Grants Guidelines - Louisiana Division of the Arts

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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

The Division of the Arts is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Division of the Arts Grant Guidelines 2012-2013

Apply for a Grant

Deadlines for FY13 grants:

Thursday, March 1, 2012, 10:59 cst

Supporting activities from July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013

All applications must be submitted through the LACGO online grants system by THursday, March 1, 2012 at 11:00 CST. To complete the application process, the deadline for receipt of the signed, printed signature page is Friday, March 9 in the Louisiana Division of the Arts office - Room 405 of the Capitol Annex Building - 1051 North 3rd St, Baton Rouge (get directions here). These are not postmark deadlines.

Note: Additional information and definitions of terms can be found in the Arts Grants Glossary.

Stabilization Grants Program

Introduction
The Stabilization Program seeks to support nonprofit 501(c)3 arts organizations that help to create, present, and preserve the various unique arts resources that make up Louisiana. The Stabilization Program provides grants to arts organizations that have made an impact locally, statewide, regionally, nationally, or internationally. Stabilization grants provide general operating funds in three funding tiers. They are (1) Institution, (2) Advancement, and (3) Entry.

Goals and Objectives for the Stabilization Program

Strengthen the infrastructure of the arts industry

Celebrate Louisiana's diverse artistic tapestry

Invest in nonprofit arts organizations to maintain authenticity and uniqueness of their communities

Increase in-state purchasing of Louisiana cultural products and services by Louisiana residents and businesses

Develop, stabilize, and maintain the producers and presenters of Louisiana's arts industries and products

Create and nourish artists of the future and the audiences for those artists

Evaluation Criteria
The Review Panel will use the following evaluation criteria to select applicants to recommend for funding:

Quality of Organizational Programming:
- Level of excellence and quality of product
- Qualifications of artists involved
- Selection of programming
- Excellence in execution of product
Outreach and Access:
- Appropriateness of programming
- Quality of educational or outreach programs
- Development of a Louisiana audience
- Availability of opportunity to Louisiana artists
Management:
- Professional qualifications of paid staff, as applicable
- Level of programming in line with budget
- Ability to achieve programming and organizational objectives
- Clarity of the narrative and budget and completion of the application

Funding Tiers and Matching Requirements
There are three levels, or tiers, of support within the Stabilization Program. These tiers are designed in relation to an organization's budget size. Your tier is determined by your organization budget for your last completed fiscal year. Please consult Division of the Arts staff if you have questions regarding your application tier. All grants to organizations require a nonstate match of at least 1:1.

Level	Organization Budget	Estimated Grant Range	Match Requirement
(1) Institution	$1 million or more	$20,000 - $45,000	1:3
(2) Advancement	$250,000 to $1 million	$9,000 - $20,000	1:2
(3) Entry	$30,000 to $250,000	$1,500 - $9,000	1:1

Contact Director of Organizational Services Kelly Pepper, 225-342-8175, kpepper@crt.la.gov.

For All Applicants:
Grants will not be awarded below $1,000.

In developing an application, we urge you to consider the level of recent awards. Please review the list of grants on the Division's website to see recent grant award levels and activity types. Click here.

Applicants whose grants are recommended for less than the requested amount will be asked to submit a revised budget with your contract.

Allowable Matching Funds
Contributions are allowable as part of the grantee's match when they are:

Carefully defined
Used for costs allowable under these guidelines
In-kind match (donated goods or services)

Ineligible Source and Use of Matching Funds

State funds from any other state source
Funds used for state-owned facilities or equipment purchase or use
State faculty salaries
Administrative costs from state institutions

Eligibility

Eligible applicants generally are:

Nonprofit arts organizations in Louisiana with a letter from the Internal Revenue Service declaring them exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501(c)3 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code. An arts organization is further defined by the following three characteristics:

Has an independent board of directors.
Has an organizational mission statement which states that a primary goal of the organization is to provide arts programming to the public. The arts disciplines include dance, design arts, folklife, literature, media, music, theatre, and visual arts and crafts.
Provides arts educational activities and/or outreach for children and/or adults.

