You love the arts. We help make the arts happen.

MCA is a highly effective non-partisan statewide arts advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure opportunity for all people to have access to and involvement in the arts. MCA organizes the arts community and lobbies the Minnesota State Legislature and Congress on issues pertaining to the nonprofit arts.

During legislative sessions our statewide network of advocates springs to action to contact every legislator through phone calls, letters, visits, and our online Desktop Lobbyist tool which allows direct communication with elected officials in the blink of an eye.

Events & Programs:

Arts Advocacy Day: This annual event brings nearly 1,000 arts advocates from from around the state to the capitol for a day of lobbying and coalition building.

Arts Alerts: Arts Alert e-mails provide arts advocates with up-to-the-minute updates on what’s happening at the Capitol.

Website: MCA’s website provides free advocacy how-to, handy arts facts and lots of easy to use information.

Advocacy 101 Seminars: These fun trainings teach advocates throughout the state how to influence local decision makers.

MCA’s Research Activities: MCA’s nationally recognized research projects provide innovative findings on the impact of the arts in Minnesota. In 2006, MCA and the Forum of Regional Arts Councils produced the first ever Statewide and Regional Economic Impact Study of the Arts in Minnesota. In 2007, a similar study was produced, measuring the economic impact of individual artists in Minnesota.

Campus Organizing: Our Campus Arts Advocates program is busy training the next generation of arts advocates in Minnesota.

Our Goals:

To protect or increase state funding for the arts, which currently reaches every county in the state via grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils.

To protect or improve the state’s policies concerning charitable contributions and nonprofits.

To improve the status and availability of arts education in our schools.

To protect or increase federal funds to the arts.

To encourage a state role in building cultural infrastructure.

For more information about a specific type of membership and to join today, click on the appropriate link:

Individual Memberships | Organizational Memberships | Business Memberships