Cultural Facilities
Deadline: March 28, 2008

Grant Coordinator: Cassandra Erickson
cassandra.erickson@dcr.nh.gov
(603) 271-7926

These FY09 Grant Guidelines are valid for grant period July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009

These grants may be used for the construction, renovation, maintenance, and purchase of major equipment needs of cultural facilities. Eligible equipment includes items that provide long-term, necessary enhancements to the physical plant being used for the organization's arts programming. At least two estimates for these costs must be obtained. Facilities must meet minimum standards for architecturally barrier-free entry before organizations may apply for a Cultural Facilities Grant for any need other than to assist them in meeting those standards. Priority will be given to applications accompanied by a facility plan of at least three years in scope, including immediate and long-term building maintenance needs and a budget projecting expenses and sources of revenue dedicated to meeting those needs. (The State Arts Council considers applications for the costs of assembling this plan appropriate.)

Maximum Grant Request
Requests may be made for $1,000 - $8,000.

Important Note: All grant categories and amounts are subject to change, depending upon availability of state and federal funds for any fiscal year.

Required Match
At a minimum, grants must be matched with one dollar in cash and/or in-kind goods and services for each dollar requested. State Arts Council funds may not be matched by other State Arts Council or National Endowment for the Arts funds.

Who May Apply?
Nonprofit organizations with incorporation in New Hampshire and a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service, or schools that also meet the following conditions:

• Are in good standing with the NH State Council on the Arts and the NH State Attorney General’s Office.
• Owns or has a minimum three-year lease on the facility, or demonstrable ability to acquire by deed, or a minimum three-year lease on the proposed facility when it is built or rehabilitated for cultural use;
• Operates or will establish its cultural facility in New Hampshire;
• Has one year of experience in arts programming for the general public prior to the date of application, or has plans for at least one year of arts programming at the facility it plans to operate. Note: If more than one nonprofit organization uses the facility for arts programming, the organization responsible for the physical operation of the facility should make the application;
• Must demonstrate that the facility is or will be in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements; or have a cultural access plan in place that outlines the ADA accessibility goals for the organization; or goals to provide access to the facility, programs and/or services (see Mini-Grant guidelines for funding to support the creation of an access plan). If the facility is not compliant, then the applicant must use this grant for meeting compliance requirements. Applicants are encouraged to download the book Design for Accessibility: A Cultural Administrators Handbook, that offers guidance on making programs and facilities accessible to all. Download from here: http://www.arts.gov/resources/Accessibility/pubs/index.html.
• Has submitted all required reports on past State Arts Council grants.

Please Note
Government agencies, municipalities and towns, county agencies, state agencies, or federal agencies that own a historic cultural facility; or non-profit organizations that manage publicly owned historic cultural facilities, are encouraged to apply for a Cultural Conservation Grant.

Prior to finalizing a building plan and budget, it is strongly recommended that the municipality inspects the premises and approves the plans to make sure that all fire and safety codes are in compliance.

Special Notes for Historic Buildings
Cultural Facilities that are over 50-years-old and have not already gone through the process to determine the facility's eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, must contact the Division of Historical Resources for Determination of Eligibility forms. The applicant will receive a determination of eligibility 4-6 weeks after the Division of Historical Resources receives the completed forms. Grants cannot be awarded for capital projects until the determination of eligibility process is complete.

Historic preservation projects are not eligible unless the purpose of the preservation, restoration, or rehabilitation is to make the facility adequate for arts programming. Grantees operating in facilities that have been determined eligible for the Register of Historic Places must submit any plans for capital projects to the Division for Historical Resources for review prior to implementing those plans.

NH Division of Historical Resources
19 Pillsbury St.
Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603-271-3558 or -3483
TDD/TTY 1-800-735-2964
www.nh.gov/nhdhr

Important: Please include any correspondence with the Division of Historical Resources with your Cultural Facilities grant application.

Restrictions
This grant does not support:

• Libraries, unless they contain an area such as a gallery or auditorium that is used primarily for arts programming for the general public on a regular basis.
• Colleges, universities, or schools, unless the facility benefiting from the grant is regularly used (at least 51% of the time) for arts activities for the general public rather than a primarily student or faculty population.
• Previously incurred debts or deficits for projects already completed.
• Projects that are receiving other State Council on the Arts funds.
• More than one application per applicant during the fiscal year grant period.
• The purchase of musical instruments, computers, office equipment, and other portable equipment is not eligible for funding. To be eligible for funding, equipment must be installed in the facility and/or used to present or produce the arts, e.g., lighting or sound equipment.