Eligible applicants generally:

Offer arts programming to the general public

Have been incorporated for at least two years

Have received at least two years of municipal and/or governmental funding

Provide a reasonable educational or outreach plan for children and/or adults that corresponds to the organization's size and mission.

Comply with the Accumulated Deficit Policy (click here)

Ineligible applicants for grants generally fall into the following categories:

Nonprofit organizations in Louisiana without a letter from the Internal Revenue Service declaring them exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501(c)3 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code.
Nonprofit organizations who are not in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service, Secretary of States Office, and Legislative Auditor.
Click here to check whether your organization is in good standing with the Secretary of State's office.
Click here to check whether your organization is in good standing with the IRS.
Click here to check whether your organization is in good standing with the Legislative Auditor.
In general, nonprofit organizations receiving direct funding from the State General Fund are ineligible to also receive funds from the Division of the Arts grant programs in the same fiscal year. Please call the Division staff for clarifications specific to your organization.
Immediate family of the Division of the Arts staff or Louisiana State Arts Council members: Section 1113 of the Louisiana Code of Ethics states that "no public servant...or member of such a public servant's immediate family shall bid on or enter into any contract, subcontract, or other transaction that is under the supervision or jurisdiction of the agency of such public servant." The Code defines immediate family to include public servant's children, the spouse's of his children, brothers, sisters, parents, spouse and the parents of his spouse.

Funding Conflicts

Organizations receiving Stabilization funding may not receive Decentralized Arts Funding General Operating funding in the same fiscal year. Please call the Division staff for clarifications specific to your organization.

The Louisiana State Arts Council has adopted an accumulated deficit policy to assure that institutions receiving funding demonstrate sufficient fiscal stability to insure their continued existence. An organization, which has increased or failed to reduce an operating or capital budget deficit for three consecutive years prior to the deadline is not eligible to apply for a Division grant unless the organization has ended the most recent fiscal year with a balanced budget and can:

Demonstrate having made a significant effort in deficit reduction during the fiscal year preceding this application

Provide a deficit elimination schedule approved by its governing body and acceptable to the Division

We Do Not Fund

Under these guidelines, funding is not available for:

Accumulated deficits or debt retirement

Acquisition of works of art

Capital improvements including restoration of buildings and sites

High school, college, or university faculty exhibitions

Conservation of non-culture related collections

Lobbying expenses

Operational costs to universities

Activities used for academic degrees

Activities that primarily serve social or religious purposes

Scholarships, purchase awards, or cash prizes

Performances & exhibitions to take place outside the state

Tuition for academic study

Activities intended primarily for fundraising

Food or beverages for hospitality or entertainment functions

Licensing fees

Fines, penalties, interest on loans, or costs of litigation

Indirect costs

Hiring of temporary or permanent staff in any school or school system

Payment of administrative or teaching staff for any school(s) or school systems

Artists filling teacher vacancies

Transporting of students to arts events

Other Arts Funding Programs

The Louisiana Division of the Arts (LDOA) also funds the Decentralized Arts Funding Program, the Regional Development Agencies, and Special Initiatives.

The Decentralized Arts Funding Program provides a system for funding arts and cultural projects in every parish. Decentralized funds are disbursed from LDOA to nine Regional Development Agencies (RDA) and 1 Local Regranting Agency (LRA).

Regional Development Agencies Performance Plan is a non-competitive grant agreement development process for agencies that regrant Decentralized Arts Funds. It provides general operating support to assist the Regional Agencies in achieving their mission of providing specific services that respond to the needs in their regions on a local level.

Special Initiatives provide a means to address specific needs in the arts identified by the Louisiana State Arts Council and the Division. Initiative support falls into three general categories: Service Organization Support, Leadership Development, and Research & Communications. Priorities in this area facilitate the development of the state's arts infrastructure and statewide arts service organizations.

