Grants of up to $100,000 are available to 501(c)3 nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the City of Houston that were affected by COVID-19.
Donor Name: Mid-America Arts Alliance
State: Texas
City: Houston
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/30/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $100,000
Details:
The objective of the Houston Arts and Cultural Stabilization Grant (ACSG) is to be a resource for 501c(3) nonprofit Houston arts and culture organizations that were economically impacted by COVID-19.
The program intends to support day-to-day business expenses related to staff salaries and Houston-based contracted artists who carry out the organization’s programming. Funds can also be used to support marketing expenses associated with the organization’s programs.
This program will disburse grants of up to $100,000 each to no less than 46 grantees. M-AAA intends to make awards that impact a broad constituency. They encourage applications from a variety of organizations including:
- Organizations that serve populations that are underserved, such as those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by external forces (e.g., cultural representation/relevance) and accessibility; and
- Organizations with budgets of all sizes.
Funding Information
Each applicant may submit one application for a grant amount of up to $100,000; Funding awarded through this program must be reflected in the submitted documentation of payroll register, contracts for events, residencies that were paid in part or in full following their cancellation/termination due to the COVID-19, or that took place, or are planned to take place between July 1, 2021, and December 31, 2023; Expenses in the reimbursement grant budget must represent the actual costs for expenses incurred prior to June 1, 2023. Proposed expenses that are incurred after the execution of the grant agreement must reasonably reflect the actual costs for allocated expenses between June 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023. The rationale for all costs, including descriptions of how the activities or projects that were canceled or affected by COVID-19, must be explained in the budget narrative.
Eligibility Criteria
This grant program will provide financial support to 501(c)3 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations located in the city of Houston that primarily produce, present, or exhibit the arts, with a preference for those with arts in their mission statement.
Applicant organizations must:
- Be a 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization;
- Be a nonprofit organization that has its own Board of Directors with its own established bylaws, and manages its own budget independent of a parent organization;
- Be incorporated within the state of Texas and has a majority of its operations occurring in the city of Houston as defined by the 2020-2024 Council District Maps
- Self-attest that, barring unforeseen circumstances, it will remain in operation through calendar year 2023;
- Be registered and in good standing with the Texas Office of the Secretary of State. This will be verified through a search of SOSDirect
- Have at least a three-year history of arts programming prior to the application deadline; programming is not required to have taken place during consecutive years. If the applicant’s programming was affected or suspended due to COVID-19, the application may reference 2020 or 2021 programming that was canceled or reimagined due to the pandemic. Virtual programming, planning, and COVID-19 recovery activities are considered to be programming. You may also choose to list arts programming from a recent year other than 2020 or 2021. For the purposes of defining eligibility, “three-year history” refers to when an organization began its arts programming and not when it incorporated or received nonprofit, tax-exempt status;
- Compensate all professional artists or supporting professional personnel at no less than the prevailing minimum compensation in accordance
- Apply directly on its own behalf. Applications through a fiscal sponsor/agent are not allowed;
- Have and provide a valid EIN which will be verified using the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool
- Be in good standing regarding City of Houston requirements (e.g., property taxes, personal property, grounds for debarment). and be in good standing with the City of Houston and M-AAA, with no overdue or delinquent reports and/or documentation; and
- Commit to M-AAA’s Grantee Assurance of Compliance and Federal Suspension and Disbarment Policy
Those that are not eligible to apply include:
- Individuals;
- Nonprofits with a 501(c)3 status that are hospitals or hospital foundations; public, private, and charter primary and secondary schools; and school foundations;
- Post-secondary education institutions and foundations;
- For-profit organizations;
- Organizations whose primary focus, programming, and mission is not specifically arts or culture related;
- Government agencies and university/community college departments and affiliates;
- State arts agencies;
- Organizations that have permanently closed;
- Organizations currently in a bankruptcy proceeding;
- Organizations that are debarred or suspended from receiving federal funds;
- Auxiliary or friends groups;
- Fiscal sponsors/agent; or
- Public television and other public media organizations.
For more information, visit Mid-America Arts Alliance.
