Project Grants

Community Arts
Deadline: March 3, 2008 and October 1, 2008

Grant Coordinator: Judy Rigmont
Judy.L.Rigmont@dcr.nh.gov
(603) 271-0794

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

Note: Project grants in the categories of Organizational Support, Traditional Arts, and Community Arts will share the same March deadline and will be reviewed together at one panel meeting. If applying for more than one project grant, the annual cap for organizations not receiving an Operating grant is $15,000. Operating grant recipients may apply for only Community Arts and/or Traditional Arts project grants.  However, if the project was included within the original Operating grant application, additional funds may not be sought for the same project. If the project is a new one, funds may be sought only for additional program costs, not administrative costs.

The Community Arts Project grant supports a variety of projects that encourage community arts making (including public art projects), enhance a community's or region’s creative economy or cultural tourism efforts, or assist municipalities with community cultural planning and local arts agency development.

Community Arts Project Grants also support the planning or implementation of artist in residence projects which provide a unique opportunity for communities to express themselves, share their stories/history, and create a sense of place. Projects could take the shape of classes, workshops, lecture-demonstrations, talks, performances, or exhibits that engage community members in the process of creating art together under the supervision of a professional artist(s). Very often projects result in the design and creation of public art (i.e., sculptures, murals, theatrical productions, poetry book) that is reflective of the community's history or cultural heritage. For a juried listing of professional artists experienced in doing community residencies, see our community roster at: http://www.nh.gov/nharts/artsandartists/roster/rosterindex.htm

Another focus of this grant is on community economic development and making the arts an integral part of community life. Support is provided to create or strengthen partnerships among arts organizations and artists working in partnership with local government and/or Main Street Programs, Chambers of Commerce, or downtown business associations to strengthen the local economy and creative sector. Arts, civic and municipal partners could work together in the areas of economic development, housing authorities, parks and recreation, tourism, and transportation. Funding priority will be given to projects that will have significant impact on the community and are achieved through collaborations.

Note: Health care and nursing care providers and agencies serving elderly people are no longer eligible to apply for support through this grant category. Please see our Arts in Health Care Project Grant guidelines.

Examples of Community Arts Projects include:

• Artist in residence projects involving community members in the design and/or creation of public art that tells a community story or its history, or artwork to be displayed or performed by community members under the guidance of a professional artist(s), preferably from New Hampshire.
• Community cultural planning efforts to be considered for adoption into a community's master plan.
• Community cultural assessments/inventories and databases of local artists, artist-run businesses, and arts organizations.
• Development of local arts councils/agencies supported by local government, including salary support for new directors for up to three years.
• Cultural tourism projects (i.e. creation of brochures/maps/websites featuring arts and cultural events and facilities or artist studios).
• Projects that strengthen the creative economy (i.e., programs/consultancies on affordable live-work spaces for artists, open artist studio tours, a series of workshops for artists on improving their business skills).
• Economic development and downtown revitalization projects incorporating the arts (i.e., economic impact studies, new downtown performing arts series or arts festival, introduction of a new public art program).
• Rails and trails projects utilizing artists and community members (i.e., public art, creative signage, performing arts programs, landscape design).

Maximum Grant Request
Requests may be made for $1,000 - $5,000. Organizations may apply for up to two Community Arts Project Grants per fiscal year with combined funding not to exceed
$5,000.

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

Required Match
At a minimum, grants must be matched on a one-to-one cash basis. State Arts Council funds may not be matched by other State Arts Council or National Endowment for the Arts funds. In-kind contributions are not allowable as a portion of the required match, although they will be considered by the reviewers as evidence of community support and commitment.

Who May Apply?
Any state, federal, county, or municipal government agency, municipality, school, or organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS and not-for-profit incorporation in the State of New Hampshire that also:

• Makes its programs accessible to people with disabilities.
• Has submitted all required reports on past State Arts Council grants and are considered to be in good standing.
• If an arts organization, has at least a two-year history of programming prior to application.

