FY19-20 REENTRY THROUGH THE ARTS
Grant Application Instructions
Application Instructions
DEADLINE: November 8, 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: Please 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.
Letter of Support or Testimonial: Please provide a signed statement from a key stakeholder, partner, or community member. The statement should substantiate the quality of the organization and affirm the organization's impact on the community it serves.
Letter of Agreement: Provide a joint Letter of Agreement signed by both the Applicant Organization and partnering organization or artist. These letters should indicate mutual commitment to the project 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.
SMU DataArts Funder Report: The California Arts Council requires all applicants to complete two Cultural Data Profiles (CDP) through SMU DataArts (formerly the Cultural Data Project) and generate a Funder Report to include with their application. The Funder Report will be used to assess your organization's fiscal health and activities. You will need two years of financial and programmatic data to fill out your CDPs. To complete this part of your submission, log in to the SMU DataArts website. See DataArts Instructions below for step-by-step instructions.
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) – 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 project for people who are formerly incarcerated. Be sure to include the following:
- Description of the free arts and culture activities and how they are relevant and responsive to the project participants
- Description of any specific methods or approaches such as restorative justice and/or trauma-informed practices that will be used in the project
- Description of how one or more people affected by incarceration have been included in the project implementation, and how California artists are utilized in the project (3000 characters)
Describe the roles and responsibilities of the Applicant Organization and each partner in planning and implementing the project. (2000 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 community of participants and how they will access the project.
(2000 characters)
Describe how this project is integrated with reentry support services. (2000 characters)
What are the positive outcomes for participants that will result from this work, and how will success be measured? How will project activities support the realization of these outcomes? (2000 characters)
Quantitative Questions:
Number of formerly incarcerated individuals directly involved
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, workshops, classes and/or performances/exhibits 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 line-item project budget is required. Please refer to What the CAC Does Not Fund within the program Guidelines to ensure that all line items are eligible expenses.
SMU DataArts Instructions
Follow these instructions to complete a Cultural Data Profile (CDP) and Funder Report:
Go to the SMU DataArts website and use the orange login button to access your DataArts account. If your organization does not yet have a SMU DataArts account, choose the “Create an account” link to register.
Create and complete two CDPs, one for each fiscal year. Enter data using your board-approved financial audit/review or year-end financial statements.
- If your organization is not audited/reviewed, enter data using your board- approved, year-end financial statements.
- If your organization is an arts program/department within a larger institution, enter data based on internal financial statements of the arts program/department and indicate that you have a parent organization when selecting your organization type on the Customize Your Survey screen.
- DO NOT enter project budgets, budgets for future years, or incomplete or not-yet-approved audits/reviews/financial statements.
Some errors may be triggered as you enter financial data, and you will be able to review and resolve them as you work on your survey. Select the “Check and Complete” button to run a final, comprehensive error check when you are finished entering data, and correct any errors that may arise at that time. If you need assistance, call the SMU DataArts Support Center at 1-877-707-3282.
After you have finished entering and completing your two fiscal year surveys, you will then use your CDP data to generate a Funder Report to be included with your application materials.
- Go to Funder Reports and Grants and search for California Arts Council. Find the grant program which you will apply to, select the “‘View” dropdown, then “Submit Data” to share your data with California Arts Council. A PDF Funder Report will then generate. Once you have run your report from SMU DataArts, download, save, then upload your Funder Report below. You can also find a video of step-by-step instructions here.
Applicant Organizations should direct questions concerning the CDP or Funder Report to:
SMU DataArts Support Center:
Toll Free: (877) 707-3282
Email: help@culturaldata.org
The Support Center is available Monday – Friday from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.
SMU DataArts website: https://culturaldata.org
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:
Narrative and quantitative questions
Artist(s) bio(s)
Artistic work samples
Review Criteria #3: Community Impact
Areas of Assessment:
Narrative and quantitative questions
Organizational history and mission
Letter of support or testimonial
Review Criteria #4: Management and Leadership
Areas of Assessment:
Narrative and quantitative questions
Key personnel bio(s)
Organizational history and mission
SMU DataArts Funder Report
Project budget
Overall completeness and accuracy of application submission
Review Criteria #5: Equity and Accessibility
Areas of Assessment:
Narrative questions
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