Project Grants

Organizational Support
Deadline: March 3, 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

Project grants in the categories of Organizational Support, Traditional Arts, and Community Arts will share the same 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.

This category supports both ongoing and new projects that provide high quality arts services for the public and strengthen the arts organizations that provide those services. This grant may be used to meet a variety of arts management and programming needs. The proposal should demonstrate how the grant will assist the applicant in its long-term planning efforts. Proposals may include the costs of engaging consultants who specialize in nonprofits to assist with long-term planning, fund-raising, marketing, or board development. All proposals, whether to sustain established projects or programs, or to implement pilot projects, will be evaluated for both their potential to deliver opportunities to participate in high quality arts experiences for New Hampshire's citizens and to sustain high quality arts organizations in New Hampshire.

Maximum Grant Request
Requests may be made for $1,000 - $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?
Nonprofit organizations with incorporation in New Hampshire and a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service, or units within post-secondary educational institutions or other cultural organizations in New Hampshire (e.g., a college art gallery, public television, or a history museum), who also meet the following conditions:

• Produce, present or serve the arts for the benefit of the general public;
• Have a 3-year history of professionally developed arts programming prior to the application deadline;
• Make their programs and facilities accessible to people with disabilities;
• Have an independent board of directors or advisory council that meets at least quarterly; and
• Have submitted all required reports on past State Arts Council grants.

Restrictions
This grant does not support:

• Administrative projects for arts organizations that are incorporated in New Hampshire, but with headquarters in a "border" town of a neighbor state (within 30 miles of NH's border). These organizations may apply for arts programming if they have significant representation on their boards of NH residents and demonstrate that over 50% of the individuals who benefit from their work are NH residents.
• 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 program funded by the grant is open to the general public rather than a primarily student or faculty population.
• Funding of a new, permanent position.
• The following costs are not eligible for funding and should not be included in the application's budget:
• previously incurred debts or deficits;
• general operating expenses not related to the project;
• endowments;
• capital projects;
• replacement of lost funding for existing full-time or permanent staff;
• hospitality costs;
• commercial (for-profit) enterprises or activities;
• literary or film projects that do not focus on living authors or contemporary literature;
• fundraising costs for non-arts causes;
• lobbying expenses;
• work toward academic degrees or academic research;
• acquisition of inventory for gift shops or other revenue producing activities.

Sample Projects

• Arts administration projects: The hiring of a contractor or consultant for a specific project, such as a promotions coordinator for a major exhibition or performance.
• Planning: Engaging a non-profit specialist who will work with the board and staff for the purpose of developing a long term, strategic plan; developing a comprehensive marketing plan to help identify audiences and how the organization can position itself to meet their needs.
• Advanced professional development projects: A series of master classes for professional craftspeople; a statewide conference for writers; seminars for curators on conservation practices.
• Technology projects: The development and maintenance of a web site; upgrading computer capabilities which might include contracting with a programmer, purchasing off-the-shelf software, installation and training costs.
• Arts Programming for the General Public: A retrospective exhibition of a NH artist's work; the development, rehearsal, marketing and premiere performance of a ballet company's new work; a three-day festival of events to celebrate an organization's 20th anniversary; a thematic series of concerts, e.g. American Viewpoint.

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 their application status within approximately ten weeks of 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 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. 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 & 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 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, as relevant to the type of project to be funded, are used by reviewers to rate applications:

Quality of Arts Programming or Planning Process

• Range and scope of arts programming over time.
• Quality of professional artists featured.
• Quality of art presented or produced, or quality of service to NH artists and/or organizations.
• Quality of participatory arts experiences offered to amateur and community artists.
• Benefits to New Hampshire artists.
• Quality of the consultants and process that will result in a new strategic plan for the applicant arts organization.

Public Benefit to New Hampshire Citizens

• Degree of public benefit to New Hampshire citizens. (Note: may also consider economic benefits from activities that increase cultural tourism to the state.)
• Efforts to educate audiences and broaden their appreciation for and participation in the arts.
• Evidence of inclusive programming or planning policies, e.g., outreach activities, affordable admissions, culturally diverse programming, surveys to measure audience satisfaction and needs.
• Assurance of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Note: periodic site visits will be made to verify accessibility.
• Evidence of community support.
• Evidence of audience development planning.

Administrative Capacity

• Proposal demonstrates how the grant will enable the organization to provide well-planned, high-quality arts programs in New Hampshire and/or strengthen organizational stability.
• Organizational history.
• Relationship of project to mission and long-range plan.
• Board composition and staff qualifications.
• Credentials of outside contractors.
• Clarity and feasibility of project design.
• Realistic timetable for project.
• Realistic budgetary projections.
• Sound marketing and fundraising plans.
• Clarity of proposal.

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. 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: Resumes and work samples must be included unless participating artists are listed in the Artist Roster or Traditional Arts Listing, are NH Fellowship or Governors Arts Awards recipients, or have served as NH Artist or Poet Laureate.

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 one-to-one 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.

5. Outline a specific, comprehensive plan for crediting the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts for supporting projects that are funded.

6. 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).

7. 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

8. Project Goal(s): 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

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

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

Additional Organizational Support Project Related Questions

11. Salary Assistance: If request is for a temporary position or consultant, attach a job description.

12. Sustainability: If you are requesting funds to support a long-term initiative (i.e. new technology), how will you continue this project after this year?

13. Arts Delivery: How will this project improve your organization's ability to deliver the arts to people in New Hampshire?

Required Support Materials
8 copies of

• 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.
• 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 temporary or consultant 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.
• A 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.

NOTE: Registration of IRS 501 (c) (3) nonprofits is required every five years, for the years ending in 0 or 5. This means that 2005 was a year for all nonprofits to do so. 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. 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.

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.

Application Review Process
A panel with expertise in the field meets to review and rate applications according to the funding criteria listed above. Funding recommendations are then passed along to the State Arts Councilors for review and approval. If a grant of $5,000 or more is recommended, or the applicant's cumulative total of grants received from the State Arts Council for that fiscal year (July 1 - June 30) is $5,000 or more, the grant recommendation must also be submitted to the Governor and Council for approval.