Mississippi Arts Commission

The Mississippi Arts Commission is an independent agency of the Mississippi state government and serves as the state's official grants-making and arts service agency. The Legislature established it in 1968, and Lida Rogers was its founding director. The Commission provides grants and technical assistance for arts programming to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and individual artists throughout Mississippi. Its funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the state legislature, and private donors. The Commission is governed by a 15-member volunteer Board of Commissioners. The governor appoints the commissioners to five-year terms.