A Feb. 17 amendment to House Bill 9 removed or reduced state grant funding for 22 arts programs, including five Flathead Valley organizations. The organizations were originally slated to receive between $12,500 and $13,500 each from a longstanding arts grant funded through the state's coal trust. Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, introduced the amendment to penalize organizations that had not provided in-person or Zoom testimony at prior hearings regarding the bill. "It might be laziness. It could be the sense of entitlement. It could be fiscal incompetence or failure to accept personal responsibility," Fitzpatrick said of the absent organizations. But Jen Asebrook, executive director of Whitefish Theatre Company, said the faux pas was the result of miscommunication, not incompetence. "I think there was a grave, grave misunderstanding of what was required of us," said Asebrook. "I feel bad that we misunderstood this, but we can't follow rules that we don't understand." The Montana Arts Council is responsible for reviewing and managing applications for the state's cultural and aesthetic grants. While Asebrook received an email from the council regarding dates to provide testimony to the Long-Range Planning Committee, communications never implied that testimony would factor into funding decisions. "You are not required to testify but the committee chair strongly encourages everyone to participate," reads an attachment to the Dec. 19 email. Asebrook promptly replied to the email, informing the council that she would be unavailable on the scheduled dates and asking if she could provide written testimony instead. A Montana Arts Council employee confirmed that written testimony "works great," so Asebrook was shocked when the Whitefish Theatre Company had its proposed award reduced from $12,500 to $2,000. "It may not seem like that much money," she said. "But all of those little grants add up for little nonprofits like us. If we had known the rules, we would have done it." Asebrook's story mirrors that of other Flathead Valley arts organizations. North Valley Music School and Whitefish Review also had their grant awards reduced to $2,000 after providing written testimony rather than appearing in-person or via Zoom. North Valley Music School Executive Director Deidre Corson said that, in previous years, the school had not been penalized for not testifying. "This is my 13th year being involved in the music school, and this is the first time I've seen something like this," she said. During a Feb. 21 hearing, Carolyn Valacich said the Glacier Symphony's recent change in leadership contributed to the organization's decision against attending the legislative hearings. Alpine Theatre Project Executive Director Cynthia Benkelman said she did attend a hearing, but the committee ran out of time before she could testify. The current amendment fully retracts both organization's proposed awards. "There is no requirement for anyone to come before an appropriations committee and testify on behalf of the funding they hope to receive," Fitzpatrick admitted during the Feb. 21 hearing. But the representative maintained his assertion that the amendment was "an appropriate method" to send a message to nonprofits he characterized as "slackers." "It's a no-brainer," he said. "These folks are running a business. All you've got to do is spend five minutes on Zoom, and someone hands you a check for $12,000 and you can't bother to do it and then you come here with a litany of excuses of why you couldn't do it. I can't buy it." Another nonprofit executive, who asked that their name and affiliation not appear out of fear of jeopardizing their own organization's funding, said Fitzpatrick's statements spread "misinformation" about the funding process. While the executive did testify before the committee, they had not interpreted her attendance as a requirement for funding and disputed Fitzpatrick's claims that the grant funds were "a gimme check" for arts organizations. "It's much more complicated than what it appears," the executive said. "It's a pretty rigorous process to even apply for these grants." Their organization dedicated several staff meetings to completing the 15- to 20-page grant application, and they spent several additional hours researching and writing a statement to read before the committee — a process they doubted smaller nonprofits would have the resources to undertake. The executive's organization is one of the 48 applicants that are now posed to receive an increased grant award as funds are reallocated, but they expressed frustration with the committee's decision to "go after the little guys." At the Feb. 21 hearing, a representative from the Montana Arts Council apologized to the organizations for the initial miscommunication and acknowledged that she misinterpreted the committee's expectations for applicants. The council has reportedly suggested that impacted nonprofits also adopt an apologetic tone when communicating about the proposed funding cuts. For Jen Asebrook, that isn't hard. "If we had known the rules, we would have done it," she said. "I feel sorry. I want to apologize because it was an honest mistake." The amendment will face votes in both the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee before the cuts are finalized. Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at hsmalley@ or 758-4433.
