CAM E-NEWS 3/15/2006

CAM e-News is supported in part by a grant from Associated Foundations, Inc.

FIND YOUR MUSE... Be a member of the California Association of Museums! CAM is the only professional association specifically addressing the needs and interests of California's museums and relies on membership dues to support its programs and services. Membership benefits and fees are available at http://www.calmuseums.org/membership.F

On March 9th, Mrs. Laura Bush announced the first round of Preserve America Grants totaling nearly $3.5 million. This new program provides funds on a matching basis to assist Preserve America communities with marketing, planning, and educational efforts associated with protection and appropriate use of community heritage. The City of Monterey was the only recipient in the State of California, with a grant of $100,000. The Preserve America program recognizes and designates communities that protect and celebrate their heritage, use their historic assets for economic development and community revitalization, and encourage people to experience and appreciate local historic resources through education and heritage tourism programs. Since the program began, 295 communities have been designated as Preserve America Communities. Some of the benefits of designation include official notification of designation to State tourism offices and visitors' bureaus, enhanced community visibility, and access to grant funds. For additional information, see http://www.preserveamerica.gov/index.html. The Preserve America communities in California are Fresno, Santa Monica, Monterey, Redlands, and Santa Ana.

PATRON FOUNDATION PROVIDES FIELD TRIP GRANTS
The Patron Foundation has announced the availability of its 2006 "Culture for Kids" field trip grant program. The grant program makes funds directly available to schools and civic organizations to subsidize transportation and admission costs. For more information and to apply, please visit: http://www.patronfoundation.org/participate. (Excerpted from the Music Center Education E-Newsletter March 6, 2006.)

HP WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY PACKAGES WILL BE GRANTED TO 100 NONPROFITS
The HP Technology for Community Grant Initiative is designed to provide technology tools to nonprofit organizations to enhance their effectiveness and to support the innovative use of mobile technology. HP has partnered with TechSoup Stock to provide product grant awards to selected nonprofits. In 2006, HP will award up to 100 organizations (with budgets less than $10 million) in select communities an HP wireless technology package valued at approximately $17,000. Eligible California communities include: Roseville, Sacramento, San Diego, and a nine county Bay Area region. The deadline to apply is March 22, 2006. See http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/grants/us/programs/tech_community/.

NEW STUDY SHOWS NONPROFIT LEADERS PLAN TO LEAVE THEIR POSITIONS WITHIN FIVE YEARS
Daring to Lead 2006 is a newly released national study of executive leadership at community-based nonprofits, conducted and published by Compass Point Nonprofit Services. Based on nearly 2,000 surveys, it explores leading causes of executive burnout---in particular, widespread frustration with boards of directors and funders. One of the key findings is that three quarters of survey respondents plan to leave their jobs within the next five years; 9% were already in the process of leaving. Despite the large number of executives contemplating transition, less than a third had discussed succession planning with their boards. Small organizations with fewer than 10 paid staff are more likely to experience transition in the next five years than larger, more established nonprofits. To download a pdf version of this report, see http://www.compasspoint.org/daringtolead2006.

CAC PROVIDES ARTICLES ABOUT THE ARTS LICENSE PLATE FOR NEWSLETTERS
To make it easy for arts organizations to promote the California Arts License Plate, the California Arts Council (CAC) has created two online versions of articles encouraging the support of purchases of this special license plate, designed by Wayne Thiebaud. Organizations are encouraged to use these articles in their newsletters or programs. Revenue from the Arts License Plate currently supports about 30% of the California Arts Council budget and is expected to be 55% in 2006-07--funding that in turn goes back to the arts organizations that do good work with kids and in communities. See your options for the 250-word and 550-word articles at: http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=109. For general information on the Arts License Plate, see: http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=108.

NOMINATIONS REQUESTED FOR WMA'S 5TH ANNUAL AWARD FOR EXHIBITION EXCELLENCE
The Western Museums Association (WMA) is requested nominations for its fifth annual Charles Redd Center for Western Studies Western Museums Association Award for Exhibition Excellence. The application deadline for the award is April 1, 2006. Go to http://www.westmuse.org/award_redd.htm for information and a nomination form.

