2016 Community Project Grant Application Guidelines

Transcription

1 2016 Community Project Grant Application Guidelines (Updated May 2016) Letter of Intent Deadline Final Application Deadlines Notification Date * (sent via ) Award Period Mini grants - up to $5,000 Not applicable June 1, 2016 August 1, 2016 October 3, :00 Noon Eastern Time One month after the deadline 12 months beginning from the award notification date Major grants - up to $15,000 PENDING AVAILABLE FUNDS TBD REQUIRED FOR ALL MAJOR GRANT APPLICANTS TBD TBD TBD * All proposed public programs cannot occur sooner than six weeks from the award notification date. NEED HELP? General grant questions: Technical questions for the on-line application: Diane Wakeman, Grants Director Lisa Lennox, FHC Website Administrator 727/ dwakeman@flahum.org llennox@flahum.org 1

2 Eligibility and Availability Community Project grants from the Florida Humanities Council (FHC) provide support for the planning and implementation of public humanities programs and resources that meet the needs and interests of local communities. Projects may include lecture series and panel discussions, reading and discussion groups, film series, oral history projects, exhibitions, and the development of cultural resources that complement public programming. All projects must: be rooted in one or more of the disciplines of the humanities enlist the participation of humanities scholars and/or experts in the project s planning and execution, and engage the public in thoughtful and informed activities that explore humanities topics, including those related to Florida and/or topics of interest to Floridians Special consideration may be given to the following: proposals from organizations with annual budgets of less than $1 million projects that reach new and/or underserved audiences projects that build on partnerships between two or more organizations or institutions Before You Apply Before beginning the application process, applicants must review the general eligibility guidelines and grant requirements at Any Florida non-profit organization that currently does not have an open FHC grant is eligible to apply. All grants are awarded on a competitive basis and are dependent on the availability of federal funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Grant Period and Award Payments Mini Grants (up to $5,000) All projects must be completed within 12 months and final reports must be submitted within 60 days of the last grant-funded activity or the closing date of the grant period, whichever occurs first. Grantees will receive funds in two installments: 90% at start of project and the final 10% on a reimbursement basis contingent upon receipt and approval of all required final reports. Major Grants (up to $15,000) PENDING AVAILABLE FUNDS IN All projects must be completed within 18 months and final reports must be submitted within 60 days of the last grantfunded activity or the closing date of the grant period, whichever occurs first. Grantees will receive funds in three installments: 45% at start of project, 45% upon submission of an interim report, and the final 10% on a reimbursement basis contingent upon receipt and approval of all required final reports. All proposed public programs to be supported by FHC cannot occur sooner than six weeks from the award notification date. 2

3 STEP ONE: CREATING A USER ACCOUNT The Florida Humanities Council only accepts electronic grant applications. All applicants must first set up an on-line account in order to submit a grant proposal. Once you click on the Apply Now link on the FHC grants page, you will be directed to the Log-on Page ( If you do not already have an account, click on the Create New Account button. You will then be directed through a series of steps to collect information about your organization and the proposal s Project Director. Sponsoring Organization If funded, this is the name of the organization to which all grant funds will be made payable. The following information must be input for the sponsoring organization: Organization name and mailing address Federal ID number / EIN. This number is issued by the IRS and is typically a 2-digit number followed by a dash and 7 more digits. DUNS number. This is a unique 9-digit number used by the federal government to identify businesses. If you do not have a DUNS number, follow the link provided to obtain one. Project Director - If funded, this individual has overall responsibility for carrying out all grant activities. All correspondence related to the grant will be directed to the Project Director. Executive Officer - You must identify the CEO, Executive Director, or head of the sponsoring organization. It is recommended that the Project Director and the head of the sponsoring organization is not the same person. Password Create a unique password that will be used with your address to log in to your user account. If you wish to change your password or account information in the future, log on to your account and click Edit Profile in the upper right corner of the screen. A confirmation of your registration will be sent to the project director s address. The will contain your account username and password. Save this information in a secure location To access your account at any time, go directly to STEP TWO: SUBMITTING A LETTER OF INTENT (MAJOR GRANTS ONLY) 3

