IDEAS OVERVIEW AND APPLICATION PROCESS

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1 IDEAS OVERVIEW AND APPLICATION PROCESS Overview and goals The IDEAS Collaborative was formed in 2010 to create an opportunity for funders and arts, cultural and heritage organizations to work together in a new partnership model. Our collective goal was a multifaceted one: to strengthen the connection between the community and arts and culture organizations by better engaging audiences, to foster collaboration, to identify the arts as an economic engine and to develop cooperative marketing and communications strategies that benefit the entire sector. We desire to provide financial support for our arts and cultural partners and also to create an environment in which innovative thinking and project development can surface and be implemented. Thus we created the IDEAS Implementation Fund to provide grants to organizations who wish to take advantage of the knowledge gained in the 2011 IDEAS Report and the technical assistance available through Surale Phillips at Decision Support Partners. In addition to grants to individual organizations, the IDEAS funding partners are providing significant support to CNY Arts. This support is in three major areas: to expand their capacity, to provide professional development and educational opportunities to their constituents, and to help create a community wide marketing system for arts, culture and heritage organizations. The IDEAS Collaborative is a new venture as well as a model that has not been attempted here before. We appreciate your patience as we refine this process. These new, simplified guidelines were developed out of a focus group of IDEAS organizations we continue to welcome input as this process evolves. IDEAS Fund grantmaking approach The funding partners will expect that you have read the IDEAS research and reference it in your request. The panel will also expect that you have consulted with Surale Phillips at Decision Support Partners prior to submitting this request. If additional technical assistance is needed to fulfill your goals, whether it is Surale Phillips, another consultant, or additional technology or training, we encourage you to build it into your request. Consultants, contractors, equipment, software and the like are also eligible for funding provided that the overall grant goal clearly fits a strategy supported by the IDEAS research and recommendations. Collaborating organizations may now request a grant up to $20,000. Grants up to $10,000 to individual organizations remain available. The IDEAS funding partners are willing to entertain multi-year project requests with specific benchmarks as contingency for renewal. For example an organization might need several years for successful implementation and outcome measurements, or phases for planning followed by implementation. IDEAS Overview Page 1 of 6

2 CNY Arts and the funding partners are working together to determine the future of this initiative in support of regional cultural development. At this point there is no specific sunset date for the Fund. The funding partners continue to discuss the needs of CNY Arts, community-wide arts/culture marketing, and the individual IDEAS organizations into the future. The IDEAS Fund is specifically dedicated towards the goals of the overall IDEAS initiative. In all except one case, the funding partners do not intend that the Fund replace their regular support of the arts, but instead we encourage organizations to take advantage of the Fund to meet these overall goals and further the possibilities found in the IDEAS community and organizational research. We encourage utilizing the Fund to take risks, understanding that not all conceived approaches or funded activities might work. We embrace the concept that learning from the endeavor is as valuable as the direct outcomes. That being said, we also see new approaches as not just adding brand new programs, but also adding new/different twists, or enhancing current or planned programs. Decision making process and application requirements: Step One: Contact Surale Phillips to discuss your potential request. Step Two: Make sure your CDP is updated with your most recently completed fiscal year data (audited if possible). Generate a CDP report (titled IDEAS Collaborative report but found under Central New York Community Foundation section of the NYS Cultural Data Project website.) Step Three: The IDEAS Implementation Fund is being managed by the Central New York Community Foundation, so you will submit your application by to Olive Sephuma at grants@cnycf.org. Your application should also include your CDP IDEAS report as well as your current fiscal budget with expenses to date. Step Four: Once the application is received by CNYCF you will receive an acknowledgment. You will be assigned an IDEAS program officer one of four staff members of IDEAS funding partners who have volunteered to serve on a program committee. Currently the IDEAS program committee is Olive Sephuma, CNYCF;, Heidi Holtz, Gifford; Nora Spillane, Onondaga County Cultural Resources Trust and Steve Butler, CNY Arts. Step Five: Your program officer will review the request and send any additional questions to you. Please note that we do send the submitted application to Surale to confirm that she has discussed the idea with you and was able to provide input. Step Six: Once answers have been received your program officer makes recommendations to the program committee as a whole, who then in turn makes a final recommendation to all of the six current IDEAS funding partners. Each funding partner receives one vote. The six are the Allyn Foundation, Central New York Community Foundation, Gifford Foundation, Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation, John Ben Snow Foundation and the Trust for Cultural Resources of the County of Onondaga. Step Seven: Your program officer will contact you about the decision. If your request is approved you will receive a grant check from the Central New York Community Foundation. Your approval letter will outline how to promote the grant (with logo and language specific to the IDEAS Collaborative) as well as reporting expectations. It takes between four and six weeks for a decision to be made after the application is received. IDEAS Overview Page 2 of 6

