The budget for the State of New York has a big hole in it, this year and next. Governor David Patterson has proposed major cuts, some call it amputations, to the NYSCA budget.

A cut of $2.6 million occurred just a short time ago. Now the Governor has proposed an additional cut of $7 million.

All totaled, this is a near 20 percent cut, reducing the NYSCA budget to $39 million, from $49 million just a short while ago.

And, get a load of how it works: those who received grant awards in panels held before October receive their grants. If you were in the October panel, which was suspended, or the December panel, well, you would simply be SOL.

For my organization, that’s a loss of near $50,000.

I have a colleague testifying today at a hearing up in Albany, the State Capitol.. The New York City Arts Coalition is getting the word out to members; the New York State Alliance of Arts Organizations and the New York State Alliance for Arts Education are organizing email campaigns; I am sure there are plenty of others, including lobbyists working to rethink these cuts.

No one can argue that cuts are necessary. However, these cuts are clearly disproportionate, unfair, and penalize grantees on the basis of timing, as in whether or not you were considered during a panel held before October.

More to come…