Mark Turner, executive director of The Five Wings Arts Council, said the Legacy Amendment has been a vital source for funding that has generated income for local businesses and individuals.
Crow Wing County art projects have been awarded a total of $68,143 in the past year. This amount was generated from the Legacy Fund, as well as other public and private dollars, and administered by the Five Wings Arts Council.
The direct economic impact totals nearly a quarter million dollars for Crow Wing County alone when considering the dollars leveraged by the projects based grants.
The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment was passed in 2008 by the voters of Minnesota. It created four dedicated funds for land, water, parks and arts.
From the arts fund, the Legislature appropriated $21.6 million of the new legacy dollars to the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB) and Regional Arts Councils (RACs).
The Five Wings Arts Council (FWAC) is one of 11 regional arts councils and serves Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties. This five-county region received Legacy Funds of $309,640 to support non-profit organizations, schools, communities and individuals.
Crow Wing County has several music organizations that offer enrichment opportunities augmented by Legacy Funds, including the Legacy Chorale, Grassroots Concerts and From Age to Age.
Twenty-eight projects in Crow Wing County were supported by Five Wings Arts Council grants in the last year. This totaled $68,143 in direct grants and leveraged $248,542 in actual direct economic impact.
For a complete list of Five Wings Arts Council grants awarded in the last fiscal year and to see how the Water, Land and Legacy Fund is benefitting you, visit www.fwac.org. Visit the grant page for information on applying for the Sept. 15 grant round.
