Presenter Development

Presenter Development Program

The Presenter Development Program is an opportunity for small-budget, rural presenters to receive artistic and outreach fee support for the 2023-2024 season series (FY24). This program supports a maximum of 20% of artist fees and/or 50% of artist outreach fees. This program depends on state funds from a Montana Cultural Trust legislative grant and the Montana Arts Council. These allocations are not guaranteed.  Do not sign contracts assuming funds will be available. Participants receive promotional support in the form of funding ranging from a minimum of $300 to a maximum of $2,000. The average funding amount is $900. Funds will be disbursed in December 2023, at the earliest.

 

Application

• Applications may be submitted by

  • mail to MPAC, PO Box 1254, Great Falls, MT 59401

  • email (PDF or Word) to info@mtperformingarts.org

  • online form (CLICK HERE)

• For paper/PDF submissions, please type or print legibly.

• For mailed paper applications, only one copy is required.

• Deadline: July 27, 2023

 

Review criteria

Applications will be reviewed and scored against the following criteria:

• Applicant demonstrates understanding of the community’s needs and strives to meet them through programming.

• Programming exhibits artistic and educational quality.

• Applicant provides artistic/cultural programming to an otherwise underserved community.

 

Supported Activities

Examples of supported activities include:

• Efforts to develop current audience or target new audiences.

• Creating a new performing arts series in a community that does not have one.

• Expanding programming by adding artistic diversity or culturally diverse artists.

• Adding or modifying outreach activities to increase access or reach new audiences.

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Consideration will also be given to:

• Presenters in communities where there is no performing arts series. E.g., organizations may occasionally present events, but did not organize or promote these events in a series format.

• Presenters in a community with an existing series with plans to add events that increase artistic quality and/or reach new audiences. Within this category, MPAC gives priority to series programming that attempts to broaden audience aesthetic perceptions by booking artistically and/or culturally diverse artists, or scheduling outreach activity designed to reach new audiences.

 

Restrictions

Activities that do not qualify for support:

• Fundraising events or galas

• Self-produced, amateur, or student performances

• Community theater

• Events occurring before July 1, 2023, or after June 30, 2024

Applicants should omit these items from their application/budget section.

 

Review process & notification

Presenter Development applications will be reviewed by a panel consisting of local professionals in the Montana presenting community and a staff member from the Montana Arts Council. The panel will meet in August 2023 and organizations accepted into the program will be notified by September 1, 2023.

 

Eligible organizations

• Applicant must be a performing arts presenting organization located in a rural Montana community.

• Total artist fees budgeted for FY24 (2023-2024 season) must be less than $25,000.

• Applicant is a 501(c)3 nonprofit or has a fiscal sponsor.

 

Participant requirements

Organizations accepted into the Presenter Development program must meet the following requirements:

• Sign an Agreement Letter

• Present events in a series format with the following criteria:

  • A minimum of three (3) full-length performances by three (3) different professional performing artists.

  • Charge admission for full-length performances.

  • Promote events together under one series or organization name.

  • Supported events take place during a nine (9) month period between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.

• The series must include at least one (1) professional artist or artist group residing or originating in the state of Montana.

• The series must contain at least one (1) outreach activity in addition to that artist’s full-length public performance.

• Sell a series ticket.

• Promote the series with at least one (1) of the following:

  • Series website

  • Series brochure

  • Active series social media account

  • Series email campaigns

• File a final report with MPAC which includes an individual evaluation (Form A) for each performance series event and one final series financial report (Form B), by June 15, 2024. Examples of Forms A and B are available at www.mtperformingarts.org.

• Include the following credit line in all printed and electronic promotional materials as a contractual obligation:

 

“This event made possible in part by the Montana Performing Arts Consortium Presenter Development Program, which is supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Montana Arts Council, and legislative grant from Montana’s Cultural Trust.”

 

PLEASE NOTE: Participating organizations that do not include this line in their printed and electronic materials will not receive the second installment of their funding.

 

MPAC Annual Showcase & Conference

Presenters are strongly urged, but not required, to attend MPAC’s Annual Showcase & Conference. The next conference will be held in Great Falls on October 13-15, 2023. Registration is available at www.mtperformingarts.org.

 

Contact

For questions or assistance, contact Emily Wolfram, Executive Director at info@mtperformingarts.org or (406)284-5524.