Voter Engagement, Latest Policy Updates, and Resources
August 26, 2020
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As the election cycle accelerates, learn more about how your orchestra can take action to support voter engagement! As 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, orchestras are strictly prohibited from supporting the election or defeat of any candidate for office, but they can engage in non-partisan voter engagement activity that encourages all voters to register and participate in the election process. Nonprofits are also allowed to expend funds and take public positions on referenda, ballot initiatives, propositions, and tax levies, as long as they do not cross the line into party or candidate endorsement. The League of American Orchestras resource, Playing Your Part: An Orchestra's Guide to Public Policy Advocacy, includes a Q & A on the rules that allow issue advocacy and voter engagement by orchestras as nonprofit organizations. Please also see the following resources for more information about nonprofit participation in voter engagement:
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Congress is continuing to consider the scope and scale of the next federal COVID-19 relief package, and key discussions are still underway regarding expanding access to Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loans, extending unemployment benefits, creating new and expanded tax credits, incentivizing more charitable giving, and delivering funding to support our nation's schools and communities. |
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Data Drives Decisions: Explore New Arts Education Data Toolkit |
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For far too long, inadequate data about the state of arts education in schools has allowed structural inequities to persist, which has prevented many students from experiencing, learning about, and becoming practitioners of the arts in their schools. Earlier this month, the National Endowment for the Arts and Education Commission of the States released a new suite of resources that has been two years in the making--the Arts Education Data Toolkit. This toolkit, which offers detailed guidance on how to manage an arts education data initiative from start to finish, can help users take advantage of new state data systems, which can in turn have an enormous effect on planning an arts education data initiative. The toolkit will help users find, analyze, and report on such data, which most states already collect, and it is part of the State Data Infrastructure Project for Arts Education. |
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The COVID-19 pandemic has not only forced the cancelation and postponement of countless concerts, it has also caused tremendous uncertainty regarding the participation of international artists in future events. Here's where things stand today:
The path to bringing international guest artists to the U.S. is certainly becoming increasingly difficult and expensive, but it is still possible. The League's website, Artists from Abroad, is updated to reflect the latest developments, and please don't hesitate to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let us know what you're experiencing! Hearing from our members helps us shape the policy requests to improve the overall process. |