Project Support Guidelines 2017

COMMUNITY ART GRANTS

PROJECT SUPPORT GUIDELINES 2017

Community Art Grants are public moneys made available to you through a competitive process administered by Greene County Council on the Arts, made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Decentralization Program with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Community Art Grants are available to not-for-profit organizations legally registered in Columbia, Greene or Schoharie County, Collectives or Individuals in partnership with a non-profit. Community Art Grants provide funding for cultural and art programs taking place in the county of registration.

Typical Applicants are (but not limited to): Museums, historical societies, libraries, fire departments, Community centers, senior centers, veteran’s organizations, villages or municipalities, churches, clubs, professional associations, collectives.

DEADLINE: October 29th2016@ 5:00PM

APPLICATION SEMINARS

NEW applicants must attend a seminar. We also strongly suggest RETURNING applicants attend to increase chances of a competitive proposal and keep current with new guidelines. See schedule below:

For Updates and Additional Application Workshops, visit:

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Applicants MUST meet ALL of the following criteria

□Applicant must be a legally established Columbia, Greene or Schoharie County based not-for-profit organization or individual/collective with an(in-county) non-profit community partner.

□Applicant MUST provide arts and/or cultural programs in the county in which funds are requested.

□Programs and services MUST benefit the residents of your respective county.

□Projects MUST be open to the public and MUST have a strong artistic component.

□The applicant’s programs or projects MUST take place intheir respective county during 2017.

□Project MUST NOT duplicate existing programs in the same area.

□The applicant’s programming, administrative practice and Board membership (where applicable) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationalorigin, sex or handicap. (See also: 1991 Americans with Disabilities Act.)

INELIGIBLE TO APPLY

• Projects with Direct applicants, or partner organizations whom have applied directly to New York State Council on the Arts in in 2016 for 2017 funds.
• Any past grantees who have failed to submit a final report to the Grant Coordinator.
• Public school districts, as well as Universities and colleges.
• New York State agencies and departments.

REVIEW CRITERIA

Funds are intended primarily to support artist fees, activities of local arts organizations, promotional,

Administrative costs related to the proposed project. A diverse panel of artists, art professionals, educators, and local civic, and business and community leaders will review applications and accompanying material. Each county’s panel is approved by the Greene County Council on the Arts Board of Directors. During the review process, you may be contacted by the Grant Coordinator for additional information.

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Artistic merit.

Quality of artistic samples and credentials of the artists involved in the project.

Innovation of arts experience(s).

Diversity of arts experience(s).

Inclusion of under-represented art forms.

Community benefit.

Service to underserved geographic area.

Cooperation with local artists and organizations.

Cultural diversity in programming.

Consideration of community needs and interests.

Accessibility.

Non-duplication of comparable existing services or programs.

Community support of the project.

In-kind support and cash contributed.

Capacity to conduct the project

Clearly defined objectives.

Record of programmatic success.

Reasonable estimate of expenses.

Free, or low cost programming.

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WHAT CAN I USE THIS GRANT FOR?

FUNDING CAN SUPPORT:

□Artists’ fees for performing, teaching or providing services.

□Marketing/publicity costs.

□Administrative expenses.

□Expendable project-related supplies and materials.

□Project-related travel expenses.

□Project-related rentals of space and equipment.

FUNDING CANNOT SUPPORT:

□Permanent equipment, capital improvements (including land, buildings, renovations), acquisition of works of art, creation of textbooks or classroom materials.

□Anything that extends the life of, or improves the value of, privately-owned property.

□Non-arts related activities (including balloons, clowns, magic, at-risk/social programs, culinary arts, martial arts, gaming, puppets or circuses lacking strong artistic merit).

□Activities held in private residence, or that are not open to the general public, in-school activities, lobbying expenses, projects that are recreational, rehabilitative or therapeutic in nature.

□Organizational or personal finances, general operating expenses, operating expenses of privately owned facilities (e.g. homes and studios), start-up funding for the establishment of a new organization, contingency funds.

□Scholarships or fellowships.

□Entertainment costs (including receptions and food, projects that are part of a liturgy or that intend to proselytize, theater parties, museum openings, receptions, fundraising, awards, etc.).

□Fundraising activities.

□Any activity paying children (under 18 years of age).

WORK SAMPLES

For applicants with multiple projects, it is especially important to select your strongest, most relevant work samples. Submit no more than the requested volume of material.(For example: for visual arts, submit only 10 images per application; not 10 images per project).

• Video, Sound, Readings: Max of 3 minutes.

Electronic Submissions: May be submitted as an MP3 file OR up to three links.

Hardcopy Submissions: Submit via CD or DVD.

• Writing: Max of 2 pages, 12 point font.

Electronic Submissions: Sample must be scanned as part of your SINGLE PDF attachment.

Hardcopy Submissions: Submit up to 2 pages printed on regular copy paper, no special stock.

• Visual Arts:Max of 10 images. Several images may be combined onto one page if necessary.

