Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art Building Bridges 2014-15 Grants Program 1
Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art Building Bridges 2014-15 Grants Program Program Overview The Building Bridges 2014-15 Grants Program will support nonprofit organizations in their work to plan and implement cultural programs or projects intended to increase public knowledge and understanding of current-day Muslim societies through arts or media-based experiences. These nonprofit projects or programs should offer immersive, interactive, collaborative and/or engaging experiences tailored to the needs and interests of specific target audience(s). A total of $1,500,000 will be awarded for projects and programs that begin in March 2015. Grants in the amounts of $25,000 to $300,000 will be awarded for projects and programs over 1 to 3 years, depending on the need of the project. Grants may support up to 75% of the total program or project budget. The total grant requested may not exceed 25% of the organization s annual expenses. Organizations that received a grant in the 2013 funding round are eligible to apply again in this round. However, if selected in this second round, cumulative grants will not exceed more than $300,000. Nonprofit organizations with operating expense budgets greater than $250,000 are eligible to apply. Grantees will be selected through a competitive, panel review process. The application process includes three steps. Each step needs to be completed in order to progress to the next: 1. An intent to apply electronic postcard to notify the foundation that your organization will submit a letter of interest (LOI). The intent to apply electronic postcard is not a screening mechanism for applicants. Knowing the number of potential applicants is helpful to managing the grant-making cycle of the foundation. 2. A brief preliminary proposal as a letter of interest (LOI); 3. A full proposal from organizations selected by the LOI review panel. There are many ways organizations might design, structure and implement programs or projects that increase public understanding and knowledge through experiencing arts and media of programs of current day Muslim societies. Organizations are encouraged to draw upon their 2
core capabilities, audience knowledge and resources in the creation of their proposals. Competitive projects may include, but are not limited to: Development of new programs informed by past experience of successful international artistic programming; Expansion of existing programs that increase understanding of today s Muslim societies. Organizational Eligibility Organizations may submit only one application in each grant-making round. Organizations that received a grant in the 2013 funding round are eligible to apply again in this round. If selected in this second round, the two cumulative grants will not exceed more than $300,000. Projects must take place within the United States. 501(c)(3) tax exempt status and publicly supported. Annual operating expenses greater than $250,000, of which at least $50,000 is for professional arts or media programming. At least three years of successful experience producing or presenting arts and/or mediabased programs. Application Step/Due Date 1. Submit an Intent to Apply Electronic Postcard June 27, 2014, 4pm EDT 2. Submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) 1000 word maximum August 15, 2014, 4pm EDT Information Required Applicant Resources Process Notes Organization Tax ID number (to access the electronic postcard form) Organization Name Organization Type Probable artistic disciplines(s) of project A link to the LOI form will be emailed once the electronic postcard has been submitted. Information required includes: Total grant amount requested Project description briefly addressing the following: What is the proposed project? Who would be involved in its planning and implementation, including possible partner organizations, community groups, etc.? What is your proposed project s desired Please visit Building Bridges Program website for link to electronic postcard. Informational webinars will be held on Wednesday, July 16 and Wednesday, August 6, 2014 to help applicants prepare their letters of interest. Applicants are encouraged to attend at least one webinar as each webinar will provide an opportunity for applicants to learn about the Building Bridges grants Building Bridges Program staff will use electronic postcard data to gain an understanding of the number of potential applicants. This is not a screening mechanism. A detailed line item budget is not required in the LOI. A committee will review the LOIs and invite a subset of applicants to submit full proposals. Results of the LOI review committee will be announced and invitations to submit full proposals issued during the week of October 6, 2014. 3
Application Step/Due Date 3. Submit a Full Proposal December 12, 2014, 4pm EDT (by invitation only) Information Required Applicant Resources Process Notes impact, and how will this be achieved? Who is the target audience(s)/ population(s) for the proposed project? How would the project involve the arts and/or media? How would artists, organizations or media resources be identified? How does your proposed project approach Muslim cultures a broad term encompassing people around the world and in the United States? A link to the Full Proposal application form will be e- mailed with instructions to invited applicants. Requirements include: full project description, timeline, line item budget, budget narrative and organizational documents (audited financials, board list, etc.) program and the application process in more detail as well to ask questions about the application process. Online workshops will be held on Monday, October 16 and Monday, October 28, 2014 for applicants invited to submit full proposals. On-line workshops will provide additional opportunities for applicants to learn more about the elements of the full proposal, to gain assistance in preparing their proposals, and to ask any remaining questions they may have. Full proposals will be reviewed by an expert panel, which will make funding recommendations to the foundation. Panelists will consider the project concept, intended impact, quality of the arts activity and/or artists, the organization s experience, and the organization s ability to successfully complete the project. The panel will be charged with identifying a geographic, programmatic, culturally and organizationally diverse portfolio of projects. 4
Grants will be awarded in February 2015. Anticipated start date for funded projects is March 1, 2015 onwards. All deadlines will be strictly observed. No exceptions will be made. Applicants must submit all materials electronically (unless otherwise noted on the application form) by 4:00 PM EDT on the relevant date. Online forms include clear instructions about space, formatting, etc., which must be followed. Hard copy and fax applications will not be accepted. Projects and Areas Not Funded: Requests from individuals. The development, publication or distribution of books or reports. Initiatives based exclusively on scholarly research or scholarly presentations. Initiatives that focus solely on historical, as opposed to contemporary, Muslim arts and cultures. Film production or distribution of a single film will generally not be competitive. Projects that support a performance by a single artist or single performance production will generally not be competitive. The program will not support direct costs for the development and installation of exhibitions. Public programs associated with exhibitions are eligible. Questions and Assistance All grants will be selected through a peer review process and administered by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art s Building Bridges Program. Questions about the program or the selection process may be addressed to: Zeyba Rahman, Senior Program Officer, ZRahman@DDCF.org; 212.974.7104. Questions about the logistics including, deadline dates, online submissions or any technical issues may be addressed to Lillian Osei-Boateng, Program Associate, LOsei-Boateng@DDCF.org; 212.974.7109. For more information, please visit the Building Bridges Program s Goals and Initiatives page. 5