This guide will take you through the important steps and provide useful links to resources critical to understanding the cultural policy process.

The following pages offer recommendations, red flags and warning signs, and real-world examples of successes and failures from throughout the United States to give you a better sense of the relationship between public policy and the arts.

Before you begin
The most basic questions to ask are:

• What need are you trying to fill?
  Successful policies often address more than one arts organization and aim to meet a certain need in the community. It can be helpful to invite all the people who will lead this initiative together to address the need and how best to write it down.
  
  
• What policies are already in my community?
  There are many resources both on the internet and elsewhere that can help you determine what policies are on the books in your city or county.
  
  more>>>
  
  
• What kinds of policies may be best for my community?
  A good policy in one city may not be good for another city. It is important to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each tax policy and the needs and limitations of your community before chosing a tax strategy.
  
  more>>>
  
  
• Has this been tried before?
  If there has been a similar policy proposed or voted on in the past, you should learn why the policy failed. Read the policy and look for the areas that may have caused the policy to fail. Identify elements that worked and implement them into your own project.
  

Tips and recommendations

• Don't do this alone; partnerships are powerful
• Consider this endeavor as a special project
• Stakeholders are key to your success
• Account for all resources
• Identify your time requirements and strategies
• Prepare evaluation techniques

Red flags and warning signs

• Apathy
• Too many concessions in the legislation
• A lone organization trying to pass a policy to benefit only itself
• No system of evaluation
• Little to none of the revenue is delegated for administrative and maintenance costs
• Voter fatigue

Narratives about implementation
Each implementation process is different, but valuable information can be gained through learning about how other communities have implemented local arts policies.

• Miami-Dade County: Bond issue for cultural amenities
• Salt Lake City: Sales tax partnership with parks and zoos
• Pittsburgh: County wide sales tax district - arts as an afterthought
• Kansas City: Bi-state difficulties

Printer Friendly Version

Email this to a Friend