In 1982, following its designation as the official arts agency for the city of New Orleans, the Arts Council developed a new program for the allocation of Municipal Endowment Grants for the Arts (MEG/Arts). Funding for the grants came from money paid by C ox Cable Television Corporation as part of its franchise agreement with the city (by the mid-1980s Louisiana Division of the Arts funds were also made available for the grants). The Arts Council developed guidelines for awarding MEG/Arts grants on an annu al basis. Arts organizations were able to apply for operating support grants and/or project support grants. ACNO's grants review committee considered all eligible applications and made recommendations for funding to the Mayor and City Council. Final fundi ng decisions were made by the City Council.

The records include files for each arts organization applying for funding in a given year. Individual files generally include the application for support, supporting documentation, correspondence, grants review committee evaluation documents, financial st atements, contracts and final reports on grant activity. Supporting documentation includes such material as programs of events, publicity, reviews, photographs, publications and sound/video recordings. These files provide excellent documentation of the an nual activities of the arts organizations participating in the program.

In addition to the application files, the records for the pilot year also include documentation on the development of the granting process. For records of the grants review committee, the appeals committee and other materials not relating directly to indi vidual applicants the researcher should consult the subject files for each year.