With Give to the Max Day coming up on Thursday, the Performing Institute of Minnesota Arts High School (PiM Arts), a tuition-free public charter school that specializes in arts education, is one of many Eden Prairie organizations participating.

Give to the Max Day, an annual day of online donations to nonprofits and schools, was started in 2009 as a one-time campaign to launch GiveMN.org. After majorly exceeding expectations — $14 million was raised in one day — Give to the Max Day has become a Minnesota staple of charitable giving during the holiday season and is celebrating its 17th edition this year.

In a newsletter sent Friday, Matt McFarlane, executive director of PiM Arts, announced that the school is currently projecting a deficit at the end of the fiscal year, a financial phenomenon impacting many arts organizations and schools locally and across the country.

Reasons for the deficit include decreases in student enrollment, the primary generator of state and federal aid that serves as PiM Arts’ largest funding source, according to the newsletter. Uncertainties in federal funding have also added to PiM Arts’ financial burdens.

“PiM, like many other arts and educational nonprofit organizations, depends on the generosity of its community to navigate the ever-changing financial landscape,” McFarlane said in an email statement to Eden Prairie Local News. “In years like this, where enrollment is lower than anticipated, this funding is even more vital.”

The newsletter also listed increased costs of goods and services as a factor in the deficit, as well as PiM Arts getting around 30% less funding than other traditional school districts, like Eden Prairie Schools, because charter schools do not pass local tax levies since they “do not have a residential tax base,” according to McFarlane’s email statement.

With its current budget forecast in mind, PiM Arts is one of many arts organizations in Minnesota asking community members to support it through Give to the Max. McFarlane said some employers also match donations to nonprofits, and that PiM Arts can accept donations of stock.

Businesses and individuals can also sponsor any of PiM Arts’ events to help support the school.

McFarlane added that those who are unable to make monetary donations can help by spreading the word about PiM Arts, volunteering with its booster club and attending any of the school’s arts events.

“We know PiM serves a vital role in the growth of the young artists in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas,” McFarlane said in the newsletter. “We are working to create a sustainable space that will serve students for many years to come.”

Donations can be made to PiM Arts through its website.