The Kentucky Arts Partnership Grant Program provides support for the general operating costs of Kentucky arts and cultural organizations whose primary mission is to provide Kentuckians with year-round arts programming.
Donor Name: Kentucky Arts Council
State: Kentucky
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/15/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The purpose of the Kentucky Arts Partnership Grant Program is to ensure year-round participation in the arts is available to the people of Kentucky by providing operating support to arts organizations.
Goals
- To develop and maintain strong arts organizations.
- To increase arts participation statewide.
- To promote diverse arts and culture.
- To help build an efficient arts delivery system across the state.
Funding Information
Funding ranges are pre-set and based on several factors, including eligible operating revenue. Awards vary from year to year and are contingent on appropriation of funds by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Kentucky Arts Partnership Grant Program funding formula will be based on the following:
- Available funds for the program
- Applicants’ scores by the review panel based on the criteria
- Organizations’ operating revenues with funding caps for the following tiers.
Operating revenues for arts programs/Funding caps
- $5,000,000 and more: 1.5%, maximum $59,999
- $2,500,000 – $4,999,999: 2.5%
- $1,000,000 – $2,499,999: 3.5%
- $500,000 – $999,999: 4.5%
- $100,000 – $499,999: 5.5%
- less than $100,000: 6.5%, minimum $1,000
The definition of operating revenues used to compute the funding formula includes the following:
- Earned revenue
- Unrestricted contributions
- Sponsorships and underwriting revenue used in the applicable fiscal year
- Dividends and interest on investments not from endowments
- Endowment withdrawals in the applicable fiscal year
- Grants from government, corporate and foundation sources.
Grant Period
July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicant must be in good standing with the Kentucky Arts Council with no past due final reports in any grant category.
- Applicant must be a free-standing arts group independent of any other organization. Government units that are local arts agencies are also eligible for Kentucky Arts Partnership funding. (State or other agencies supported primarily with state or federal funds are ineligible.
- Internal programs of academic institutions that serve, feature, produce or present professional artists may apply. (The KAC will only accept one application supporting one program per academic institution, education system, or school district.)
- Applicant must be responsible for its own programming.
- Applicant must currently have, and maintain during the grant cycle, IRS tax-exempt status.
- Applicant must be legally chartered in Kentucky and have its headquarters and home season, or activities equivalent to a home season for non producing organizations, in Kentucky.
- Applicant must provide a significant amount of year-round public arts-based activity and programming that impacts Kentuckians and their communities.
- Applicant must have a board approved long-range plan covering at least the current and next fiscal years.
- Applicant must demonstrate ongoing fiscal responsibility through an audit or financial review conducted externally by a certified public accountant (CPA) or an internally created financial balance statement for its most recently completed fiscal year at the time of application. All applications must include board approved financial documentation as stated below:
- Organizations with prior year expenses of $1,000,000 or more must provide an audited financial statement performed by an independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for 2022 or 2023. An audited financial statement includes confirmation with outside parties who have tested selected transactions by examining supporting documents, completing physical inspections and observations and considering and evaluating the internal control system of the organization. The selected CPA must have no other connection to the organization.
- Organizations with prior year expenses of $250,000 to $999,999 must provide a financial review performed by an independent CPA for 2022 or 2023. A financial review includes confirmation from outside parties and will include cash, receivables, inventory, fixed assets, intangible assets, notes payable and accrued expenses, long-term liabilities, contingencies and commitments, equity and revenue and expenses. The selected CPA must have no other connection to the organization.
- Organizations with prior year expenses of under $249,999 must provide an internally prepared balance sheet that includes assets and liabilities and an income statement showing income and expenses along with the resulting net income or loss for 2022 or 2023.
Restrictions
State or other agencies supported primarily with state or federal funds are ineligible. Kentucky Arts Partnership grant funds may not be used for the following purposes:
- Purchase of equipment, property, library holdings or acquisitions
- Capital improvements, facility construction, structural renovations and restorations
- Publications or recordings for commercial purposes
- Scholarships or other activities related to academic credit or degrees
- Activities intended primarily for fundraising
- Food, beverages or other refreshments
- Requests designed to reduce or eliminate existing deficits
- Interest on loans, fines, penalties and/or litigation costs
- Expenses incurred before the starting date of the period covered in the grant request
- Investments of any kind
- Performances not available to the general public
- Programs that have sectarian purposes
- Indirect costs unless 1) per a current federally-negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (official documentation required), or 2) “de minimus” indirect costs not to exceed 10 percent of total modified direct cost
- The application of new artistic work to historic buildings or structures unless approved by the state historic preservation office as being in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (contact the Kentucky Heritage Council at 502-564-7005 or visit Kentucky Heritage Council).
For more information, visit KAC.
