Grant Proposal Checklist
Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission

To avoid common mistakes and omissions made by grant applicants, refer to the checklist below before submitting your proposal to the Dane County Cultural Affairs Office.

• Your proposal must be submitted in the appropriate granting period. February 1 deadline: for projects occurring between May 1-January 1. June 1 deadline: for project occurring between September 1-April 1. September 1 deadline: for projects occurring between December 1-July 1 If you have questions as to how your time frame fits ours, contact the Cultural Affairs Office. You will want to refer to the guidelines for information on filing deadlines and other requirements.
• If your matching funds include earned income (such as admissions or other sales), you must provide a detailed itemization of this revenue in the income section on page three of the application form.
• If your expenses include personnel fees (such as honoraria to artists), you must provide a breakdown of these costs in an attachment to page four of the application form.
• Place asterisks next to all expense items to be covered by your cultural affairs grant on page four. Include further information in the narrative portion of your proposal. This will indicate to the commission how its funds will be used to support your project.
• Make sure that you double-check your math in your income and expenditure columns. Also remember that your total income on page three should equal your total expenses on page four.
• Identify your key artistic personnel in the narrative section and provide their credentials as attachments. For an artist residency, a brief vision statement from the lead artist will help the commission make a more informed decision about the artistic merits of your project.
• Attach supporting letters and testimonials, current resumes, and relevant reviews to help the commission gauge your project's community value and artistic quality.
• Applicant organizations must include one copy of the following: a mission statement of the organization, a list of the current board of directors and staff to the project; an organizational budget for the year in which the project is occurring; and the Internal Revenue Service letter determining federal tax exempt status. These should accompany the original application; eight copies are not required.

If you have questions about the grant application and review process, please contact the Cultural Affairs Office at 608-266-5915 or cultural.affairs@co.dane.wi.us