During the first six years of the Marcy Arts Partnership (MAP)  programs were sponsored in part by the Minnesota Arts & Education Partnership and the Annenberg Arts for Academic Achievement, with matching grants from local businesses.  Since then, the largest portion of the budget has been raised in the annual Marcy Arts Gala fundraising event.  Additional funding has been possible through grants from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and Target Corporation.  The annual program budget ranges from $40,000 to $50,000.  The Marcy Arts Partnership strives to leverage funding, creating a vibrant mix of funding and program activities that have a widespread impact at the school and in the community.  The funds are used for artist residencies, for professional development, for curriculum development and for equipment and technical resource development intended to integrate the arts into the entire school.

Over the years, Marcy Arts Partners have included the Cedar Cultural Center, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, FORECAST Public Artworks, the Guthrie Theater, Children's Theater Company, Perpich Center for Arts Education, the Center for Printmaking, the Northern Clay Center, and the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association.  This school year program partners include:  The Children's Theater Company "Neighborhood Bridges" Program, Project Success, Robin Nelson, Sha' Cage and e.g. Bailey from the MN Spoken Word Association, Mark Safford and Ryan Billig from Barebones Productions, Katy Hays and Chellie Brown from Wee Bop.

The Marcy Arts Partnership (MAP) is administered by a Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from the Marcy Open School faculty and staff, parent body and community members.  The Steering Committee meets monthly during the fall and early winter, and more frequently as the Middle School Musical and Marcy Arts Gala approaches.  The Marcy Arts Partnership is a program of the Marcy Open School Parent Council, and as such is also a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.  Marcy Open School, a K-8 Minneapolis Public School, has a mission to educate for life-long learning in a respecful environment that emphasizes responsibility, creativity, curiosity, and connectedness to the world.

For more information contact Laura Cayere-King, Marcy Arts Partnership Coordinator, at marcyarts@gmail.com.