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Committee backs bill asking arts council to prioritize smaller, previously unfunded applicants for grants
Summary
House Bill 757 would require the arts council to consider two prioritization criteria (past grants and operating budget size) when distributing arts grants; sponsor framed it as an informational/priority rule, not a funding mandate, and the committee moved to concur.
House Bill 757, presented by Representative John Fitzpatrick, asks the Montana Arts Council to record and consider two prioritization criteria — prior grant history and annual operating budget size — when evaluating applications for cultural and arts operating grants. Fitzpatrick said the change is intended to encourage distribution of funds to smaller organizations and applicants who have not previously received awards.
Fitzpatrick described a matrix distributed to committee members showing applicants grouped by prior award frequency and operating budget size; the committee discussed whether the change would force denials or simply produce a prioritized list for the council to consider. Kristen Burgoyne, deputy director of the Montana Arts Council, said the council already follows statutory guidelines and that operating-support grants are difficult to rank competitively; the council this cycle prioritized smaller organizations and geographic distribution.
Committee members sought clarification about how the prioritization would operate if funds were insufficient to support all prioritized applicants; Fitzpatrick said the list would inform choices but would not automatically cut funding where the council or agency applied existing vetting standards. The committee later moved to concur with HB 757 as a committee bill; the motion passed in executive action.
