Now more than ever the health, education and environment of the state is greatly impacted by the economic impact and quality of life the arts bring to our communities. Together, MCA and MCAF aim to provide the services, leadership and vision necessary to ensure the vitality of the arts in Maryland.

In partnership with the arts industry, MCA founded and runs the only statewide network dedicated to promoting public funding for the arts. Central to these efforts, MCA/MCAF's advocacy and education programs serve to promote the essential role of the arts in government and everyday life.

MCA acts year-round, tracking legislation, mobilizing arts organizations, artists, educators, and individual arts enthusiasts, and connecting them with their elected officials.

These grassroots actions, in combination with MCA's one-on-one lobbying, are essential in providing policy makers the arts information they need to make the best decisions. Through a growing mix of online and real world training resources, MCA continues to build the capacity of the arts industry and individual communities to advocate for the arts.

That public financial support of the arts is necessary to ensure the greatest equality of arts and arts education opportunities is at the heart of all MCA and MCAF's work. Ongoing support of this policy by elected officials has made Maryland a leader in the arts and brought about a sea change in understanding how the arts help anchor the social and economic well being of the state.

As a catalyst for stimulating better understanding of the arts and the benefits they bring to our institutions and communities, MCAF seeks to develop a rich repository of educational resources to match the growing vision of the arts in Maryland.