On April 13, the Senate Appropriations Committee will hear testimony on the Illinois Arts Council. Your state senator serves on this committee. To help you take action and contact your state representative, Arts Alliance Illinois has assembled a template letter you can customize and make your own.

1. <Your Organization’s Letterhead>
March 31, 2010
The Honorable <Legislator’s Full Name>
Senator, <District Number> District
<Legislator’s District Address>
Also delivered via fax: <Legislator’s Springfield Fax>
Dear Senator <Legislator’s Last Name>:
On behalf of <organization name>, we urge you to support a responsible and
comprehensive budget that restores funding for the arts in Illinois.
Artists and arts organizations across the state are experiencing pain from deep and
disproportionate cuts to the Illinois Arts Council’s budget. We all understand that shared
sacrifice is necessary to balance the state’s finances; however, the Illinois Arts Council is the
only state agency to see its budget slashed by 63 percent, from $19.4 million in FY07 to $7.5
million in FY10.
<Insert information about your organization and why Illinois Arts Council funding is
important.>
The arts are essential to Illinois’ economy and workforce. Organizations like <organization’s
name> employ people, spend money locally, generate government revenue, and are a
cornerstone of tourism and economic development. Arts organizations are small businesses,
and the Illinois Arts Council is our source for capital.
We encourage you to work with your colleagues and do all you can to enact a budget that
fully funds the arts infrastructure in Illinois.
Sincerely,
<Your full name>
<Your title>