Electronic Submissions: Images must be scanned as part of your SINGLE PDF attachment.

Hardcopy Submissions: Submit up to 10 images printed on regular copy paper, no photo stock.

* Include: 1 self-addressed envelope w/ sufficient postage if you desire your support materials returned.

BUDGET GUIDE

Use the provided Budget Sheet to outline and organize your project’s expenses (see sample below).Round off all numbers to the nearest dollar.Enter all expenses directly related to your proposed project.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS:Can be any of the following, but are not limited to:

□Personnel/Administration: this is an organization’s salaried and hourly employees. Enter payments for salaries, wages and benefits of administrators, artistic staff, program directors and other staff (such as technical or production) in proportion to their role in this project.

□Outside Professional Services: enter payments here to persons who are NOT employeesof the organization but whose service(s) specifically relate to the project.

□Artistic Services:payments and fees to artists working on the project.

□Technical Services:non-artistic consultant fees and honorarium.

□Space and Equipment Rental: office, rehearsal, theater, gallery, sound system, light, etc.

□Travel:all costs for project-related travel including toll charges, mileage allowances on personal vehicles, hotel and other locations, food, taxis, car rental costs,etc.

□Advertising/Promotion:all costs for marketing, publicity and promotion specifically identified with the project. Include costs of newspaper, radio and television ads, printing and mailing of brochures, flyers and posters.

TOTAL COST: List the total amount of money for each component of your project. The total should be the combined sum of your In-kind, cash and grant figures.

IN-KIND INCOME: Indicate the estimated value of donationstoward each requirement. In-kind donations can be volunteer hours, value of material donations or professional advisement services.

CASH INCOME: Include amount of any revenue (or projected revenue) and its source.

GRANT INCOME: Provide a breakdown of how your grant funds will be used.

SOURCE/EXPLANATION: Use this section to provide details and specifics on monetary breakdowns.

NOTE: Do not submit your organizations entire operational budget.

Did You Know?

WE ENCOURAGE

All applicants to submit drafts UP TO one week before the deadline!

Receive valuable feedback and input, before your grant is submitted.

DEADLINE REMINDER: Saturday, October 29th @ 5PM

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

□Signed Application.

□Budget sheet.

□Brief resumes/bios of principal administrator(s) and artistic personnel.

□List of Board of Directors and Staff.

□Minimum of 1 recommendation letter from a local individual or organization who has a professional relationship with the applicant. (Optional for Non-Profit Organizations).

□Community Partnership Letter Agreement(if applicable) Letter must outline in detail the nature of the partnership including contributions and responsibilities of the Non-Profit Org.

□Proof of Applicants residency (i.e.: tax document, utility bill, etc.).

□Artist Work Samples.

□PROOF OF NON-PROFIT STATUS: Must provide one of the following:

1. An IRS letter of tax-exempt status via 501(c)(3).

1. A copy of organization’s latest receipt from the Department of State Offices of Charities Registration,section 172 of the Executive Law.

1. A copy of the Charter issued by the Board of Regentsof the State of New York under Section 216 of the Education Law.

1. Official authorization as an arm of local government such as submission of a letter on formal stationery signed by the appropriate county, city, town or village executive.

APPLYINGELECTRONICALLY:

Submit your entire application as a SINGLE PDF attachment with the subject line “2017 Community Art Grant Request”. Do not submit multiple attachments (except audio/video), you can use PDFMERGE.com or other tools to combine your documents and photos.

APPLYING VIA HARDCOPY:

Submit only ONE(1) copy of your complete application with supporting documents. Do not use staples to attach any part of the applications (USE paperclips). Do not submit double sided documents. Use ONLY regular copy paper, no heavier weights.

DEADLINE: October 29th 2016 @ 5:00PM

Must be postmarked by 10-29-16

APPEALS PROCESS

In the event your program is not funded, or partially funded, the below guidelines are set in place to ensure a fair and equal opportunity to all applicants.

Applicants should first consult with the Grant Coordinator to review the considerations that went into the panel decision. If, after consultation, the applicant wishes to pursue an appeal, the applicant must do so in writing with all material supporting the appeal, to Kay Stamer Executive Director of Greene County Council on the Arts. The Executive Director must receive the written appeal within fifteen (15) calendar days from the issue date of the denial letter. The applicant will receive a written response and the appeal will be assigned to a different panel who will meet to examine the grounds for the appeal. The new panel will provide a recommendation to the Council’s Board of Directors for final approval.

THE ONLY GROUNDS FOR AN APPEAL ARE:

1. Non-presentation of application information by staff or panelist.
2. Misrepresentation of application information by staff or panelist.
3. Improper procedure by staff or panelist.

NOTE: DISSATISFACTION WITH THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT OR A RECOMMENDATION OF “NO FUNDING” CANNOT BE USED AS THE BASIS FOR AN APPEAL.Failure to meet any deadlines in the appeals process results in the loss of the right to appeal.

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