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Project Grants
Traditional Arts
Deadline: March 3, 2008
Grant Coordinator: Lynn Martin Graton
Lynn.J.Martin@dcr.nh.gov
(603) 271-8418
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.
Traditional Arts Project Grants support both ongoing and new projects that focus on presenting and documenting traditional arts in New Hampshire. These time-honored artistic activities are vital to cultural heritage. The goals of this funding category are to:
- Promote a deeper appreciation for and a better understanding of traditional arts so that they continue to be a meaningful and visible part of our daily lives;
- Support and nurture traditional artists so that they can continue to preserve these living traditions; and
- Document the variety of traditional arts so that future generations may continue to benefit from them.
Activities funded under this category can include exhibits, festivals, workshops, seminars, conferences, showcases, lecture series, publications, radio programming, and video and film documentaries. We encourage applicants to develop multi-faceted projects that benefit both the public and traditional artists; address authenticity and artistic excellence; include a cultural specialist, such as a folklorist or community-scholar, in the planning and implementation of the project; and compensate traditional artists for performing, demonstrating, and teaching.
In FY09, organizations seeking funding in this category are encouraged to develop projects around the following themes:
What are traditional arts?
Traditional arts are artistic activities that are passed down from one generation to the next within families and communities and are regarded by the community as part of their heritage. These activities can include music, dance, storytelling, crafts, skills, celebrations, and architecture. Communities can be defined in many ways, such as groups that share the same ethnic heritage, language, geographic area, religion, occupation, or way of life.
For a traditional artist, being true to the past is usually more important than change or innovation. Therefore, the techniques and forms of traditional arts tend to change very slowly. Though each generation adds their special gift to the tradition, the sense of what is beautiful and well done is defined more by the community than by an individual artist's personal creative vision. Because of this, traditional arts often become symbols of identity and pride for a community.
Traditional arts encompass folk arts. These are local "grass roots" artistic activities that are usually taught informally. A fiddle player may learn by playing along with older musicians at local community dances, a quilter may learn by helping her mother, a woodcarver may learn by helping out a neighbor, and a storyteller usually draws upon real life experiences growing up in a particular region or neighborhood. Folklife embraces a much wider range of cultural activities including food traditions, occupational skills, ways of speaking, and celebrating.
The NH State Arts Council’s Traditional Arts Program seeks to be responsive to how communities define themselves and their traditions. Because of limited resources, we place emphasis on supporting tradition bearers that have a direct connection to the community or group from which a tradition emerged.
Here are just a few of the traditional art forms that can be found in New Hampshire:
New England social dance & music (including contra and square dancing); French-Canadian fiddling and song; Scottish Highland piping, drumming & dance; Irish ceili dancing; Jewish Klezmer music; African-American gospel music; African drumming and dance; Western Abenaki ash & sweet grass basket making; quilting; rug braiding; rug hooking; spinning; lace-making; dried wreath making; decorative painting; Scandinavian knitting; Chinese knot tying; Russian iconography; musical instrument making; furniture making; sign carving; fly tying; Polish paper cutting; wood carving; barrel making (cooperage); canoe building; boat building; dog sled making; snowshoe making; fish net making; bow and arrow making; harness making; stone wall building; timber framing; ox yoke making; and harness making.
For more information on traditional arts and folklife in New Hampshire, visit:
New Hampshire Folklife. This online educational resource includes an interactive Learning Center and a searchable database of traditional music recordings.
Maximum Grant Request
Requests may be for $1,000 - $5,000.
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 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.
Eligible project expenses include:
- Fees to compensate traditional artists for performing, demonstrating, and/or teaching. For suggested rates see the Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing.
- Fees or stipends to contract with cultural specialists and/or folklorists to assist with project planning and implementation.
- Costs associated with the development and production of educational and interpretive materials that help audiences better understand and appreciate the cultural context, history, and artistry of the tradition being presented (i.e. program notes, brochures, signage, etc.).
- Fees for personnel and/or rental costs of equipment that assist in the professional presentation of traditional and folk arts (i.e. stage presenters, sound equipment, exhibit cases/pedestals, framing, etc.).
- Fees for personnel and/or rental of equipment that assists in the professional documentation of traditional and folk arts (i.e. video, audio, or camera equipment purchase or rental (under $500 cumulative)).
- Contract fees for professional folklorists or oral historians, transcription of audio interviews, or professional editing of audio or video, film and audiotape stock, etc.
- Costs associated with publicity designed to help build audiences and target particular audience groups.
- Costs associated with ground transportation to bring special audiences such as the elderly, young, or people with disabilities to a performance, workshop, or demonstration of traditional arts.
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:
Restrictions
This grant does not support:
- General operating expenses not directly related to the project.
- Commercially viable "for-profit" publications, recordings, or films.
- Projects involving traditional healing arts such as massage or acupuncture or traditional decorative body arts such as tattoo and body piercing.
- More than one grant in this grant category per applicant during the State fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).
- Projects already receiving funds from another State Arts Council grant category for the same project.
Helpful Hints
We encourage applicants to develop a multi-faceted approach to traditional arts programming. It is helpful if a project includes one or more of the following:
- An educational component such as program notes, signage, and stage presenters who can explain the history and cultural context of traditional arts.
- Documentation through photographs, audio recordings or video tapes with a plan on where these materials will be deposited for long term care and public access.
