BATON ROUGE- Monday, April 16, 2012
Louisiana’s capitol was teeming with people this past Monday and Tuesday. Artists, chefs, hotel owners, cultural advocates and many others gathered to make their plea to lawmakers to reverse cuts that are planned in Louisiana’s budget. The House Appropriations Committee had two days of  hearings for the general public, and many ... read more →

We want to make sure that any professional craft artist in Louisiana affected by the severe storms and tornadoes this past week is aware of the disaster relief assistance available from CERF+.
Members of the LCEF staff experienced some of the destruction first-hand. Our journey started at 7:30 am this past Monday as we hopped in ... read more →

Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation (LCEF) is making strides in its outreach, providing health screenings, dental care and mental health services for cultural workers across the state.
Early last spring, LCEF received a generous grant from the Foundation for the MidSouth (FMS) to fund a mental health pilot. Through this pilot, our Healthcare Initiative, which facilitates access ... read more →

Tax season is approaching! Hundreds of thousands of W-2′s are merrily making their way to the mailboxes of Louisiana households. 1099′s are swirling and dancing into the hands of musicians, actors, artists and independent contractors around the state.
Anxiety levels rise with those that fear of owing more money than they have and others rejoice and ... read more →

We are all living examples of how our culture affected us as we grew up. Without a doubt, our region’s distinct customs and unique traditions helped to develop and shape our  attitudes  and character. Ask anyone and they will tell you there is no place richer in culture than Louisiana.
The work of the Louisiana Cultural ... read more →

Just like the United Way provides opportunities for corporate workers to contribute to community campaigns, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) provides opportunities for U.S. federal employees to contribute to charitable organizations of their choice.   The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee focused, cost-efficient, and ... read more →

Just like the United Way provides opportunities for corporate workers to contribute to community campaigns, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) provides opportunities for U.S. federal employees to contribute to charitable organizations of their choice. The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee focused, cost-efficient, and effective ... read more →

If you are an Orleans parish cultural worker, and can not afford needed prescription medications or primary care, then please explore the 504HealthNet resource page. 504HealthNet is a non-profit organization comprised of 15 community health service providers representing the primary care safety net for Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines Parishes. Together, we are working ... read more →

In our July issue of CulturalConnections, we reported on the exciting new Digital Tax Media Credit that was signed in by Bobby Jindal on July 11, 2011. As predicted, Louisiana is now peaking the interest of international software/gaming development agencies like Paris-based Gameloft SA who has 24 development studios around the world.
After experimenting with a ... read more →

On 7/11/11 in Shreveport, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed laws that enhance Louisiana’s Digital Interactive Media & Software tax credit, and extend the Technology Commercialization & Jobs tax credit offering a refundable, rather than a transferable credit.
The Digital Media tax credit program offers tax credits of 25% on qualified interactive software production in entertainment, healthcare, engineering ... read more →

According to Grammy Watch, the online petition calling for the reinstatement of the  31 categories cut out of the Grammy Awards is growing. Earlier this year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS or The Recording Academy) consolidated the number of Grammy categories from 109 to 78. The changes mostly affect ethnically diverse ... read more →

The music has stopped. The people have gone home. And for the most part, downtown Lafayette is empty. Compared to what this area has been like since Festival International began on Wednesday, downtown Lafayette looked like a ghost town Sunday night. As performers head back home, they do so with a clean bill of health, and that’s thanks to a local organization.