Occasionally opportunities arise where the Division will offer a special initiative project geared to a specific art form, program, project, or professional development opportunity that falls outside of the regular grants cycle. Special Initiative Grant availability will be publically advertised on the Division website and by other appropriate communication methods. They often have their own parameters or special guidelines for application.

Interested parties should contact the Division of the Arts Staff for assistance at 225-342-8180 and check our website announcements at www.crt.state.la.us/arts .

Grants Calendar

January 6, 2012
Guidelines Available Online

January 6, 2012
Grant Applications Available Online

February 20, 2012
Draft Receipt Deadline: Your program officer will give feedback to a draft application.

March 1, 2012, 5:00 pm CST
Application Deadline

March 9, 2012, 5:00 pm CST
Receipt of Application Signature Page Deadline

May 2012
Grant Review Panels

June 1, 2012
Panel Comments & Recommendations

July 2, 2012
Appeals Deadline

July 27, 2012
Louisiana State Arts Council Grant Recommendations & Appeals Review

August, 2012
Grant Award Notices & Contracts

June 3, 2013
Final Report Due

July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013
Grant Period for All Awards

Application Review
The Louisiana Division of the Arts, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council uses advisory panels to assist in funding decisions. Panelists are experienced artists, administrators, and individuals knowledgeable in the arts, and are recommended by individuals, organizations, and the Division staff. The Council ratifies the selection of diverse panelists who reflect various geographic areas and appropriate areas of expertise. If you are interested in becoming a panelist, please click here.
Review Criteria
The advisory panel will review your application in accordance with the Division's program goals and evaluation criteria for the particular category and then provide a rating of the merit of your application.
Application Process

The Division receives the application and verifies that it complies with Division guidelines. Application deadlines will be strictly enforced and late applications will not be considered. The applicant's grants management track record is considered in all programs. Delinquent Final Reports may impact future eligibility.

The appropriate advisory panel rates the proposal.

We employ an online panel process for application assessment and review. Panels do not convene. Panel comments will be collected for all applications and provided to an applicant upon request. Applicants may call or email the Division staff.

To appeal the panel's funding recommendations, applicants must submit a letter of appeal. Such requests must contain a justification indicating that actions of the advisory panel or the Division staff were based upon insufficient or incorrect information in the panel process that is not the fault of the applicant. Funding recommendations at a level lower than anticipated by the applicant are not considered grounds for appeal. Letters of appeal must be submitted in writing (hardcopy) to the Executive Director and must be in the Division office by the appeals deadline, July 1, 2012.

The Executive Director reviews all appeals and provides recommendations - including any recommended adjustments in funding - to the Louisiana State Arts Council at their quarterly meeting in July.

The Council reviews the appeal recommendations and ratifies all final funding recommendations. The Louisiana Legislature appropriates money for the Division of the Arts grants programs during its regular session. It is only after passage of the Appropriations Bill that the Division has an indication of the amount of money available for the grant year. Once an application has been approved for funding, and after the Division receives its approved budget, applicants receive notification of approval and formal grant agreements are processed. The Division does not release funds until there is a signed grant agreement between the Division and the recipient of a grant. Funding is contingent on the availability of funds designated from the Louisiana Legislature.

After You Are Awarded a Grant
Instructions on How to Prepare and Submit an Application

How to Contact Us
Louisiana Division of the Arts
Office of Cultural Development
Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
State of Louisiana
Telephone
Main Phone Line: 225.342.8180
Fax: 225.342.8173

Questions about Grants?
www.crt.state.la.us/arts
Staff Directory, www.crt.state.la.us/arts/StaffDirectory.aspx
Address
Mailing Address (for US Postal Service only)
P.O. Box 44247
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4247
Physical Address (for all couriers other than the US Postal Service)
Capital Annex Building
1051 NorthThird Street
4th Floor-Suite 405
Baton Rouge, LA 70802-5239

Office Hours:
Monday-Friday, 8 am - 5 pm
Directions to the Division Office: www.crt.state.la.us/arts/Directions.aspx
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