- Participatory activities for the public such as hands-on workshops, community dances, etc.
- Activities that are designed to benefit and enrich traditional artists such as artist receptions, master’s workshops, special tours, etc.
- The involvement of a cultural specialist who can assist in researching community resources, planning the project, and developing educational materials for the project.
Note: Many small organizations do not have staff with an academic or professional background in cultural programming. We encourage organizations to refer to The Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing for information on cultural specialists and folklorists who may be available on a contract basis. Organizations may also contact the Traditional Arts Coordinator for suggestions. Applicants can include a request for funds to contract a cultural specialist or folklorist as part of the project budget.
Sample Projects
- An exhibit exploring the natural resources used in traditional ash and sweet grass basketry. Basket makers are invited to submit entries. A contracted natural resources specialist researches the ecosystem, history and current practices of harvesting the natural materials. Oral history interviews are conducted with a few of the featured basket makers. The cultural specialist works with an exhibit curator or group of community members to develop themes for the exhibit, jury the general submissions, and write interpretive text panels for the exhibit. The project team works with the local schools to arrange for outdoor excursions to see the habitat where the basketry materials grow. Artists are invited to demonstrate during the exhibit installation.
- A festival organized around the theme of heritage arts. A contracted cultural specialist researches new immigrant and refugee communities in New Hampshire and identifies music traditions that can be performed and crafts that can be demonstrated. (Note: project costs can include translators to facilitate communication with non-native English language speakers). The cultural specialist prepares notes for a stage presenter and for signage for the crafts. Photographs are taken and audio recordings made during the event. All artists are asked to sign a release form allowing the recordings and photos to be used for research and non-profit purposes. After the photos and audio have been labeled, they are donated to the local historical society.
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.
When sending in a draft, please clearly indicate DRAFT FOR REVIEW in BOLD letters on your submission.
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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 the Central Administrative Services of State of NH, not the Department of Cultural Resources or the 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 an organization 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, 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 15 of the fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) they are awarded. Failure to return the grant agreement by that date will result in the cancellation of the grant and reallocation of funds.
- Payment of a grant will be withheld if the final reports for previous grants are not in compliance with policy below.
Grant Period and 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, 2008. 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, 2008 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:
Corresponds with Funding Goals
- Promotes a deeper appreciation for and understanding of traditional arts and artists.
- Supports and nurtures traditional artists so that they can continue to preserve living traditions.
- Helps to preserve folk and traditional arts so that future generations may continue to benefit from them.
Administrative Capacity
- Clear and feasible project plan.
- Realistic timetable.
- Appropriate qualifications of project staff, including plan to involve a cultural specialist and/or traditional artist to advise on the project.
- Sound publicity plan to attract audience/participants.
- Realistic budgetary projection.
- Ability to meet cash match.
Quality of Arts Programming
- Traditions and tradition bearers with high degree of authenticity and artistic excellence.
- Plan to develop and provide educational information such as program notes, signage, introductions, etc.
Community Support/Outreach
- Evidence of community support (letters, in-kind donations).
- Evidence of effort to make project activities fully accessible to persons with disabilities.
Evaluation
- Clear method of evaluating the effectiveness and/or success of the project.
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 brief (no more than one page) 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/activities noting:
- Participating artist/s* or consultant/s
- Programs, activities, or services being offered
- When the project/activities will be held
- Where the project/activities will be held
- Targeted audience/participants.
* Note: If artist(s) are not on the NHSCA online Artist Roster or the Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing, are not former Artist Fellowship or Governors Arts Awards recipients, or have not served as Artist or Poet Laureate, make sure to attach a brief bio/background statement of the artist(s) and work samples.
How You Are Going to Do It
3. Financing: Describe how you plan to meet the $1 to $1 cash match. Make sure that the project costs outlined in the budget corresponds with the narrative.
4. Marketing/Outreach Plan: Describe your marketing/promotion plan or other methods you will use to attract participants or audiences.
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, etc.).
6. Cultural Specialists/Advisors: List any cultural specialists, community advisors, and/or traditional artists that will be advising the project and brief summaries on their background and qualifications.
7. Educational/Interpretive Materials: Describe the educational or interpretive materials you plan to develop and how these will help people better understand the cultural context, historical background, and artistry of the tradition being presented. For example: program notes, brochures, text panels, photo murals, displays, inclusion of a community scholar/folklorist in the program, etc.
8. Community Support: Explain how your project or activity fills a need in the community. Provide statistics if relevant. Note: Other evidence of community support should be provided by the two support letters required.
9. Project Director/Consultant: Include name and qualifications of the Project Director that will be developing and overseeing the project/activities and attach his/her bio or resume.
Why You Are Doing It
10. Project Goal(s): Explain the goal(s) and intended outcome(s) of the project/activities and how your project relates to your organization’s long-range plan.
How You Will Evaluate and Document
11. Evaluation: How will the success of the project/activities be measured? Please attach copies of evaluation forms, if available.
12. Project Documentation: What are the plans to document the project/activity (i.e., photography, video, web site)?
Required Support Materials
8 copies of
- Board-approved financial statement for most recently completed fiscal year.
(Arts organizations embedded within institutions (e.g., 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 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.
- Submit 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.
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.
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.
Last updated:
February 4, 2008
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