Subdivision 1. Use of grant funds. Money appropriated from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund may be designated to make grants to public stations, as defined in section 129D.12, subdivision 2. Grants received under this section must be used to create, produce, acquire, or distribute programs that educate, enhance, or promote local, regional, or statewide items of artistic, cultural, or historic significance. Grant funds may be used to cover any expenses associated with the creation, production, acquisition, or distribution of public television programs through broadcast or online, including the creation and distribution of educational materials.

Subd. 2. Administration. Money appropriated under this section must be used by the commissioner of administration to make grants based upon the recommendations of the Minnesota Public Television Association.

Subd. 3. Conditions. (a) A public station receiving funds appropriated under this section must:

(1) make programs produced with these funds available for broadcast to all other public stations eligible to receive grants under this section;

(2) offer free classroom use of programs produced with these funds to public educational institutions, excluding those materials for which public television stations do not have rights to distribute;

(3) archive programs produced with these funds and make the programs available for future use through encore broadcast or other distribution, including online; and

(4) ensure that underwriting credit is given to the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund.

(b) Programs produced in partnership with other mission-centered nonprofit organizations may be used by the partnering organization for their own educational or promotional purposes.

Subd. 4. Reporting. A public station receiving funds appropriated under this section must report annually by January 15 to the commissioner, the Legislative Coordinating Commission, and the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate and house of representatives committees and divisions having jurisdiction over arts and cultural heritage policy and finance regarding how the previous year's grant funds were expended. In addition to all information required of each recipient of money from the arts and cultural heritage fund under section 3.303, subdivision 10, the report must contain specific information for each program produced and broadcast, including the cost of production, the number of stations broadcasting the program, estimated viewership, the number of hours of legacy program content available for streaming on websites, and other related measures. If the programs produced include educational material, the public station must report on these efforts.

History: 2009 c 172 art 4 s 6; 1Sp2011 c 6 art 4 s 6,7