Associated Press
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Testimony snafu could kill some state arts grants in Montana
Legislature-authorized grants for several of Montana's most prominent arts organizations are in limbo as a result of an apparent miscommunication about whether a budget subcommittee had a firm requirement for applicants to testify at meetings last month. The subcommittee's chair, Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, insisted at a Friday hearing that lawmakers should cut funding for organizations that hadn't appeared — despite the state agency that coordinates the grant program, the Montana Arts Council, telling applicants that testifying was optional. 'They told these applicants that the legislative process was basically irrelevant,' Fitzpatrick said Friday as the grant funding measure, House Bill 9, was heard in front of the full House Appropriations Committee. He added that he believes the arts grants have developed into an 'entitlement program' where the same organizations are funded session after session while putting in minimal effort. 'They have completely destroyed the concept of merit,' Fitzpatrick said. 'They're saying everybody gets the money whether you've made the effort to come here and talk to the Legislature or not.' Among the organizations at risk of missing out on the state arts money are Helena's Grandstreet Theatre, the Emerson Center for Arts & Culture in Bozeman, the Alberta Bair Theater in Billings and the Lewistown Arts Center. Others that could see reductions include the Helena Symphony, North Valley Music School in Whitefish and the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls. Friday's committee meeting included testimony from nearly 40 people involved with arts and culture organizations, most of which have funding on the chopping block. Many said that they had been under the impression that testifying at the January meetings was optional. 'We were told and led to believe that it was not a requirement to be present at the previous committee meeting,' said Grandstreet Theatre board member John Rausch. 'It feels like the rug is being pulled out from under many of these very worthy arts organizations.' The Montana Arts Council employee who oversees the art grant program, deputy director Kristin Burgoyne, choked up as she apologized during Friday's meeting to grant applicants, saying she had misinterpreted Fitzpatrick's expectations by telling them that they didn't need to worry if they had missed the hearings. 'I was not informed that written testimony would be less preferred than in-person or Zoom,' she said. A list of grants recommended by the Arts Council and included in Gov. Greg Gianforte's 2026-2027 budget proposal would have awarded $954,000 in cultural and aesthetic grants to 75 organizations, with most awards $12,000 or $13,500. The program, which is funded by revenue from Montana's coal trust, has existed since 1975. The state's overall budget is about $9 billion a year. Fitzpatrick chairs the budget subcommittee that reviews the arts grants alongside state infrastructure programs authorized by other bills. He said Friday that committee members had become uncomfortable with how many potential grant recipients didn't attend the January grant hearings and decided to reduce funding for no-shows. An amendment the subcommittee endorsed unanimously at a Feb. 17 meeting adjusted the grant list to eliminate funding for 17 grant recipients who didn't provide testimony and reduce grants for 10 organizations that submitted only written comments, reallocating the remainder to other grantees. Those cuts could be reversed by the full House Appropriations Committee or later in the bill's path through the Legislature. 'It's not a very heavy lift to sit on a Zoom call for 15 minutes and give a presentation about your project and maybe answer a question or two from the committee in exchange for $12,000, $13,000,' Fitzpatrick said at the Feb. 17 meeting. 'But apparently we have a number of people who don't think that's part of the process.' Democrats echoed the sentiment. Sen. Ellie Boldman, D-Missoula, said she believes it's important that committee members have the chance to question each grant recipient so they can defend the grant program to fellow lawmakers who may be skeptical of spending tax dollars on cultural endeavors. 'I think the bar is relatively low for these organizations to have tax dollars go to them for some very, very important, very good things that they're doing across Montana in communities large and small,' said Sen. Paul Tuss, D-Havre. 'And given that we offer them the opportunity to join us via Zoom, there's very little excuse why I don't think these organizations could join us.' Materials from the Arts Council provided to grantees in advance of the January hearings indicated that testifying before the committee was optional. 'You are not required to testify, but the committee chair strongly encourages everyone to participate,' that message reads in part, adding that potential grant recipients could testify in person, via writing or by a Zoom video call. Helena Symphony Director Allan R. Scott said in an interview before the committee hearing Friday that the symphony, which had its proposed award reduced from $12,500 to $2,000 for only submitting written testimony, has received state grant funding for decades. While state support is a relatively small portion of the organization's $1.5 million budget, Scott said, the symphony's fundraising efforts routinely mention the state grant as it approaches other supporters to ask for donations. Scott said he would have been happy to testify again this year, but has repeatedly witnessed lawmakers distracted by their phones instead of listening attentively when he's presented in the past. He also said a symphony staffer was on a Zoom call ready to testify before the budget subcommittee but didn't end up speaking and was told to instead submit written testimony. 'It's changing the rules of the game of the grant process after we are already off the field,' Scott said. Scott added that he hopes Fitzpatrick reconsiders his opposition to the initial grant funding proposal. 'This is saying — hey, we want you to kiss the ring of the chair in order to get your money,' Scott said. ___
