The Community Arts Development Grants fund day-to-day activities for county arts organizations, as well as arts-related projects for new arts organizations or non-arts groups based in the county.
Donor Name: Howard County Arts Council (HCAC)
State: Maryland
County: Howard County (MD)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/10/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $6,000
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
To carry out its mission, HCAC awards operating and special project grants to eligible organizations. HCAC is committed to helping promote, improve, and strengthen the structure of community arts organizations by providing operating funds for established arts organizations and by supporting the development of small and mid-sized arts organizations through project-specific funds.
HCAC is authorized by the Howard County government to administer grant programs for Howard County arts organizations, artists-in-education in Howard County schools, and key Baltimore City arts and cultural organizations. Organizations may be grouped for the purpose of specific projects, and may occupy more than one category of arts activities. HCAC is available to provide technical assistance in completing grant applications.
Purpose of the Grants Program
- To foster excellence, diversity, and vitality in arts offerings for Howard County residents.
- To broaden opportunities for Howard County audiences, artists and arts organizations.
- To increase the availability of arts activities in Howard County.
- To promote countywide awareness of arts resources and opportunities.
Funding Information
Operating Grants
- Applicants may not use other HCAC grants as a match for CAD (e.g.: JRT Subsidy funds, Organizational Development funds, etc.)
- No grant may exceed half of the total cash budget of the applicant’s actual proposal or 25% of the total available HCAC Community Arts Development grant funds.
- Previous operating grant recipients whose award was $40,001 or above are eligible to apply for up to a 10% increase from the prior year’s HCAC grant award.
- Previous operating grant recipients whose award was $40,000 or below are eligible to apply for up to a 25% increase from the prior year’s HCAC grant award.
- General Operating budget pages must be based on total actual cash expenses, excluding in-kind donations, minus non-eligible costs above.
- First time operating grant applicants are eligible to apply for up to 10% of their previous year’s ACTUAL operating budget based on expenses.
- For first time operating grant applicants, grant request must be calculated on actual cash expenses for the most recent completed year, NOT on the current year.
Project Grants
- All applicants and non-arts organizations are eligible to apply for up to $6,000, not to exceed 50% of the project costs.
Project Period
- Operating Grant Funding Period: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024
- Project Grant Funding Period: September 1, 2023 – August 30, 2024
Qualifications of Applicant
- Applicant organizations must be incorporated as nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations, 501(C)(3), in good standing with both State and Federal governments.
- Applicant organizations must be in good standing with HCAC.
- Applicant organizations must be soundly managed and financially accountable, and provide proof thereof. Their arts activities must be open to the general public. Arts facilities (e.g. museums, arts and/or cultural centers with public exhibits) must be regularly open and available to the general public, with or without an admission fee.
- Applicant organizations must maintain their primary office and conduct at least 50% of all business operations, programs and activities in Howard County (i.e.: 50% of rehearsals, 50% of Board and committee meetings, 50% of performances, workshops, etc.). Corporate papers, such as the 990 and Personal Property Tax forms, letterhead and program materials submitted must show primary office is located in the County.
- Each 501(c)3 organization may apply for no more than one grant through this program.
- Organizations must be governed by an independent, legally liable Board of Directors that represents its community and is acting under a mission statement and operating budget specific to the organization.
- Organizations must provide matching funds on a cash basis.
- Applicant must comply with Title VI, Section 601, of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states that no persons on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination related to the arts.
- Applicant must comply with Title IV, Section 1681, of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Section 6101, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of age or sex.
- Applicant must comply with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 which states that no otherwise qualified person shall, solely by reason of his or her handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination related to the arts.
- Applicant organizations must hold their activities in spaces accessible to persons with disabilities. Additionally, to ensure program accessibility, reasonable accommodations (i.e.: sign language interpretation, assistive listening devices, large print programs, etc.) must be provided upon appropriate notification of need.
- Howard County Government agencies are ineligible to apply to HCAC for grants.
- Arts & non-arts organizations that receive ongoing direct funding from the County are not eligible to receive Operating funds through HCAC’s CAD grant program. They may be eligible to apply in the Project category, but should contact HCAC prior to submitting a request in order to determine eligibility and restrictions.
- In addition to the above criteria, please be aware that use of copyright material in programs or promotional materials is strictly prohibited. Copyright law protects a work, in whatever medium, unless it has been placed in the public domain. Owners of copyrights hold exclusive right to the reproduction and distribution of their work; therefore, unauthorized use and distribution of copyrighted works is illegal.
Operating and Project Grants Eligibility
- New applicants must schedule a brief introductory meeting with HCAC staff to go over grant eligibility and procedures.
- New applicants, or applicants who have not received operating grants for each of the preceding two years, must apply under the project grants category for two consecutive years and successfully complete both of these project grants before being considered as eligible to apply in the operating grant category. All grant applications, interim reports, and final reports must be submitted on time, be complete, accurate and approved by HCAC to qualify as complete.
- Projects must involve an artistic process or product.
- Eligible non-arts organizations may apply for project funding only, and only direct artistic costs will be considered for funding and organization’s match. In order to qualify for a grant in this category, projects must involve an artistic process or product.
- Projects must take place in Howard County.
- Projects may take place no sooner than September 1. Projects will not be funded retroactively. For organizations who wish to hold activities in the summer (such as a summer concert or similar activity), the grant-giving period will be extended at the end of the fiscal year of the grant period. (For example, FY23 Project grant period would be extended through August 2023.) Final Reports for such projects will then be due August 31 as opposed to July 15.
To be eligible to apply in the operating category, the following conditions must also exist:
- Applicant organization must be incorporated as an arts or cultural organization with exhibition, presentation or production in the arts as its primary function, as documented within your articles of incorporation, and whose primary purpose is producing or presenting the arts through public programs and services.
- Organizations must have successfully completed two CAD project grants over the past two consecutive years, which includes completing the project as described in the grant application and submitting related interim and final reports on time. HCAC must approve all reports and will notify applicants of any outstanding issues. Organizations should plan on applying in the project category for a minimum of three years.
- Organization must be in good standing with HCAC (i.e. all required obligations from previous grants are met and all reports are submitted on time and are accurate, complete, and approved).
- Organizations must have at least a part-time paid executive director, CEO, managing director, or comparable position responsible for administering the grant funds and who reports directly to the organizations’ board of directors. This position must be filled for no fewer than 6 of the 12 months prior to submitting the application.
- Organizations may provide tuition-based educational programs, but the expenses for such programs may not comprise more than 50% of the organization’s operating expenses for the last completed fiscal year. If tuition-based educational expenses comprise more than 50% of the organization’s operating budget, the organization must apply based on an operating budget that excludes educational expenses.
For more information, visit Community Arts Development.
