Support for Arts Education

As a national source of information on public arts funding, NASAA provides a knowledge network and fact base to help state arts agencies make informed policy decisions and put their own state’s needs and experiences in context. Providing customized responses to member questions is a hallmark of NASAA. This column offers specific examples of the NASAA research services available and shows how they can be customized to meet your needs.

Pie Chart of Member Request Topics Fiscal Year 2009 with Planning and Policy taking up the most part at 21% followed by Grantmaking and Services by 18%

Customized Information Services Provided to Members
Policy overviews/analyses	70
Policy consultations	29
Funding facts/histories	30
Grant-making statistics	15
Referrals to other SAAs	48
Staff charts or salary data	14
FDR/NEA reporting	26
On-site services	20
Grant panel service	2
Council/staff meeting facilitations	7
Statewide conference presentations	8
“Can I pick your brain?” calls	countless
(and always welcome!)

Each year NASAA receives hundreds of requests for information about policy, planning, grant making, constituent services, operations, advocacy, federal reporting, budgets, and other topics related to the arts and the public sector. The majority of requests come from members (state arts agency staff and council members), but researchers, students, arts organizations, the press and the National Endowment for the Arts also make use of NASAA’s knowledge services.

Customized responses to member needs take many forms, including in-depth policy consultations, tailored funding histories, and guided referrals to peers. NASAA staff members frequently travel to provide conference presentations, staff/council meeting facilitations, grant panel service, and other consultative services that require an in-person presence.

For a summary of how members used NASAA’s information services in fiscal year 2009, including examples of requests, see the NASAA Information Request Summary