GETTY FOUNDATION OFFERS MUSEUM CONSERVATION SURVEY & TREATMENT GRANTS
The Getty Foundation offers Museum Conservation Grants to assist institutions in caring for their permanent collections. Survey Grants assist museums in identifying the conservation requirements of art collections. Treatment Grants support the conservation treatment of works of art of outstanding artistic significance. There are no specific closing dates; grants range from $25,000 to $250,000. For additional information, visit http://www.getty.edu/grants/conservation/.

GOVERNOR PROCLAIMS MARCH "CALIFORNIA ARTS EDUCATION MONTH 2006"
On March 10, 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed March "California Arts Education Month 2006" through an official proclamation. "By nourishing creativity in the young minds of tomorrow's leaders, arts education is also a sound investment in California's future," he noted in the official document. For the full text of the proclamation, go to http://www.governor.ca.gov, click on "Press Room" from the left-side menu, then click "Proclamations" from the center menu.

ARTS RESOURCE GUIDE ON TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS
Americans for the Arts has published a new resource guide for local arts organizations to consider how to tap into federally funded, state-directed transportation enhancement projects. The Transportation Resource Guide provides arts examples and includes newly reauthorized Transportation Enhancement Program guidelines that can assist organizations. For more information about the Transportation Enhancement Program, see http://www.artsactionfund.org/pdf/congress/transportation_brief.pdf.

NOMINATIONS REQUESTED TO HONOR ARTISTS IN AMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITIES
First Peoples Fund, a national nonprofit organization invites you to nominate an artist from your American Indian community for their eighth annual Community Spirit Award, recognizing individuals who have made substantial contributions to their communities. The deadline to nominate an individual is April 15, 2006. Following a rigorous selection process, four individuals will be honored with a $5,000 fellowship and will be recognized at a ceremony in Rapid City, S.D. in December 2006. For additional information, visit http://www.firstpeoplesfund.org/Grant%20Programs/CommSpirit/CSAnominations.htm.

CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
An announcement was recently made that David Crosson, Executive Director of History San Jose and President of the American Association for State and Local History has been hired as the new Executive Director of the California Historical Society (CHS). Stephen Becker, the retiring Executive Director and President of CAM, will be continuing with CHS in a consulting role. We wish them both the best in their transitions!

AAM ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE 2006 BROOKING PAPER ON CREATIVITY IN MUSEUMS
The American Association of Museums announced yesterday the winners of the second annual Brooking Paper on Creativity in Museums. This competition invites museum professionals to write about notable examples of creativity, innovation, and imagination in museum operations. The three winning essays will be posted on the association's website at www.aam-us.org in late April. The first prize went to Maggie Russell-Ciardi, Education Director, at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. To read the complete press release, see http://www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?recipient_id=15406937&message_id=164741&user_id=Museum.

FRENCH-AMERICAN FUND FOR CONTEMPORARY ART PROJECT GRANTS
The French-American Fund for Contemporary Art offers financial support in the form of grants to American nonprofit institutions organizing exhibitions, installations, artist residencies, publications, or other projects by living French artists or to French nonprofit institutions presenting the same types of projects involving American artists. Qualifying exhibitions may be in the fields of painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture and design, as well as video art or any form of artistic endeavor applying new technologies. The closing date is March 31, 2006. For additional information, see http://www.facecouncil.org/etantdonnes/edcaguidelines.html. The deadline for Curatorial Research Grants is September 30, 2006.

Get the Word Out in CAM e-News!
Please email the CAM office at cam@calmuseums.org to list any announcements pertaining to professional development programs, grant opportunities, or related opportunities in future editions of CAM e-News and on the CAM web site. Since it is not possible to include all the details of an announcement, please include a phone number, web site address, or email address so interested parties can get additional information. Please do not exceed a limit of 150 words per listing. All announcements are subject to editing by CAM personnel.