FY19-20 ARTISTS IN COMMUNITIES
Grant Application Instructions
Application Instructions
DEADLINE: November 15, 2019 by 11:59 PM
New applicants to this program are highly encouraged to contact the designated staff to confirm eligibility before starting an application.
All grant applications must be submitted in the California Arts Council online grants management system, calartscouncil.smartsimple.com.
Registration and Certification
An authorized representative of the Applicant Organization must be registered, and organizational information must be certified, in advance. The following information and documentation should be prepared prior to beginning this process:
Applicant Organization Federal EIN (or that of Fiscal Sponsor, if applicable)
Applicant Organization DUNS Number (or that of Fiscal Sponsor, if applicable), obtainable from the Dun and Bradstreet Request Service website (requested, but not mandatory at the time of certification)
Applicant Organization contact information, including business address, mailing address (if different), county name, phone and fax number (if available), and website)
Number of years Applicant Organization has engaged in arts programming)
Year Applicant Organization began arts programs and/or services)
Organizational mission statement and purpose)
Brief summary of Applicant Organization’s core programs and services)
Please refer to CAC Registration Information for additional guidance.
Application Checklist
Required Support Materials:
Artistic Work Samples: Include up to three samples of artistic work providing evidence to the quality of the artists associated with this project. Images, audio, and video (links) should be recent, relevant and related to your proposed project.
Additional Work Samples: Provide up to two PDF documents that best portray your organization and its work. These may include press materials, flyers, brochures, programs, newsletters, and other marketing pieces generated within the past two years.
Letter of Support or Testimonial: Provide a signed statement from a key stakeholder, partner, or community member. Statement should substantiate the quality of the organization, and affirm the organization's impact on its constituents. This should not be from staff or board of the Applicant Organization.
Letter of Agreement: Provide a joint Letter of Agreement signed by both the Applicant Organization and the Lead Artist. This letter should indicate mutual commitment to the artistic process and the vision of the Lead Artist, and mutual understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each party.
Support Materials Notes: Provide brief descriptions of artistic work samples and other support materials. For video or audio samples, provide specific start and end times for the portion you would like the panel to review. Be sure to clearly indicate which specific files your notes are referencing.
Payee Data Record (STD 204) – a fillable PDF is available to download, complete, and upload within the application.
Required Support Materials for Fiscally Sponsored Applicant Organizations:
Legal name of Fiscal Sponsor Organization
Fiscal Sponsor Organization Federal EIN
Fiscal Sponsor Organization DUNS Number
Fiscal Sponsor Organization executive leader’s name, phone number, and email
Fiscal Sponsor Organization mailing address
Number of years the Fiscal Sponsor Organization has been engaged in arts programming and/or services
A brief description of the history of the Fiscal Sponsor Organization’s arts programming and/or services
An IRS 990, 990-EZ or 990-PF form for the Fiscal Sponsor Organization; no other types of 990 forms will be accepted
A Letter of Agreement between the Applicant Organization and the Fiscal Sponsor Organization confirming their understanding of and compliance with the CAC Fiscal Sponsor Policy
Payee Data Record (STD 204) – fillable PDF available to download, complete, and upload within the application
Please refer to the CAC Fiscal Sponsor Policy for additional information.
Application Questions
The following questions will be asked on the application:
Narrative Questions:
Provide a detailed description of your proposed artist residency project, including the artistic activities that will occur. (2500 characters)
Provide Project Start Date and Project End Date.
Provide a detailed timeline of all key arts programming and/or services that will occur within the Grant Activity Period. (3000 characters)
Describe the required free component(s) of your project. (1500 characters)
Describe the partnership between the artist and the identified arts/community organization or social institution. How will the artist engage the community throughout the development and execution of the project? (1000 characters)
What are your intended outcomes and methods for evaluating and measuring success? (2000 characters)
Describe plans to promote the project's value and to document and communicate the project's impact to a broad public. (1000 characters)
Artist Statement: To be completed by the Lead Artist or collaboratively completed by the arts collective or ensemble.
- Share the overall vision for the residency.
- Describe how this residency will demonstrate that the arts are a central component of civic life, and that artists’ visions are vital in shaping healthy communities. (3000 characters)
Lead Artist Identification: Provide the name and email address of the Lead Artist for this project. If artists are working as a collective or ensemble, please identify a single contact.
Quantitative Questions:
Number of free events
Number of total individuals to benefit directly (individuals participating in the core program activities)
Number of individuals to benefit indirectly (audience members, beneficiaries of public art installations, etc.)
Number of activities supported
Key Personnel Bios:
Provide a brief biography for each key individual (artistic, technical, or administrative) involved in this project. Include name, title, whether to be supported by CAC funds, relevant experience as it relates to this project, and role within the proposed activities.
If proposing therapeutic outcomes, applicants must establish the qualifications of service providers, how strategies are appropriate to the clinical and/or community arts setting, and how support is culturally responsive to participants. (1000 characters)
Equity:
Describe how your project design and implementation reflects a commitment to include and represent the communities to be served. (2500 characters)
Accessibility:
Describe your approach to ensuring the physical accessibility of programs and services for this project, as well as the accessibility of print and online materials. Consider personnel of the Applicant Organization and any partnering organizations, as well as program participants and potential audience members in your response. (1500 characters)
Accessibility Contact Details: Identify the primary individual who will be responsible for managing aspects of accessibility as it relates to this proposal.
This may be a program manager, accessibility coordinator, or other staff member of the Applicant Organization.
Budget Tables
A Budget Snapshot is required, providing basic financial information (revenue and expenses) for a minimum of two and up to three years. Budget Notes must be provided for any noticeable increases or decreases (surplus or deficits) in line items from one year to the next.
A line-item project budget is required, including anticipated matching funds. Please refer to What the CAC Does Not Fund within the program Guidelines to ensure that all line items are eligible expenses.
You will also be required to fill out a Matching Funds table, indicating sources for the required matching and the status of those funds (i.e., Projected, Pending, Confirmed).
Application Assessment
Panelists may consider any aspect of an application when ranking for each review criteria, including but not limited to the Areas of Assessment indicated below.
Review Criteria #1:Project Design and Implementation
Areas of Assessment:
Narrative and quantitative questions
Project budget
Letter of Agreement
Review Criteria #2: Artistic Merit
Areas of Assessment:
Artist(s) bio(s)
Artist(s) statement(s)
Artistic work samples
Review Criteria #3: Community Impact
Areas of Assessment:
Narrative and quantitative questions
Organizational history and mission
Artist(s) statement(s)
Letter of support or testimonial
Additional work samples
Review Criteria #4: Management and Leadership
Areas of Assessment:
Narrative and quantitative questions
Key personnel bio(s)
Organizational history and mission
Budget Snapshot
Project budget
Overall completeness and accuracy of application submission
Review Criteria #5: Equity and Accessibility
Areas of Assessment:
Narrative questions
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