4 All major grant applicants are required to submit an electronic Letter of Intent by 12 Noon EST on the stated deadline. Applicants must use the link found at to submit the letter of intent. No letters of intent will be accepted in hard copy or via . Each letter of intent will be reviewed for its adherence to stated eligibility guidelines and general requirements of the FHC grant program The information submitted in the letter of intent, if approved, will not be used in the final grant review performed by the board of directors. Applicants must provide the following information in the letter of intent: Name of sponsoring organization and mailing address Name and contact information for the project director Proposed project title Project format(s) Brief project abstract Intended audience and geographic area to be served Estimated project dates. Estimated request amount (up to $15,000) Explanation of how FHC funds will be spent. Only those organizations with an approved letter of intent may proceed to the full application process. Notification: notification will be sent to the project director if the letter of intent has been approved and the sponsoring organization is eligible to complete a full application. STEP THREE: SELECTING AN APPLICATION PROCESS After creating a user account and logging in to the on-line grant system at select the appropriate application process. Mini Grants: To start a new application, click on the Apply link in the left column and then on the grant deadline. Major Grants: For applicants with an approved letter of intent, click on the Dashboard link in the left column and then Edit Application. STEP FOUR: COMPLETING THE APPLICATION NARRATIVE Once you have opened a new or saved application, you must complete each of the following narrative fields. An application can be saved and returned to at a later date for completion. 4

5 1. History and Mission of the Organization. (limit 2,000 characters, including spaces) Provide a brief organizational history of the applicant organization Provide the mission statement of the applicant organization Note any prior grant history with FHC. 2. Humanities Content. (limit 3,500 characters, including spaces) What is the project? What is the project timeline? What humanities issues or ideas will be addressed? Describe complementary resources that may be developed to extend the reach of the project. Describe how those resources will be made available to the public. 3. Target Audience and Marketing. (limit 2,000 characters, including spaces) Who is the target audience? What is the need for the project in the community? Outline your marketing plan, including social media strategies Is there a fee to attend? If so, describe in detail and note that preference is given to projects that are completely free to the general public. 4. Project Personnel. (limit 3,500 characters, including spaces) Identify the sponsoring organization staff, their role in the project, and qualifications for participation Identify the project director and qualifications for participation Identify all scholars/presenters anticipated or confirmed for participation in the project, their role in the project, and qualifications for participation 5. Impact and Evaluation. (limit 2,000 characters, including spaces) Describe the expected impact of your project on the target audience. Explain how you will evaluate its success and measure results. A sample evaluation tool developed specifically for your program activities must be attached as a support document. 5

6 STEP FIVE: UPLOADING SUPPORT MATERIALS The following REQUIRED forms and documents must also be uploaded to complete the application process: ONE PAGE PROJECT SUMMARY (MAJOR GRANTS ONLY) Major grant applicants must upload a one-page project summary addressing each of the five narrative questions. You MUST use the form provided. BUDGET FORM Download and complete the budget and budget summary form provided in the on-line application. You MUST use the form provided. Funds may be requested for such reasonable project-related expenses as honoraria and travel for speakers, printing and publicity, equipment/facility rental, postage and other materials necessary for implementation of the project. The sponsoring organization must also document any cash expenditures for project implementation that are not covered by FHC funds as well as any in-kind goods and/or services to be received. FHC requires that all grant funds be matched (cost share) with at least an equal amount of cash and/or in-kind good and services. Applicants must review the list of ineligible expenses at before completing the budget. OPERATING BUDGET Applicant must attach a copy of the organization s current year operating budget. Must not exceed two pages. ATTACHMENT A Download and complete the form provided to list with the title, organizational affiliation, and contact information for all scholars and/or presenters confirmed for participation in the project. You MUST use the form provided. Form may be duplicated if needed. EVALUATION TOOL Attach a sample evaluation tool designed specifically for the proposed activities and/or resources to be created. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS Please review the Guidelines for Specific Project Types for recommendations on supporting materials. In addition to those items listed for specific project types, support materials should also include letters of commitment and resumes (no more than 2 pages each) from participating scholars/presenters; letters of support from partnering agencies who may assist with the development and/or marketing of the project; and any items that demonstrate the past success of the applicant organization in organizing/hosting public programs or developing public resources. Up to three files may be uploaded, each of which may be multiple pages. Uploaded files cannot exceed 1mb each. Preferable file format is Word doc or pdf. To replace an uploaded file, simply use the Browse button to select a new file. The new file will overwrite the previously saved file. Note: You will not see the uploaded file until your application has been re-saved. STEP SIX: PROOFING AND SUBMITTING THE FINAL APPLICATION IMPORTANT: Before submitting your final application, you must click on the Application Packet button at the top of the application form. The packet will include your entire application with all uploaded documents. Review thoroughly and make any changes to your application before clicking the Submit Form button. Once submitted, you will no longer be able to make any changes. The 6

