The Donald G. Gardner Humanities Trust, which provides grants to support arts and education in Ely, is seeking to eliminate a decades-old requirement for judicial oversight of trustees in an effort to reduce administrative costs.
Executive Director Peter Schamber said the annual court approval process for board appointments cost the organization over $1,000 last year in legal fees alone.
“The process is expensive. It creates the need for a lawyer and publication in the paper,” Schamber said. “We hope it saves money and allows us to reallocate that to the grant program each year.”
The trust was established in 1989 when the Ely City Council voted to sell a painting for $510,000. The city then petitioned the court to create and administer the trust.
A recent resolution put before the council stated, “The process of approval of the District Court has proven to be time-consuming and expensive, resulting in delays in trust administration and increased costs to the Trust.”
Schamber said appointing a new trustee would still require multiple levels of approval, including votes for approval from the board of trustees and the city council.
In 2023, the latest data available, the trust paid $2,565 in combined legal, accounting, and management fees, with legal expenses totaling $661.
Administrative expenses totaled $13,105 in 2023. The majority of that went to office expenses, which totaled $8,172.
The trust paid $17,644 in total personnel compensation in 2023. The executive director received $13,227, while an interim director earned $3,135.
Total expenses were $63,938. Revenue was $34,362.
Grants awarded that year included individual artist grants of $1,200 each, one scholarship of $4,750, and two youth grants of $900.
The trust also provided $15,000 to the city of Ely for statue bases.
In 2023, the trust operated with assets of $842,502, primarily held in investments.