Restrictions
This grant does not support:

• College, university, or school projects which serve primarily a student and/or faculty population or are part of a curriculum (see Arts in Education Program for student-based projects).
• Schools where less than 50% of the arts programs encourage participation by community members and there is no evidence that at least one community organization is actively involved with the school in the project. (Priority will be given to applicants who are not already receiving funding for Artist Residency in School grants or an ArtLinks grant for after school arts projects.)
• Ongoing programs by community choruses, theaters or orchestras; producing organizations -- unless applying for special projects in partnership with another organization (e.g., commission of new work with living composer/meet the composer; concert with another chorus or orchestra).
• Projects that are already receiving funding from any other State Arts Council grant category.
• Administrative costs associated with the project, if the applicant is a current Operating Grant recipient.
• Fundraising events for an organization, unless the organization's primary mission is to present, produce, or service the arts.
• Outreach programs by arts presenting organizations that do not engage community members in the creative process; priority is given to more in-depth community projects.
• Arts organizations incorporated in New Hampshire, but with headquarters in a "border" town of a neighbor state (within 30 miles of NH's border), unless they have significant representation of NH residents on their boards and demonstrate that at least 50% of the individuals who benefit from their work are NH residents.

The following costs are not eligible for funding and should not be included in the application's budget:

• Capital improvements, construction or purchase of non-consumable equipment, contributions to an endowment fund.
• Fellowships, scholarships, or other direct financial aid to individuals.
• Previously incurred debts or deficits.
• General operating expenses not related to this project; if an Operating Grant recipient, only costs associated with artist fees, travel and supplies are eligible for support.
• Hospitality costs.
• Out-of-state travel.

Sample Projects

• A school and library co-sponsor an intergenerational project involving after-school oral history, writing and visual arts workshops where seniors and students tell, write, and illustrate stories about their community. The residency culminates with publication of a book (thanks to computer students), public readings and an exhibit at the library, school and/or local senior center.
• A local professional artist works with community members, leaders and students, the local Main Street program, library, and their historical society to create a community mural on a downtown building or a series of banners, which reflect the history, cultural heritage, or landscape of the town.
• A sculptor works with students and community members to design a piece for their city's park honoring a person/event/occupational group from the community which they have researched, or collaborates with a local poet, students and seniors to create a poem to incorporate into a sculpture, gateway, benches, gazebo or playground area.
• A local and visiting artist work together to create a folk opera, dance or music-theater piece reflecting life in their community. The artists work with historical society members, community members, and the community chorus/theater and musicians in developing the production. The finished piece is premiered in the town hall, school, or area opera house.
• A consultant works with a community task force, with input from community members via surveys and/or meetings, to help develop the community's cultural plan. Funds are used for consultant fees, administrative and survey costs.
• A local arts council/agency wants to create a local or regional inventory and database of artists, artist-run businesses and arts organizations in their area or create a resource guide to be used by the hospitality industry and chamber of commerce to attract tourists and area residents.
• A new local arts council, supported by the local government, wishes to hire their first director (can apply for graduated salary assistance for three years of $5,000, $5,000 & $2,500) or new additional professional staff (first year only).
• A downtown business association or chamber of commerce, economic development corporation, and/or Main Street Program partners with a local arts council/agency to host an open studio weekend or conducts a feasibility study for designating artist live-work spaces.
• The Department of Parks and Recreation initiates a new summer arts in the park series offering performing arts programs, a crafts fair, and poetry readings which attracts local residents and tourists throughout the summer or for a concentrated period of time.
• A Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Program, or arts council, want to publish and distribute a cultural map or calendar of arts events to increase tourism and inform local residents.

