The Five Wings Arts Council

“A copy of the form 990 is reviewed by an officer. At the next regularly scheduled meeting, the officer reports to the rest of the members and provides a copy to those who wish to review it. This next meeting might or might not be prior to the actual filing of the return.”

“Prior to commencement of deliberation relating to issues and proposals in which he/she has a conflict of interest, the board member who has a conflict of interest is required to disclose orally that he/she has a conflict of interest and this will be noted in the minutes of the meeting. The individual with a conflict is asked to leave the room during the general discussion regarding the grant proposal. The individual with a conflict abstains from ranking and voting on the grant applicaiton, and the abstention is recorded in the meeting minutes.”

“Executive director pay is reviewed yearly and any raises are approved by the board of directors through the budgeting process.”

“All governing documents are inserted in the biennial plan that is submitted every other year to the state of minnesota. It is also presented to the public during a public hearing scheduled in the region. Documents are also available upon request.”

“The five wings arts council encourages and promotes arts creation, appreciation, and education through grant programs and technical assistance to enhance the quality of life for minnesota residents in cass, crow wing, morrison, todd, and wadena counties.”

“Board members volunteer their time serving as board members. Volunteers assisted with a national endowment for the arts grant project that supported a series of events that facilitated engagement with the public,and helped develop a vision of future public art programs and community arts events in downtown little falls, minnesota.”

“The council awarded 2 arts based community development (abcd) grants. Abcd grants are meant to be a collaboration between artists, designers, arts organizations and community leaders to deliberately integrate arts and culture to address issues facing the community. The council awarded 13 artisan grants to individuals to help them complete their projects and achieve their artistic goals. The funds could be used to purchase supplies, equipment, tools, professional services, time, etc. Artists of any discipline could apply, including but not limited to: visual, performing, literacy, and media arts. The council awarded 14 professional development grants to individuals. They participated in "artist working in community cohort training- and then were awarded 1000 to plan and implement a mini-project in the community of their choice to practice the principles learned to further their skills in working in community. The council awarded 6 grants to 5 organizations for small grants. Small grants are intended to sponsor an arts activity of a first time arts producer or presenter, or a sudden opportunity of a previously funded applicant. The council awarded 3 school arts project grants to 1 school to advance arts education in five wings area schools through artist-teacher partnerships; to convey to students and teachers that the arts are essential to education and daily life; and to help students learn in the arts and literature. Qualified artists work with teachers in educational settings to reinforce student's critical thinking, self-discipline, and creative self-expression. Project examples include, but are not limited to: artist residencies, arts education field trips, and other non-curriculum arts activities. The council concluded a national endowment for the arts grant project that began in 2019/2020. It was extended a number of times due to constraints of the covid-19 pandemic. The goal was to support a series of events that facilitate engagement with the public, to help develop a vision of future public art programs and community arts events in downtown little falls, minnesota. The program enlisted the help of 81 volunteers from start to finish.”