7 Application Packet should be saved as a pdf file and kept by you as your official copy of the final application. Any application not submitted by 12:00:00 Noon (Eastern Time) on the due date will be deleted from the system and declared ineligible for consideration. HELPFUL TIPS Save your application often by clicking on the Save as Draft button at the bottom of the form. Type your narrative responses in a Word document and copy and paste into the application form. Some formatting such as bold, underlining, bullets and numbers may look different or be deleted once pasted into the application. Keep support documents to a minimum and only include those which enhance your application. You may also combine multiple support documents into one saved file (i.e. resumes and letters of support from multiple scholars may all be saved and attached as a single pdf file). Scanning documents at a lower resolution, or compressing images, may help you adhere to limits on uploaded file sizes. Review the final Application Packet thoroughly for any errors, particularly with uploaded files. Submit your final application well in advance of the deadline to allow time for troubleshooting any technical difficulties that may occur. 7

8 RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR ENHANCING YOUR APPLICATION, ESPECIALLY FOR SPECIFIC PROJECT TYPES Because the following types of projects have unique components, FHC highly recommends the inclusion of additional information in the application narrative and/or as uploaded supporting documents to enhance your proposal. If your project does not fall into one of these categories, FHC staff will be happy to suggest appropriate supporting materials. Public Programs Attach a detailed timeline/schedule of all proposed public programs including date, time, location, topic overview and confirmed presenters. Note the size of the venue and the expected number of attendees. Include letters of commitment from each scholar/presenter. Describe how audience participation will be facilitated and encouraged. Exhibitions Describe the qualifications of those responsible for developing the content of the exhibit. Describe how the exhibit will be constructed and by whom. Provide a quote or estimate from the exhibit fabricator. Include any preliminary images, photographs or sketches of the exhibit concept and layout as well as samples of any artwork, photographs or artifacts that may be included in the exhibit. Images of similar exhibits developed by the organization may also be included. Describe any expected long-term plans for use of the exhibit and related materials such as development of a traveling version of the exhibit. Media Projects (Film/Radio) Identify and describe the qualifications of the filmmaker or production company. Include a project timetable from pre-production through post-production. Attach a letter of support from at least one public television station, radio station, or other media outlet expressing interest in broadcasting the completed project. Websites Identify and provide the qualifications of those involved in the design and creation of the site. Provide an outline or summary of the site s content and navigation. Describe the site s planned interactive features and links to other sites. Describe how the website will be maintained and the qualifications of the site administrator. Oral History Projects Identify and describe the qualifications of the individual(s) who will be conducting interviews. Identify who will be interviewed and how they will be recruited or selected for participation. Describe any public programs and/or products that will result from the interviews and your long-term plans/strategies for assuring continued public access to the project. Outdoor Heritage Signage Provide an outline of the signage text that addresses content for each major section or sign. Include draft sketches of at least one section or sign. Describe how the signage will be constructed and include a brief explanation of the fabricator s experience with other similar projects. Provide a quote or estimate from the fabricator. 8

9 NEED HELP? FHC staff is happy to provide guidance via phone on completing an application, determining eligibility, discussing project ideas, addressing budgetary questions, as well as troubleshooting technical difficulties with electronic forms. Staff comments and suggestions are based solely on prior experience with grant review sessions that include board members. Adherence to staff suggestions does not guarantee funding. Please contact staff well in advance of an application guideline to ensure a prompt reply. General grant questions: Technical questions for the on-line application: Diane Wakeman, Grants Director Lisa Lennox, FHC Website Administrator 727/ dwakeman@flahum.org llennox@flahum.org 9