Author Archive

So, the three classes of spending (direct, indirect, and induced) not only reflect related increases in spending for the cultural sector, but the subsequent spending in other industry sectors, such as educational services and real estate. The 3.6 billion in spending is only a starting point for analyzing the economic impact of arts and culture nonprofits! Click here to estimate the economic impact for organizations in Massachusetts.New England Cultural Nonprofit Expense by Discipline

New England Cultural Nonprofit Expense by Discipline
(Click on the chart to view the interactive version)

If you completed a NEFA nonprofit financial survey last year, view your results:

Sign In to your account.
In the left-hand panel, click the link “Review my organization’s financial data.” The most recent fiscal year is available for you to view.

Not familiar with the NEFA Nonprofit Survey? Click here to learn more.

SPARK! @ THE CLARK

Published: March 8, 2010Posted in: BERKSHIRE CREATIVE, EVENTS, FEATURES 1, FEATURES 2, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETINTags: a, Advocacy, Artists, Berkshire County, Berkshire Creatives, Event, For-Profit, non-profit, SPARK!

Bad weather could not stop our Berkshire Creatives’ SPARK!

After a brief postponement due to a late winter snow storm, Berkshire Creatives from across the county came together to SPARK! @ The Clark!

Click here to visit our Facebook page and see more pictures! See someone you know or yourself in our facebook pictures? Don’t forget to tag, tag, tag!

SPARK! Attendees, We want your feedback!

Please take a minute to fill out this short survey about the event. Tell us what you liked, what we could do better, and most importantly let us know if you made any connections. Thank you for helping us serve the Berkshire Creative Community better!

See you at the next SPARK!

___________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

SPARK! Lead Sponsor:

Greylock Federal Credit Union

SPARK! Host:

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

SPARK! Featured Businesses:

DEVRIES FINE ART INTERNATIONAL, INC.

BERKSHIRECOUPON.COM

THE BERKSHIRE REVIEW FOR THE ARTS

BRILLIANT GRAPHICS GROUP

SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY

TAYLOR’S AND FREIGHT YARD PUB

Would you like to be a featured business at a future SPARK!? Please email info@berkshirecreative.org or call 413.822.8324.

Do you have an item you would like to share about the creative economy? Suggest a Post to Berkshire Creative!

Call for Letters of Support from the Massachsuetts Broadband Institute

Published: March 5, 2010Posted in: FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETIN, STATE NEWSTags: Advocacy, Economic Development, economic impact, Entrepeneurs, Government, Massachusetts Broadband Institute, Participate, Resource, Western Massachusetts Connect

As you well know, areas in our community and throughout western Massachusetts are unserved by basic broadband services. In 2008, the state legislature and Governor Patrick established the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) to take on this challenge and bring broadband access to all unserved citizens, starting in western Massachusetts. To help achieve this goal, the MBI is in the process of applying for federal infrastructure funding to build an advanced fiber-optic network in the region. This “middle mile” network will be open to all service providers who want to provide broadband services to unserved citizens. To be successful, the MBI needs your assistance!

The MBI has asked WesternMA Connect to lead the effort to collect local letters and collaborate with existing broadband committees to assist in the effort. In order to meet the submission deadline, WesternMA Connect asks that supporters complete and return letters to them by Wednesday, March 10 in one of three ways:

1) email a word or pdf document with an electronic signature;
2) email a scanned version of a signed letter; or
3) mail the letter by regular mail to:
Sharon Ferry
WesternMA Connect, Inc.
75 South Church Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Click here for a sample letter.
PLEASE DO NOT MAIL LETTERS DIRECTLY TO ASSISTANT SECRETARY STRICKLING.

Berkshire Taconic Reports Nearly $7 Million Distributed in 2009

Published: March 4, 2010Posted in: FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETINTags: Advocacy, Artists, Berkshire County, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Community Development, Funding, non-profit

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announced today that despite the economic downturn, it distributed $7 million in 2009 throughout the Berkshire Taconic region. Grants included $242,760 in scholarships to young people to help them through college, along with millions of dollars in vital support for the arts, public education, health and human services and environmental protection.

