Jessica C., director of the North Dakota Council on the Arts, briefed the committee on programs and funding priorities for the biennium.

Jessica C. said the council's enabling statute is recorded in the North Dakota Century Code (54-54-01) and that roughly half the council's budget is federal National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funding that requires a dollar-for-dollar state match. "This match is crucial: if we receive $1 less in our state appropriation match, we get zero federal dollars," she said.

The Council projects awarding more than $2.2 million to roughly 400 grants across eight regions during the biennium and expects to touch 80 cities and 45 counties. Jessica highlighted an apprenticeship program that supports traditional and folk arts (approximately 20 awards per year and awards commonly in the $3,000 range) and cited examples such as bladesmith and spur-makers who have used apprenticeships to sustain small businesses.

She described the Arts Across the Prairie public-art project with three installations planned this biennium (regions 2, 4 and 8), Region 2 near Balta (13 miles south of Rugby), Region 4 near Fordville/Grafton adjacent and Region 8 approximately eight miles east of Mandan near the presidential library. The council expects to break ground on at least one piece this fall.

Jessica also said the NEA provided an additional $125,000 for arts-and-aging work; the Council's Art for Life program operates in nine facilities currently and focuses on creative aging programming that staff describe as improving emotional and physical engagement in long-term care residents. She said additional NEA funds could deepen that investment but that federal awards are annual and uncertain.

Why it matters: Council programs support arts capacity for rural and veteran communities, arts-based reentry and exhibition partnerships, and arts education in schools; the NEA-state match requirement makes state appropriations critical to accessing federal dollars.

Next steps: The Council will advertise RFQs/RFPs for Arts Across the Prairie nationally and locally and plans artist supports and trainings. Jessica offered to provide exact apprenticeship award counts on request.