Local non-profit groups are feeling the pinch of a freeze on state grant funding.

The Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum's $65,000 foundation repair project is now in limbo after Gov. Jennifer Granholm last month enacted an executive order freezing all state grants until Sept. 30.

Stefanie Staley, museum executive director, said most of the funding for the project was slated to come from a $40,000 local match grant through the Michigan Lighthouse grant program.

“Basically, our $40,000 grant is on hold and we really can’t wait too long on this project,” she said.

One grant requirement was that the museum group pay $20,000 as a match. Staley said those funds are now available, so the group is proceeding with phase one of the project. An architect will be hired to put together specifications for repairing the building’s foundation.

Staley said the group is taking the first step upon the advice of state officials. “They told us to go ahead and do phase one, knowing that we may not be reimbursed right away for the work,” she said. Phase one work should be done by early August.

“Then, we’ll see if something has broke loose. If not, I’ll head back to Lansing and plead our case again,” Staley said.

While some projects may be able to wait for grant funding, Staley said the lighthouse project needs to take place as quickly as possible.

“Last fall, both of the outside staircases fell away from the building because of the foundation. We have since repaired them and they are securely back in place, but we need to get the foundation problem fixed,” she said.

Staley said the group is already dealing with some unexpected cost overages. Phase one work was expected to cost around $5,000. “When we got the bids back, they came in at $9,500. While we have the money to do it, I’m looking for another $4,500 to cover that overage,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Leelanau Community Cultural Center and the Glen Arbor Artist Association have both incurred dwindling financial support from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Judy Livingston, director of the LCCC, said the group uses state grant funding disbursed through the Traverse Area Arts Council mini-grant program to help pay for instructors for its summer painting courses.

“We used to get as much as $8,000 each year, which enabled us to hire the best quality instructors. This year we are down to $1,000, but we’re not sure we’ll even get that,” Livingston said.

Opportunities to apply for grants have decreased as well. Livingston said the Traverse Area Arts Council used to offer three application opportunities each year. Now, it’s down to one or two, depending on the amount of funding available.

“Our summer program is in its tenth year. They want us to be as self-sufficient as possible and we do as much fund-raising as possible. These grants help keep our tuition low,” she said.

The LCCC does not rely on state grants for a major part of its overall funding. Livingston said even when state arts grants are fully funded, the most she could expect for each grant cycle was $4,000.

“In the past, our summer program cost $8,000, so sometime up to 50 percent of it was funded by state grants through the arts council. This year our program will cost $10,000 and we’ve been awarded a $1,000 grant, but don’t know that we’ll receive that much, so up to 10 percent of our program this summer could be funded by a state grant,” she said.

Peg McCarty, director of the Glen Arbor Artist Association, said the association receives some state grant funding through the Traverse Area Arts Council, but it’s not a large sum.

“We’re supposed to receive $1,000 for the Dune Climb Concert. But we’re not sure we’re going to receive all of it,” she said.

Like the Northport Community Arts Center (NCAC), the GAAA gets most of its funding from ticket sales to events, fundraising, and membership fees.

Both McCarty and Livingston are watching the state budget debate, hoping local legislators develop a solution to satisfy most people.

Ken Bloomquist of the NCAC emphasized the group does not rely solely on donations for its funding. “We get a lot from ticket sales as well,” he said.