3 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS If my organization gets an IDEAS grant, does this limit how or when I can apply through a regular grantmaking process at any of the participating foundations? Four of the six of the funders will continue to entertain proposals for funding from any IDEAS organization with the exception of the Allyn Foundation and, for the time being, the Trust for Cultural Resources. You may contact any of the four funders (CNYCF, Gifford, Reisman and Snow) regarding grants but please note that all of these funders will be asking how IDEAS has impacted your organization regardless of what type of project you are seeking support for. If my organization submits a proposal for an IDEAS grant that gets approved, what is the time frame for applying for another IDEAS grant for a different project? Organizations may apply for subsequent IDEAS grants after twelve months have passed and a progress report indicating that specific benchmarks have been met has been reviewed, or a final report for the project for which they have previously received funding has been accepted. How many IDEAS grants can one organization receive within a twelve month timeframe? One in each category. Are we limited to one of the grant categories or can we come in for both if they are two unique requests? Organizations may submit for both grant categories, although there is no guarantee of funding in both and we encourage organizations to think strategically about timing. If we have a collaborative project that involves a new partner and our grant helps to cover the cost of services to that partner for the program, does that work? In other words, does the actual funding have to be shared between/among the partners in the form of cash? In most cases yes, unless the partners are providing in-kind contributions to the project. If a collaborative project is funded, how does that impact the partners' ability to apply for a separate IDEAS grant? If lead agency A gets a grant to partner with agency B, can agency B apply for a grant that is a different project/request? Yes, agency B can apply for a project as long as it is distinct from the project funded for its collaboration with agency A. IDEAS FAQs Page 3 of 6

4 If we already have a program in place or planned and would like to enhance the program by adding activities, marketing, or approach that we believe would expand participation, would that quality? Yes, so long as the activity, marketing, or approach is new or different from what is currently in place and speaks to the findings or recommendations in the IDEAS research. Will the Fund support staff salaries? Supporting permanent staff is difficult given the sustainability issues. We prefer to support temporary staff, consultants, or independent contractors. If the organization has a clear-cut and strong plan for sustaining a permanent position we would consider the application for example, a commitment from another source for support of the position beyond the IDEAS project. How long does it take for application decisions to be made? The organization will be notified within six weeks of submitting its application, assuming all required elements have been included and due diligence questions answered on a timely basis. IDEAS FAQs Page 4 of 6

5 Grant Application Coversheet Organization Name: Date of Request: Org. Website: Contact Person: Phone: Title: Program/Project Title: Project Dates: Total Project Budget: Requested Amount: For collaborative projects, please submit the same page for all the organizations involved in the collaboration. Send completed electronic applications to: Questions may be directed to: Heidi Holtz Olive Sephuma Gifford Foundation Central New York Community Foundation You should receive an within two days acknowledging that the application has been received. If you do not, please contact Olive. IDEAS Application Questions Page 5 of 6

6 The IDEAS Fund, while supported and guided by the funding partners, has unique grantmaking approach, policies and process. These might be different from those of the individual funders. See the list of Frequently Asked Questions but do not hesitate to approach any of the program committee members if you are uncertain. APPLICATION QUESTIONS Please complete the application coversheet and then, in a word document, answer the following questions: 1. What would you like to do? How much is needed from the IDEAS Fund to accomplish this? 2. How is your request informed by the IDEAS research? 3. What is new or different about this project, approach, need, or activity for your organization? What will be enhanced or expanded with this grant? How will you manage this increased activity and/or or enhancements/expansions beyond the life of the grant? If this activity/enhancement/expansion is not intended to extend beyond the life of the grant, please explain its limitations. 4. How will you measure success and document this grant? How might you use what you learn in future programming or planning? 5. How might this grant help the IDEAS Collaborative reach its overarching goals? Please attach a budget detailing the request, including the sources of any other income (earned and contributed). The budget should also provide an explanation of costs by line item. A 25% match by the organization (cash matches are a plus factor). Attachments Please also provide a copy of: 1. Your up-to-date CDP report 2. Current fiscal year budget with year to date actuals 3. Most recent fiscal year audit or financials if not reflected in the CDP report For collaborative projects, please also include: 4. For each collaborative partner also include the most recently completed fiscal year organizational budget and the current fiscal year organizational budget. IDEAS Application Questions Page 6 of 6