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 and Budget Form: MSWord / PDF
• Answer the Narrative Questions
• Provide Support Materials
• Follow the directions in How to Prepare the Application Package

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

Click here for guidance on How to Host a Artist-in-Residence

Deadlines
Applications must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the State Arts Council's office by 4:15pm by March 3, 2008 or October 1, 2008; see relevant grant periods for each deadline below. Office hours are Monday - Friday 8:15 am - 4:15 pm. The office is closed all state and most federal holidays. Late applications will not be accepted. The Council cannot accept applications transmitted by facsimile 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 their application status approximately ten weeks after the application deadline.

Payment
The NHSCA disperses 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 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. Therefore, we ask grantees to plan cash flow accordingly. All awards are subject to availability of state and federal funds.

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 and Final Report
The grant period for applications due on March 3, 2008 is July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009; for applications due on October 1, 2008, the grant period is January 1 – 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 grant 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 reviewers to rate applications:

Quality of Arts Programming/Services (If applicable to project)

• Quality and experience of participating artists
• Use of New Hampshire artists, including those living in the community
• More than one arts event presented while artist is in community (e.g., multiple performances in different community sites; and/or variety of programs offered, including performances, lecture-demonstrations, workshops, classes, talks to community groups about the project/art form)

Response to Audience/Community (If applicable to project)

• Opportunities for community members to actively participate in the creative process
• Evidence of community support, involvement, and partnerships with other organizations in the area
• Size and composition of projected audience/project participants
• Efforts to educate audiences and broaden their appreciation of the arts
• Likelihood of having a broad impact on the community
• Evidence of inclusive programming policies, e.g., outreach activities, affordable admissions, culturally diverse programming, benefit to NH artists
• Degree of physical and programmatic accessibility/Americans with Disabilities Act compliance

Administrative Capacity

• Clarity and feasibility of project design
• Realistic budgetary projections
• Budget reflects cash revenue from a variety of sources (i.e., ticket sales, private donations, corporate or business support, program ads etc.)
• Sound marketing and fundraising plans
• Realistic timetable for project
• Qualifications of project director
• Experience of artist in working in community settings and overseeing projects
• Sound plan for use of volunteers (if no paid administrative staff)
• Thought given to sustaining partnerships and future arts programming in community

Evaluation/Documentation

• Useful evaluation methodology
• Plan for documentation of project

Sustainability

• Plan to sustain arts programming/partnerships

Narrative Questions
Please answer the following narrative questions on no more than 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.

Who You Are and What You Want to Do

1. Provide a profile of your organization including its mission or for government units (including schools), a profile of the community you serve. Please remember that some of the panel reviewers will not be familiar with your organization.

2. Project Description: Summarize your proposed project noting:

• Participating artists* or consultants;
• Programs or services being offered;
• When the project will occur;
• Location(s) of program(s); and
• Targeted audience/participants.
• If a planning project, attach a timeline (one page) noting projected meeting dates, participants, and objectives.
  *Note: If participating artists are not listed in our Artist Roster or Traditional Arts Listing, Fellowship or Governors Arts Awards recipients, or served as Artist or Poet Laureate, attach resumes and work samples.

How You Are Going to Do It

3. Financing: Complete the project budget expense and income forms. Provide a brief narrative describing how you plan to meet the $1 to $1 cash match. Make sure that the project costs outlined on the budget forms correspond with the narrative.

4. Marketing/Outreach Plan: If this is a project designed for public/audience involvement, describe your marketing/promotion plan or other methods you will use to attract participants. (If not applicable, please state "not applicable" next to the number and continue on to the next question.)

5. Accessibility: Identify the ways you will provide access to people with disabilities and senior citizens so they may benefit from this project (i.e., physical access, programmatic access via large print programs and signage, sign language interpretation, assistive listening devices, transportation).

6. Project Director/Consultant: Include name and qualifications of the Project Coordinator or Consultant who will be involved with this project and attach his/her bio or resume.

Why You Are Doing It

7. Project Goal: Explain the goal(s) and intended outcomes of this project, and how your project relates to your organization’s long-range plan.

How You Will Evaluate and Document It

8. Evaluation: How will the outcome of the goals listed in #7 be measured? Please attach copies of evaluation forms, if available.

