FY19-21 STATE-LOCAL PARTNERS
Grant Application Instructions
Application Instructions
DEADLINE: October 30, 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:
Work Samples: Provide up to three different samples of materials generated within the past two years that best portray your organization, its arts programming and/or arts services. These may include marketing collateral such as flyers, brochures, and newsletters, as well as programs, reviews, etc.
Provide a current list of Board of Directors, Commissioners, Committee, or other appropriate members of your governing body. For each individual, provide name; expertise; role on governing body; professional affiliations; city of residence; county of residence.
County Government Resolution: Attach a current Resolution from the County Board of Supervisors designating your organization as the official State-Local Partner. The Resolution must include the Grant Activity Period.
Strategic Plan Executive Summary: Provide the executive summary for your organization's current strategic plan. If a current strategic plan is not in place, describe any existing policies and/or procedures, and timeline for developing a strategic plan.
Letters of Support: Please provide up to two signed letters from key stakeholders, partners, or collaborators. Letters should substantiate the quality of the organization, its programs and services, and affirm the organization's impact on its constituents.
List of Grantees (if applicable): Provide a list of current grantees. For each grantee, provide the following: organization name; award amount; project description; city of operation.
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:
For the county or counties served by your local arts agency, briefly describe:
- geographic characteristics
- demographic characteristics
- any other cultural identifiers (2000 characters)
Timeline: Provide a timeline for key high-level organizational arts programming and/or services that will occur within the Grant Activity Period. (1500 characters)
Describe your local arts agency’s public office, operating hours, and staffing structure. (1000 characters)
Describe the arts and cultural priorities of your county, including how your local arts agency has collected input from county residents to identify these priorities, and how your local arts agency is addressing these priorities. (2000 characters)
Describe the programs and services your local arts agency offers that include and support the cultural diversity and traditional arts of the county or counties. (2000 characters)
Please select all of the following programs and services provided by your local arts agency. You must select at least two. Please provide a detailed description of all of the programs and services selected. (3500 characters)
- Engage in community development through the arts, or contribute to creative placemaking activities
- Conduct cultural assessment and planning that encourages input from community members
- Foster local and regional partnerships and collaboration through convenings or other means
- Provide stewardship of a community’s art collection(s)
- Engage in programs that promote arts advocacy efforts at the local, state, or national level
- Provide and/or support arts learning (preK-12, adult education, creative aging, etc.)
- Manage a public art program
- Produce or present programs such as festivals, community theatre, concerts, literary events, workshops, etc.
- Grant or provide financial support to cultural organizations or artists
- Facilitate economic development efforts that support the creative economy through arts industries
- Manage one or more cultural facilities in the county
- Provide public relations or marketing services for SLP arts programs and/or services, and for other arts and cultural activities in the county
If applicable, describe any other programs and services your local arts agency provides for your county or counties not mentioned in previous questions. Include
how these programs/services provide access to diverse art forms and facilitate public participation. (1500 characters)
Describe your local arts agency’s implementation plan for the Poetry Out Loud program. If designating another organization to implement the program, please describe the process for selecting that organization and their implementation plan. (1500 characters)
Key Personnel Bios:
Provide brief bios for key individuals involved with administration of your organization. Provide name, title, and description of role within the organization.
Equity:
Describe how your organization maintains equitable practices for providing access to programs, services and resources despite geography, economic status, disability, and other barriers to participation. (1500 characters)
Describe how your organizational operations include equitable practices and policies. (1500 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.
Matching Funds
You will 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).
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 below.
Local Arts Programming, Services, and Networking
Community Impact
Management and Leadership
Equity
Access
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