Arts Grants

Grants are awarded competitively by the Cultural Affairs Commission three times a year to Dane County nonprofit organizations and individuals seeking supplementary support for local arts projects. Activities may encompass architecture, dance, folk arts, literary arts, music, theater, and visual arts. Grant-supported activities must culminate in tangible services presented to the community, such as exhibitions, concerts, touring productions, festivals, and publications. Public access to the project is a requirement of a culture affairs grant.

Because the commission cannot become the primary contributor of support for any organization and its activities, cultural affairs grants are designed to help leverage additional funds from other sources and encourage applicants to develop a diverse funding base.

Application Deadlines
Grant application deadlines are February 1, June 1 and September 1. Applications should be submitted by February 1 for a May 1-January 1 project period; June 1 for a September 1-April 1 project period; and September 1 for a December 1-July 1 project period.

Applications must be postmarked or delivered to the Cultural Affairs Office on or before the grant deadline. If a deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, applications must be delivered to the office by 4:30 p.m. on the preceding work day, or be postmarked on or before a grant deadline. Late submissions cannot be considered. If the United States Postal Service or other delivery service is used, it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure postmark on or before the due date. Mailed applications must be received by the Cultural Affairs Commission within four days after the deadline.

Use the Correct Application Forms
Download the Arts Grant Application as a saveable PDF.
Download the Arts Grant application as a legacy PDF.
Get more information on how to use the form.

Eligibility

Individuals and nonprofit organizations located in Dane County are eligible to apply for cultural affairs grants. Applications from individuals are eligible if a proposed project involves no more than two individual presenters. In cases where there are more than two participating individuals, the application must be submitted by an eligible not-for-profit organization.
Applicant organizations must hold federal tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applications from school districts, municipalities or non-county governmental agencies are also eligible. Fraternal organizations, churches or church-related groups with proposals which do not promote religion or a particular religious doctrine may apply. Degree credit students may not apply for grants which support projects that are directly related to their academic studies.
Applications will not be considered from individuals and organizations which have not fulfilled their obligations to the commission under the terms of previous grants.

Review Criteria
The following criteria are applied by the commission's advisory panels in the review of arts proposals

Quality of the proposed projects
Level of community impact and public benefit
Evidence of careful financial planning
Ability of applicant to successfully complete
the project

In addition, the commission gives special consideration to proposals which serve rural areas and outlying communities in Dane County.

Application Guidelines

Projects must be conducted within Dane County.
The commission may provide up to fifty percent of the total project budget; grants must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Matching funds may include cash contributions, in-kind contributions or a combination of both. Generally, the commission will only fund proposals which demonstrate evidence of a partial cash match. In-kind services may include contributions of space, materials, loaned equipment and donated professional services. Professional services should be calculated on a local wage scale acceptable to the commission. Nonprofessional volunteer time cannot be considered as an in-kind service. Commission grants may not be matched by other county tax dollars.
Grants may be used for personnel costs (including honoraria and fees), space rental, marketing, in-county travel, supplies and materials.
Grants may not be used for general operating expenses, purchase of permanent equipment, development of school curriculum or teacher training, capital expenditures, prizes, tuition, scholarships, food or refreshments, deficits incurred from past activities, fundraising or profit-making activities. The commission cannot support commercial ventures.
Grants may not support administrative, research, survey and planning projects per se. However, eligible projects may incorporate administrative, research, survey and planning elements, but these must be part of a larger enterprise which culminates in the public presentation of a project.
The commission may approve an amount less than requested by the applicant.
A grant carries no commitment for future support beyond the term of the project.

Instructions

Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their proposals with the commission before the grant deadline. Because staff does not participate in award recommendations and decisions, the Cultural Affairs Office is available to explain grant policies and provide assistance in grant writing.
Grant proposals must be typed in standard-size 10-12 point type and submitted on the appropriate application form provided by the Cultural Affairs Commission. Proposals on computer disk or computer-generated facsimiles of the form will not be accepted. The narrative page of the application, however, may be substituted with an identically-spaced page prepared on a word processor.
All proposals must include one original and eight copies. Materials such as supporting letters, planning schedules, touring itineraries, reviews and resumes of participating professionals should be attached to the original and all eight copies. Only one copy of a work sample, such as a manuscript, slides or video tape, is required to provide evidence of project quality. If slides are submitted, attached a descriptive slide list. If submitting video or audio tape samples, please cue a five-minute segment and attach a brief, written description of the work sample.
Applicant organizations must include one copy only of the following: a mission statement of the organization; list of current board of directors and staff to the project; organizational budget for the year in which the project is occurring; and the Internal Revenue Service letter determining federal tax exempt status. These may accompany the original application; eight copies are not required.
To prepare an application for submission, punch each complete set with a three-hole punch. Bind the original application and eight copies with paper clips or rubber bands. Please do not use staples, folders or binder books. Make an extra complete copy of the application for your own files.

Review and Award Process

All proposals receive careful review by a panel of knowledgeable citizen advisors. The panel's funding recommendations are forwarded to the Cultural Affairs Commission for final award decisions. This process takes approximately eight weeks.
Announcements of grant decisions will be made by letter mailed to applicants. The terms of a grant are set forth in a legal contract of agreement signed by Dane County and the grantee. Grant funds must be expended within the designated project period, in accordance with the plans and assurances described in the grantee's application.
Proposals which are not funded may be resubmitted in another competition. In these cases, applicants are encouraged to consult with commission staff before resubmitting.

Mini Grants
In rare circumstances, mini grants of up to $1,000 are available to assist in emergency situations or unique opportunities. Mini grant applications must clearly document the emergency need or unique nature of the request and must be submitted to the Cultural Affairs Office at least ten days before a commission meeting. All other requirements of the general grants program apply to mini grants.