Sample Projects

• Cultural Facilities Planning: A rural arts organization wants to renovate an old mill complex into a performing arts space. It could hire an architect to create conceptual drawings to be used for fund-raising.
• Cultural Facilities Capital Projects: A crafts center with a fully accessible ground floor exhibition space, but with classrooms located on the second floor, wants to install an elevator for people with mobility impairments. It may apply for help in the costs of labor or building materials.

How to Apply
Applicants are strongly encouraged to either attend one of the Council’s grant information sessions held in the fall (please see the State Arts Council website for specific dates) or to discuss their proposals with the Coordinator whose name appears above before writing their applications. Draft applications maybe reviewed if submitted at least two weeks in advance of the application deadline. First time applicants are especially encouraged to submit draft copies.

• Fill out the Application/Budget Form: MSWord / PDF
• Answer the Narrative Questions
• Provide Support Materials
• Follow the directions on How to Prepare the Application Package.

Don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader®? Click here to download for free!

Deadline
Applications must be postmarked or hand delivered to the NH State Council on the Arts office at 2 ½ Beacon St, second floor, Concord, by 4:15 p.m. on the deadline date noted above. Office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:15 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. The office is closed all state and most federal holidays. Late applications will not be accepted. The Council cannot accept applications transmitted by facsimile (FAX) or be responsible for applications lost in transit. Errors and omissions may affect a panel's evaluation of your application, so please prepare your application carefully and follow instructions.

Notification
Applicants will be notified of the status of their application within approximately ten weeks of the application deadline.

Payment
The NHSCA disburses funds appropriated from public sources, both federal and state. Checks are issued by Administrative Services of the State of NH, not the Department of Cultural Resources or NHSCA.

Upon receipt of properly executed grant forms, the State of New Hampshire generally pays grants under $5,000 to grantees within 4 to 6 weeks. If a grantee is awarded $5,000 or more or has received other State Arts Council funds which brings the cumulative total received for that fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) to $5,000 or above, grants need to be approved by Governor and Council; consequently, payment can take up to ten weeks. All awards are subject to availability of state and federal funds. Therefore, we ask grantees to plan cash flow accordingly.

IMPORTANT:

• All grant agreements must be returned by January 15th of the fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) they are awarded. Failure to return the grant agreement by that date could result in cancellation of the grant and reallocation of funds.
• Payment of a grant will be withheld if final reports for previous grants are not in compliance with policy below.

Grant Period & Final Report
The grant period is July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009. A final report is due 30 days after the completion of your project, but no later than July 31, 2009. An extension of up to three months may be requested by writing to the program coordinator responsible for administering the grant. The request should be sent no later than July 15, 2009 and should briefly note why the extension is necessary and the date the report will be submitted. A status report will be due with the request. Failure to submit the final report by the required date will result in the organization becoming ineligible to apply for NHSCA funding for two years. Additionally, failure to submit the final report may result in a withholding of funds from any currently awarded NHSCA grant. Click here for the Final Report Download Center.

Funding Criteria
The following criteria are used by the panelists to rate applications:

Cultural Significance of Facility

• Uniqueness in geographic area.
• Architectural significance of building.
• Past and probable future use as a cultural facility.
• Usefulness of building for arts activities.
• Documentation of ongoing, regular arts activities.

Quality of Project

• Evidence that project is part of a larger facility maintenance or expansion plan.
• Appropriateness and long term benefits of specific project proposed.
• Impact on the users of facility (the number and characteristics of individuals).
• Realistic budget and timetable for project.
• Qualifications of the persons who will be directing and implementing the project.

Degree of Accessibility

• Evidence of ADA compliance.
• Evidence of community involvement in facility planning.
• Evidence of inclusive programming policies, e.g., outreach activities, affordable admissions, culturally diverse programming, benefits to NH artists.
• Evidence of audience development planning.
• Efforts to educate audiences and broaden their appreciation for the arts.

Administrative Capacity

• Stable organizational history.
• Commitment of the board and project director to complete the project.
• Relationship of project to long-range plan.
• Demonstrated effort to solicit donated or discounted equipment/services.
• Clarity of proposal.

Narrative Questions
The total narrative portion of the application should not exceed 5 typed pages. Margins, fonts (not smaller than 12 point), and spacing should provide easy reading for the panelists. Please number and respond to the following questions in the order in which they appear noting the section titles in bold.

