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City of East Lansing and Arts Council Partner on Downtown Cultural Entrepreneurship Program

City, Arts Council Partner to Promote, Co-Administer Downtown Cultural Entrepreneurship Program

Open House to be Held Oct. 13 for Creative Entrepreneurs

10-244 Oct. 5, 2010

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The City of East Lansing and the Arts Council of Greater Lansing will host an open house on Wednesday, Oct. 13 to share exciting information about the Downtown East Lansing Cultural Entrepreneurship Program. The open house will take place from 4-6 p.m. at the Spartan Dance Center, 217 Albert St.

The Downtown East Lansing Cultural Entrepreneurship Program is designed to assist local artists, creative entrepreneurs, and arts-based businesses with starting and sustaining creative and profitable businesses in downtown East Lansing—creating jobs and diversifying an already viable downtown. The program provides loans and microenterprise grant assistance to creative entrepreneurs and businesses that plan to locate or are already located in East Lansing’s downtown. The open house will provide participants with information on the financial and technical assistance available through the program.

Through a new partnership, the Downtown East Lansing Cultural Entrepreneurship Program will now be co-administered by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing and the City of East Lansing. The Arts Council will provide promotion of the program on behalf of the City, as well as support to program participants.

“We are pleased to partner with the City of East Lansing in supporting arts and culture as a basis for economic development,” said Leslie Donaldson, Arts Council executive director. “By encouraging the growth of new retail and art-based businesses, this program will benefit our local economy, area artists and downtown East Lansing.”

City of East Lansing Seal

“Our new partnership with the Arts Council represents another step in leveraging additional regional resources,” said East Lansing Department of Planning & Community Development Director Tim Dempsey. “This will allow the City to further the culture of creativity and innovation in the downtown.”

The Downtown East Lansing Cultural Entrepreneurship Program was first adopted by the City of East Lansing in 2007. The program serves low- to moderate-income business owners through the use of Community Development Block Grant funds.

Arts Council of Greater Lansing

For more information regarding the upcoming open house or the program, contact Leslie Donaldson, Arts Council of Greater Lansing executive director, at (517) 372-4636 ext. 2 or Amy Schlusler-Owens of the East Lansing Department of Planning & Community Development at (517) 319-6931.

Founded in 1965, the Arts Council of Greater Lansing is a non-profit organization whose mission is to lead, advocate for and advance arts and culture in the capital region. For more information, visit www.www.lansingarts.org.