In addition, 3,700 donors contributed $7 million to the foundation last year. Over $260,000 was raised for the new Neighbor-to-Neighbor program in a two-month challenge grant period. Hundreds of donors stepped forward with donations ranging from $1 to $100,000 to aid individuals and families in the Berkshire Taconic region who are in economic distress. Neighbor-to-Neighbor awards small grants, usually no more than $500, to help with overdue utilities, medical bills, short-term housing costs and transportation problems. Checks are written to the vendor (landlord, utility company, pharmacy or mechanic) on behalf of the community member in need.

“We have been greatly heartened by the marked generosity of donors in our region during this extremely difficult time,” said Jennifer Dowley, the foundation’s president. “Several donors walked into our offices this past year asking, ‘How can we help?’ and they did.”

On another note of good cheer, Berkshire Taconic’s investments have performed remarkable well even during the worst investment market since the 1930s. Comparative reports put Berkshire Taconic’s returns in the top quartile nationwide of community foundations, private foundations, university endowments and trusts over the past five years. As of December 31, 2009, the foundation’s assets were up 27.3%. “It is a great comfort that we have been able to recover much of was lost in 2008 during the drop of the investment markets,” said Jill Gellert, vice president of finance and administration. “We are very proud of the commitment of our investment committee. Their leadership has led to the foundation’s remarkable performance over the years.”

“Our goals for 2010 are to continue our focus on both the long-term development of charitable resources for our region and remain flexible and responsive to those people and nonprofits in immediate need,” said Dowley. “These difficult times are when we need to remember to support the people and organizations that keep our lives flourishing.”

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Thanks to its generous donors, in 2009 Berkshire Taconic distributed nearly $7 million in scholarships and grants for programs in the arts and education, health and human services, and environmental protection. Berkshire Taconic is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.

Click here to learn more about the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation!

“Assets for Artists” Partners with Pittsfield Office of Community Development

Published: March 1, 2010Posted in: BERKSHIRE CREATIVE, FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETIN, UPDATESTags: assets for artists, Economic Development, economic impact, financial training, pittsfeild, Pittsfield Office of Community Development

Mayor Ruberto and the Pittsfield Department of Community Development are pleased to announce a new partnership with Berkshire Creative’s “Assets for Artists” program. This partnership will help two artists buy homes in Pittsfield and an additional eight artists start new or expand existing art businesses in the City. “Assets for Artist is a valuable program with a proven track record of success. The City of Pittsfield is pleased to partner with this program to strengthen homeownership and business opportunities for Pittsfield artists.” said Mayor Ruberto.

Assets for Artists program provides business and financial training, technical assistance, homebuyer education and grant support through an innovative “matched savings account” model serving low- to moderate-income artists, designers, craftspeople and performers in the Berkshires, helping them grow their creative enterprises and achieve more financial security. The City contribution of $26,600 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds will provide match funds specifically for existing Pittsfield-based artists who enroll in the program, or artists who choose to move to Pittsfield from outside the City.

The Assets for Artist Program, a collaboration between Berkshire Creative, the City of Pittsfield, MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, and MASS MoCA, is directed by Blair Benjamin, MASS MoCA’s Director of Real Estate & Community Development and a board member of Berkshire Creative. “With CDBG funds from the City of Pittsfield, we are able to give Pittsfield artists a greater likelihood of attaining their homeownership and small business investment goals and further enhance the solid reputation of Pittsfield as a community that provides exceptional opportunities for artists to thrive and contribute to the local economy” Benjamin said.

Once enrolled, participating artists save $2,000 of their own funds, which are deposited over a 6 to 30 month period into a restricted savings account. After a minimum of six months, provided they have saved the required funds and completed the required financial and business education or homeownership classes, participants can draw down a $2,000 match from Assets for Artists for business-related investments, or a $4,000 match toward the purchase of a first home.

Helena Fruscio, the Director of Berkshire Creative, praised the City’s efforts and went on to say “The community as a whole will benefit from this partnership by increasing homeownership and creativity in its urban neighborhoods, and attracting new creative entrepreneurs to the City.”

Homeownership funds may be used for down payment assistance and closing costs. Small business participants may use the funds to make a direct payment to vendors or service providers following the budget established as part of an approved business plan.

Additional support for the program is provided by the Berkshire Bank Foundation, Citizens Bank Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development.

For further information on the program, please contact the City’s Department of Community Development at 413-499-9368.