Background
1. Give a one-page thumbnail sketch of your organization, including its mission. Briefly describe your facility and its users. (Keep in mind that some of the panelists may be from out of state and/or not familiar with your organization or its importance to the arts in New Hampshire.)
2. Summarize your proposal in two pages or less. Include the public benefit this project will bring to New Hampshire citizens.

Goals
3. How does this project fit into your long-range planning for the maintenance and improvement of this facility?

Intended Outcomes
4. State the outcomes to result from this project. Include specific detail on the beneficiaries of this project, whether audience, artists, or other. Note: If this project is part of a larger capital campaign, show this project's relationship to the entire capital campaign.
5. If this project is to improve physical or programmatic access to your arts activities, give statistics on current access efforts and the improvements that this project will deliver.

Strategies
6. Describe the ways in which this project will be implemented. Be specific about activities, schedule, etc. Include:
Project Design/Timetable:
The names and qualifications of the outside contractors, e.g., architects, builders and staff or board administrators/coordinators who will be involved in this project or the selection process for same. How did you select the architect, contractor, or supplier? If not by the lowest bid, explain why. Enclose a copy of at least two bids for the project.
Facility:
What is the anticipated life of this capital improvement? Do you own or lease this facility? What are the terms of your lease?
Financing:
The methods you will use to meet the required $1 to $1 cash or in-kind match.

Evaluation
7. How will you evaluate the effectiveness of this project?

Required Support Materials
6 copies of

• A minimum of four 4" x 6", or larger, black and white or color photographs of building or project to be funded.
• One page professional biography or resume of project director.
• List of current board with addresses and occupations.
• Written materials on outside contractors (e.g., architects or builders).
• Two bids on proposed project or justification for sole source.
• Budget that covers the dates of the project and shows the source of the required match.
• Selected program materials such as reviews, season's performance schedule, exhibition catalogs, etc., of last year's programming.
• Recent audio-visual or print materials (i.e., programs, reviews, catalogs): Provide samples that represent the quality of the arts your organization produces or presents. (Include a work sample identification sheet with each audio-visual item.) See Preparation of Work Samples for instructions on preparing work samples/support materials.
• Financial Statement for most recently completed fiscal year if annual income is $300,000 or more; OR, if annual income is less than $300,000, most recently completed fiscal year balance sheet and profit and loss statement.
• An arts organization embedded within an institution (a University art gallery for example) should submit an income statement for the past two years and other financial documents, approved by a financial officer of the supervisory institution. This income statement should detail how much support the arts organization has been receiving from internal and external sources, as well as where those funds have been going. These organizations should submit a balance sheet, if available.
• Facility plan of at least three years in scope, including immediate and long-term building maintenance.

One copy of:

• Correspondence with the Division of Historic Resources concerning eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places.
• First time applicants that are nonprofit organizations: Tax exempt status letter from the IRS and a copy of the Letter of Good Standing that was received upon registering with the Attorney General's office.
• Completed New Hampshire Nonprofit Checklist found at this link: http://www.nhcf.org/page16898.cfm. This checklist conveniently lists all the Legal requirements for NH Nonprofit Organizations.

How to Prepare the Application Package
1. Fill out and sign the original application/budget form and make 5 copies.
2. Complete and make 5 copies of the answers to the narrative questions.
3. Collate the original signed application form and copies with the project budget form, narrative, bids, organizational budget, list of board members, and project director resume, resulting in 6 sets.
4. Collate 6 copies of the financial statements, selected written materials, facility plan, audio-visual materials, and selected program materials.
5. Include one copy of your correspondence with the Division of Historic Resources concerning eligibility for the National Register.
6. Make a copy of your application for your files!
7. Place the original and all collated support materials on top of the package. Add to this set the single copy of IRS letter, if applicable.
8. Do not use binders or folders for the 6 separate sets of materials. Staples and clips are acceptable. Separate large envelopes may be used to contain the collated support materials. It is helpful if you use post-it notes or label the application cover sheets to indicate original, set 1, 2, 3, etc.
9. Put everything in one package and mail or hand-deliver to: NH State Council on the Arts, 2 1/2 Beacon Street, second floor, Concord, NH 03301. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want your audio-visual materials returned.

Why all these copies?
The originals are for the State Arts Council's files. Additional copies of the required support materials are for the panelists who will review your application.

Last updated: February 11, 2008