Creative Workforce Grants

Grant Deadline:  June 1, 2009

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council has received funds to preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn.

The Arts Council's funds will be augmented by a portion of the Southern Arts Federation's grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. We will designate a group of our grantees to be paid directly by the Southern Arts Federation.

Organizations Eligible to Apply

Organizations must have a budget of at least $100,000 and at least one full-time staff member and currently be:

  • General Support or Statewide Service Organization grantees
  • Local arts councils serving as Designated County Partners
  • Outreach Program Sustaining Support grantees

Organizations that receive a stimulus grant directly from the NEA will not be able to receive a stimulus grant from the Arts Council.

Description

Creative Workforce Grants will provide:

  • Salary support for one or more positions that are critical to an organization's artistic mission and that are in jeopardy or have been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate.

and/or

  • Fees for previously engaged artists and/or contractual personnel to maintain or expand the period during which such persons would be engaged.

The National Endowment for the Arts does not allow fundraising or development positions to be eligible for support through this program. These funds cannot be sub-granted to another organization.

Grant Amounts

  • Organizations with operating budgets between $100,000 – $499,999 may request $10,000.
  • Organizations with operating budgets between $500,000 – $999,999 may request $10,000 – $20,000. 
  • Organizations with budgets over $1 million may request $10,000 – $30,000.

Requests should be in multiples of $5,000. Matching funds are not required.

Evaluation Criteria

The following criteria will be considered during the review of applications:

  • Quality of the organization's programs and services.
  • Potential of the project to have a significant and immediate impact on the arts work force.
  • Significance of the position(s) to the mission and core work of the organization.
  • Evidence that the organization is addressing the challenges of declines in contributions and revenues.
  • Likelihood that the project will achieve the identified outcomes and the feasibility of the proposed performance measurements.
  • Ability to carry out the project including the appropriateness of the budget, the quality and clarity of the project goals and design, the resources involved, and the qualifications of the project's personnel.

In determining grant awards, we will also consider the geographical distribution of these funds and the potential to support underserved populations.

How to Apply

Applicants will submit the application form electronically through North Carolina ARTS Grants Online (AGO) and must also submit a print version of the form by 5 p.m. on the deadline day.

Organizations that have already made application to the NEA for economic stimulus funding may submit their NEA application to the Arts Council in lieu of the Creative Workforce application in AGO.  These should be mailed to us by the June 1 deadline. Once the NEA panels determine their grant awards, we will eliminate the applications that were funded by the NEA and request some modifications to the remaining proposals.

Applicants will be asked to provide the following information on the application form. Make sure that the information you provide addresses the evaluation criteria.

  1. Describe the current financial condition of your organization. What steps have you taken to address budget shortfalls for this year and those expected for next year? 
  2. Identify the job position(s) that have been eliminated or are in jeopardy for which you are seeking support. Provide job title, description, salary, and the number of weeks of employment. Discuss the significance of the positions to the mission and core work of your organization. Describe the effect on your organization if this position were curtailed or eliminated. Is this position currently filled?
  3. Describe the artists and/or contractual personnel to whom you propose to pay fees. Describe the project for which these individuals would be paid, the position(s) and fees for these individuals, and the number of weeks of employment. Discuss the significance of this project to the mission and core work of your organization. Describe the effect on your organization if this project were curtailed or eliminated.

For Additional Information:

Fact Sheet: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in N. C.