The Kentucky Arts Council is offering a dollar-for-dollar match for private donations to arts organizations participating in online fundraising through power2give.org, launched in December by the Fund for the Arts. From the website, visitors can choose to support a variety of projects proposed by arts organizations. Projects designated to receive matching funds from the arts council are affiliated with the state agency through the Kentucky Arts Partnership program.

“We’re very excited to be a part of this new fundraising model,” said Lori Meadows, executive director of the arts council. “It has been a very successful approach in North Carolina, where it was originally developed, and the Fund for the Arts has taken the lead in Kentucky.”

The website power2give.org is a fun place to visit. The projects have a limited time to raise the requested funds which vary in amounts from a few hundred dollars to $10,000. “Some of the project descriptions are so engaging you’ll want to give just because of the stories they tell,” said Ed Lawrence, communications director at the arts council. “It’s well worth taking a few minutes to look through the proposed projects. Even if you don’t feel you can give, you can pass the word along through e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.”

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.