Arts Services grants are intended to support arts service organizations, those organizations that provide services and technical assistance and/or promote artists and arts organizations but do not themselves produce or present the arts and are not directly involved in the creative process.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants for Arts Services Grants must:
- be a non-profit arts service organization with 501(c)(3) state and federal tax-exempt status with a principal office within Wake County;
- be in Good Standing as defined in General Grant Policies (previous recipients only);
- maintain a board of directors which meets at least quarterly;
- have had at least three years of programming;
- have an internal review if organization’s actual gross revenue from the most recently completed fiscal year is equal to or less than $299,999;
- have an independent audit performed annually by a Certified Public Accountant if organization’s actual gross revenue from the most recently completed fiscal year is $300,000 or greater;
- have fundraising and administrative expenses that did not exceed 25% of total cash revenue according to most recently audited/reviewed budget year;
- have nondiscrimination, conflict of interest, and accessibility policies; and
- meet with United Arts staff (if required).
Eligible applications must:
- be for arts-related programming to take place in Wake County; and
- request at least $1,000.
Eligible programs must:
- take place between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021; and
- be compatible with the applicant’s mission.
Maximum Grant Request
Applicants in the Arts Services category may apply for a maximum of $6,000 or up to 20% of their Wake County Arts Services programming expenses whichever is less. Although no specific cash match is required, United Arts will not provide more than 20% of a grantee’s actual programming expenses through an Arts Services grant.
Evaluation Criteria
United Arts staff will review Arts Services applications and make funding recommendations to the United Arts Board of Directors. Each application in the Arts Services category will be evaluated on an overall impression of the applicant’s strengths in the following areas:
Organization Quality, Merit, Integrity
- Professional artistic direction and vision
- Relationship between applicant’s stated mission, goals, environment, and history of artistic accomplishment to program’s goals and activities
- Qualifications, background, and expertise of the artists, instructors, or staff involved
- Potential of activities to extend participants’ knowledge and/or skills in the arts and/or other curriculum areas
- Quality and clarity of program plans and potential for proposed activities to meet program goals
Community Impact
- Demonstrated awareness of, and response to, the needs and interests of a diverse community and audience
- Engagement/impact on audiences and participants
- Efforts to involve a diversity of participants
- Involvement of avocational and/or professional artists
- Degree to which the organization seeks to work collaboratively and share resources with other community groups
Program Management
- Administrative capacity, resources, planning and expertise to ensure success
- Effective marketing
- Appropriate evaluation strategies that are matched to program goals
Financial Management of Organization
- Financial stability
- Fiscal responsibility
Compliance
- Completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of application
- Completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of reports and other requirements