9. Project Documentation: How do you plan to document this project (i.e., video, web site, print, photography)?

Additional Community Arts Project Related Questions

10. Partnerships: List the names of partner organizations and attach a Partner Information Form for each. Why is this partnership and project important at this time to your organization, your partnership organization(s) and to your community? (If not applicable, please state "not applicable" next to the number and continue on to the next question.)

11. Public Art Projects: Explain how the resulting work of art will be reflective of your community, how and when you plan to present or display the new work within the community, and how community members will be engaged in the creative process. (If not applicable, please state "not applicable" next to the number and continue on to the next question.)

12. Sustainability: How do you plan to build on the impetus of this project in order to sustain arts programming and organizational partnerships in your community?

13. Community Involvement: How will the community be involved in this project?

14. Salary Assistance: If request is for a new administrative position for a local arts agency, attach a job description and indicate methods you will use to fill and sustain the position. (If not applicable, please state "not applicable" next to the number and continue on to the next question.)

15. Volunteers: Will volunteers be used for this project? If so, how? Is there a Volunteer Coordinator? (If this is not applicable, please so note on your application.)

Required Support Materials
7 copies of plus original for a March 3, deadline; 3 copies plus original for October 1, deadline.

• Board-approved financial statement for most recently completed fiscal year.

(Arts organizations embedded within institutions (i.e., an art gallery within a university) 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.)

• List of current board or arts advisory committee members with addresses, e-mails, and occupations.
• One page resume or bio of project director or consultant
• Selected written materials on outside contractors (e.g., artists not on NH Artist Roster or Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing or consultants).
• Letters of support by participating partners.
• Evaluation forms, if available.
• A job description, if applying to establish a new position.
• Selected relevant program materials such as reviews, season's performance schedule, exhibition catalogues, etc. of last year's programming.

One copy of

• Work samples for artists who are not already juried by the State Arts Council (e.g., CDs, DVDs, audio or videotape(s), slides, manuscript pages).
• First-time applicants only: 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.
• 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.

NOTE: Registration of IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofits is required every five years, for the years ending in 0 or 5. This registration may be done on-line at www.sos.nh.gov.

How to Prepare the Application Package
1. Fill out and sign the original application & budget form.
2. Complete narrative questions.
3. Make 1 copy of the application and narrative questions for your files!
Make 8 sets (7 copies and your original) to submit to the Arts Council for the March 3, deadline and 4 sets (3 copies and your original) for the October 1, deadline. Be sure to copy both sides of the application form. Please do not use binders, folders, protector sheets. Staples or clips are acceptable. Each set should contain the following items arranged in the order in which they are listed:

1) the signed application form (the original application should be with the first set)
2) narrative questions
3) board approved financial statement
4) list of board members
5) project director biography or resume
6) written materials on outside contractors (e.g., artists not on NH Artist Roster or Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing or consultants)
7) letters of support (optional)
8) sample evaluation form(s), if available
9) sample program materials
10) If applying to establish a new position, include the job description

4. Include work samples of artists if not on NH Artist Roster or Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing. See Preparation of Work Samples for instructions on preparing work samples/support materials.
5. First-time non-profit organization applicants only (municipalities and schools are exempt from this requirement):

A) Include one copy of IRS letter certifying 501(c)(3) status.
B) Include one copy of the Letter of Good Standing that was received upon registering with the NH State Attorney General’s office.
IMPORTANT: If applying for more than project grant, include only one IRS letter and one Letter of Good Standing and make a note in your packet that you have submitted these with another application.

6. Mail or hand-deliver to: NH State Council on the Arts, 2 1/2 Beacon Street, second floor, Concord, NH 03301. Put everything together in one package, putting the set with the application form with original signature on top. Include a SASE for any materials that need to be returned.

Why all these copies?
The original is for the State Arts Council files. The copies are for the panelists who will review your application.

Last updated: March 25, 2008