General Operating Support for Organizations (GOSO) provides multi-year unrestricted operating support to arts and culture organizations and culturally specific organizations throughout Rhode Island that meaningfully engage and inspire their community through arts and culture programming.
Donor Name: Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA)
State: Rhode Island
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/01/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
Organizations in this program make important contributions to the diversity and vitality of the communities, the economy of the state, the enrichment of all Rhode Islanders, and the quality of life.
Goals
The goals for this program were developed in 2020 by a 36-person working group representing arts and culture and culturally specific organizations from around the state of Rhode Island.
- Provide multi-year unrestricted operating support for arts and culture organizations throughout the state through a competitive grant program.
- Include organizations that are evaluated by peer review panels as being responsive and accountable to the cultural needs of their identified communities.
- Through extensive recruitment and a streamlined entrance process, includes organizations that better represent the diversity of the state along the following parameters:
- Racial: only five BIPOC/ALAANA-centered organizations were in this program as of 2020. RISCA set a goal of at least ten BIPOC/ALAANA-centered organizations in the program by 2025.
- Geographic: there are towns and communities that have no organizational representation in GOSO. RISCA has set a goal of including at least three organizations from three different, unrepresented towns or cities in the GOSO program by 2025. Current unrepresented towns and cities include Barrington, Burrillville, Charlestown, Cumberland, Foster, Glocester, Hopkinton, Johnston, Little Compton, Narragansett, North Kingstown, North Providence, North Smithfield, Richmond, Smithfield, Tiverton, West Greenwich, and West Warwick.
- Provide a just and equitable distribution of funding that helps address the damage done by generations of institutional racism. For this goal to be realized, additional funding consideration will be given to organizations that represent communities defined as underserved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in their mission, programming, staff leadership, and board. This may include but is not limited to BIPOC/ALAANA communities; people with disabilities; or other communities who fit the NEA’s definition of underserved.
Funding Information
Award Amount: formula based. Range is from $3,000 – $40,000 a year, for three years.
Eligibility Criteria
You must be:
- A nonprofit organization.
- Conducting business and be incorporated in the State of Rhode Island as a 501(c)(3) with tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service.
- Registered with the R.I. Secretary of State.
- Governed by a revolving board of directors, trustees or advisory board drawn from the community at large and shown to be actively involved in the governance of the organization.
- A non-exempt, Rhode Island-based organization using a Fiscal Sponsor that fits the above requirements.
Ineligibility
Grant funding cannot be used for the following:
- Capital projects, including the construction or renovation of buildings, or additions to buildings.
- Development efforts, such as social events or benefits or any fundraising expenses.
- Addressing, eliminating or reducing existing debt or for contributions to an endowment fund.
- Purchasing of alcohol, food, or beverage.
- Prizes and awards for an event, person, and/or organization.
- Regranting.
- Activities that are associated with a graduate or undergraduate degree program or for which academic credit is received.
- Applications for projects that proselytize or promote religious activities, or which take place as part of a religious service.
- Programming, performances, and exhibitions unavailable and/or inaccessible to the public.
- Expenses incurred or activity happening outside of the award period.
For more information, visit RISCA.
