CITY ARTS PROJECT GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS
Purpose: The purpose of the grant is to stimulate arts providers to sponsor new and/or expand existing arts projects. In addition, the grant also seeks to:
- Increase the diversity and accessibility of art in the City of Alexandria;
- Enable arts organizations to sponsor a program which may serve as prototypes for subsequent events;
- Increase the capacity of non-Alexandria-based arts organizations to serve the needs of the citizens of Alexandria.
Description: These grants support a wide variety of art activities which are performed or presented to benefit the citizens of Alexandria.
Funding Limitations:
- The artistic event or program to be supported by the grant must take place within the City of Alexandria.
- Grant funding cannot exceed 50% of the total project budget. Funding from this source must be matched dollar for dollar by other cash income. In-kind services may not be used to satisfy the matching requirement.
- While there is no predetermined upper limit to project grant funding the Commission takes into account the prevailing levels of funding of other grant types as well as the overall availability of grant funds.
Eligibility: In addition to the general eligibility requirements noted in this Guide to Funding, City Arts Project grant organizational applicants:
- Must have been in existence as an organization for one year prior to applying for a grant;
- Must be able to provide (as part of the application) a minimum of one full year of financial history completed prior to the grant deadline.
- May be organizations that do not have as their major purpose the advancement and support of the arts, but which, during the immediate past two years, have produced or presented arts events or projects in the City of Alexandria as a significant part of their overall program.
- May apply for more than one Project Grant within the same grant cycle.
- May not apply for a City Operational Grant in the same grant cycle.
- Are not required to qualify as an Alexandria-based organization.
Additional Eligibility Criteria for Non-Alexandria-based Organizations:
- Potential grant funding, for matching purposes, is limited to the portion of the total budget employed on activities in the City of Alexandria.
- Particular emphasis will be placed upon the probable impact on the City of Alexandria in terms of outreach and numbers of citizens served.
- The Commission will consider the extent to which a non-Alexandria-based arts organization brings to the City of Alexandria arts experiences not already adequately provided by City-based organizations.
- The Commission will consider the extent to which non-Alexandria-based organizations are supported by their home venues and/or governments.
- The Commission will consider programs which provide an impact to citizens of Alexandria and to the visibility of the Alexandria arts community.
GRANT REVIEW CRITERIA: The following criteria are used during the Grant Review process by the Resource Panel members. These criteria act as a guide for evaluating the grant applications.
Impact on the City of Alexandria
- Will the project enhance the artistic experience of the citizens of the City of Alexandria?
- Has effort been made to include outreach to, and participation by, the diverse audiences and communities of the City?
- Does the organization provide an opportunity to develop local talent?
- Are means to ensure reliable and accurate attendance figures in place?
- Does the program provide an impact to citizens of Alexandria and to the visibility of the Alexandria arts community?
Artistic Excellence
- Do participating personnel have the artistic skills and technical resources needed to accomplish the proposed project?
- Does the proposed project demonstrate artistic quality? Has artistic quality been demonstrated (and supported by adequate documentation) in previous programs or projects?
- Will the proposed project provide the organization with the opportunity for continued artistic development and innovation?
- Is there evidence of long range planning for artistic development?
Management Ability
- Do proposed key personnel (leadership, board, volunteers) have the necessary skills and experience to manage the organization and carry out the project? Is attention paid to staff professional development?
- Has the organization previously demonstrated (and supported by adequate documentation) the ability to carry out such a project?
- Have realistic goals with a related time-line been presented?
- Has the organization developed self-evaluation procedures by which to measure its effectiveness and that of its projects?
Financial
- Is financial integrity demonstrated by an accurate, realistic, and logical project budget?
- Is the proposed project planned in a financially sound and business-like manner? Is the project dependent upon requested grant funds?
Marketing and Fund Raising
- Is there a marketing plan? Are a variety of marketing methods used? (i.e., newsletter, advertisements, mailings, web site, etc.).
- Are fund raising plans being directed to a variety of sources? Are both financial support and in-kind services being sought?
- Are special events planned to raise funds and cultivate the audience/donor base?
GRANT SPECIFIC REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS:--City Arts Project Grant for Organizations:
Please follow this outline when preparing the grant. The program outline acts as a guide for writing the grant and articulates grant specific attachments. Collate the grant packet in the exact order of the grant outline.
- Organizational Background (1 page maximum)
A. State the mission of your organization.
B. Provide a brief history of the organization.
C.
Include a Strategic Plan.
- Planned Season or Program ( 2 page maximum)
A. Describe briefly all arts activities proposed in this grant application.
B. Describe the means in place to ensure reliable attendance figures.
C. Provide a complete Program Calendar Sheet.
- Impact on the City of Alexandria ( 1 page maximum)
A. How does the program enhance the artistic experience of the citizens of the City?
B.
Describe the organization’s outreach to the diverse audiences of the City?
C. Does the program provide an opportunity to develop local talent?
D.
Are complementary or reduced price tickets being offered to specific audiences in the City? If so, to which audiences and to what extent? Does the organization provide an opportunity in which local talent can be developed?
E.
Does the program provide an impact to citizens of Alexandria and to the visibility of the Alexandria arts community.
- Artistic Experience. ( 1 page maximum) Describe the organization’s artistic effectiveness in terms of:
A. Artistic credentials of the proposed principal participants.
B.
Does the proposed project demonstrate artistic quality? Has the organization demonstrated artistic quality and the ability to carry out previous programs of comparable scope and complexity?
C. Will the proposed program provide the opportunity for continued artistic development and innovation?
D.
Is the organization willing to risk trying new or innovative projects?
- Management (1 page maximum, plus course and professional organization lists) Describe the management structure of the organization in terms of:
A. Board Activities. Note the authorized size of the Board of Directors; the current number of Board Members; last year’s number of Board Meetings and approximate average Board attendance. Describe the Board’s Committee structure?
B.
Number of full-time and part-time paid employees.
C.
Ethnic make-up of the board, employees and key personnel.
D.
Describe the organization’s method for self-evaluation of both artistic and organizational goals.
E.
List the names and the dates of courses, seminars, workshops, and similar programs related to professional, artistic, organizational and board development attended by key personnel in the last 3 years.
F.
List any professional organizations to which the organization and/or key personnel belong.
- Finances (1 page maximum for narrative, attach budget.) Describe financial planning associated with this project/program:
A. Does the success of the proposed activity depend upon grant funds?
B.
Provide a minimum of one full year of financial history completed prior to the grant deadline.
- Marketing/Fund-raising (1 page maximum plus list of contributors)
A. Provide a marketing plan with a variety of marketing methods for promoting program/project (i.e., newsletter, advertisements, mailing, web site, etc.).
B. Provide fund-raising plans which are directed to a wide variety of funding sources.
C.
Provide information about financial support and in-kind services being sought for the program/project.
D.
Provide information about special events planned to cultivate the audience/donor base.
E.
Provide a current list of contributors.
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