@BerkshireMade: 2010 Membership

Published: February 25, 2010Posted in: FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETIN, OPPORTUNITIESTags: Artisans, Artists, berkshirmade, Collaboration, Collaborative Marketing, Craft, crafters, Participate

Berkshire County Artists, Makers, and Crafters! BerkshireMade has announced the following changes to their membership!

BerkshireMade has votes to open membership; no limit on the number of members or number of members in any medium. This means:

Any crafter/artist/artisan/maker living in Berkshire County, MA is welcome to apply! You will find the application here.
The application process is still juried!

Questions? Interested in learning more?

Visit BerkshireMade.org!
Feel free to come to one of our monthly member round table meetings. Current members are available to answer any questions and are always happy to share!
Email any questions to info@berkshiremade.org

State and Future of MASS Film Industry @ The Boston Globe

Published: February 24, 2010Posted in: FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETIN, STATE NEWSTags: berkshire film and Media Commission, Economic Development, Film and Media, Government, State, Tax Credit

Even if it is not always immediately apparent in the Berkshires, the recent debate over the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit affects a growing sector of our economy. Read the below Boston Globe article to learn more about more about the industry, the tax credit debate, and the recently released study from the University of Massachusetts-Boston on this sector’s economic imapct.

Film projection

With tax credits and facilities, state can build stable movie sector, study says

By Robert Gavin Globe Staff / February 11, 2010

Massachusetts has the potential to develop a small but robust film industry that could establish the state as a leading production center and support thousands of good-paying jobs, according to a study to be released today by the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

oosted by a generous tax credit, Massachusetts has become one of the nation’s fastest-growing locations for film and television production since 2005, with employment in the industry jumping about 30 percent, according to the study. But the state has more than just incentives to offer, it said, Massachusetts has a base of facilities and available skills; a ready labor force from film programs at local universities; a variety of service firms that support production; and a technology sector of software firms and video game developers that is well-positioned to exploit an accelerating shift to digital entertainment.

“There is something here to build on,’’ said David Terkla, a UMass-Boston economics professor and a coauthor of the study. “We’re never going to be the feature film center, but this is a part of the arts sector that can employ a reasonable amount of people at pretty good salaries.’’

The study was released as Governor Deval Patrick has proposed cutting the money available for the state’s film tax credit, a discount offered to companies that bring productions to Massachusetts, to $50 million a year from about $125 million. In an interview with Globe reporters and editors yesterday, Patrick said cutting the credit was among the many steps needed to close a sizable budget gap.

“I support the film tax credit,’’ Patrick said. “I can see what it’s done in rapidly incubating that industry. But we’re at a place today where we have to make those kinds of choices.’’

Film tax credits have been controversial. Critics say they subsidize Hollywood moguls and provide short-lived and minimal benefits for the local economy. A recent study by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue found that each dollar spent on the tax credit generated only 16 cents in taxes for the state.

The UMass-Boston study did not address the impact of the tax credit but provided a profile of the industry and the economic activity it generates. Its authors praised the revenue department study but said tax collections are only one measure of an industry’s economic activity.

The state’s film industry is still small, employing about 6,000 in 2008, compared with nearly 150,000 in California. But it has added jobs quickly as overall state employment fell.

Nearly 30 films and television shows were filmed in Massachusetts in the past two years, including “The Zookeeper,’’ starring Kevin James, Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,’’ and John Wells’s “The Company Men,’’ starring Ben Affleck.

The study estimated that the film industry in 2008 created about $1 billion in economic activity in Massachusetts, as every dollar spent directly generated nearly another dollar in activity.

It appears that tax credits are not the sole reason, the study said. States with more generous tax credits, such as Michigan, experienced declines in film and television employment.

Massachusetts offers a variety of locations – urban, rural, and coastal – and a world-class city, Boston, which is attractive to movie executives and stars, the study said. Production facilities include public television station WGBH, which produces nonfiction programs, and a ready workforce, including film graduates from schools such as Emerson College and Boston University.

As the digital revolution in filmmaking accelerates, production will become decentralized away from Hollywood and New York, the study said, providing opportunities for Massachusetts.

“This is a rapidly growing industry,’’ said Pacey C. Foster, a study coauthor. “The question for the long term is whether this is all incentive driven. The answer depends on what you think is going to happen to the media industry.’’

Click here to visit the Berkshire Film and Media Commission and learn more about film making in the Berkshires!

Click here to visit the Boston Globe online and learn more about what is happening in the Massachusetts Film Industry!