Cultural Arts Organization General Operating Support Grants

Application Deadline: March 25, 2024 at 11:59PM

Deadline: March 25, 2024. 11:59PM

Grant Awards: Up to $300,000

Grant Activity Period:

July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025

GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT

  • General Operating Support was called out in the Ordinance to support organizational stability for arts and cultural organizations that reflect the cultural, geographic, and demographic diversity of the City of Fresno; and reflect the proportion of each grantee’s overall operations that serves residents within, or visitors to, the City of Fresno’s sphere of influence. Grants shall prioritize organizations and programs that support and expand diverse public or youth engagement and equity.

    General Operating Support Grants are intended to provide core support to Cultural Arts Organizations to sustain and increase community access to a broad and diverse range of opportunities in the arts. The General Operating Support grant provides direct funding for ongoing operations. This grant contributes toa robust and diverse arts workforce and infrastructure. Funds may be used to support any eligible expenses associated with the general operations of Cultural Arts Organizations, including but not limited to rent, utilities, and staff salaries incurred within the territorial limits of the City of Fresno.

    Applying for this grant does not restrict an organization from applying for other project-based grants. General Operating Support grants are intended to support the applicant organization in carrying out its mission. Funding is not intended to support a specific project. Emerging Arts and Culture Organization Support Grants may be awarded to Operating Support Grant applicants who meet the following criteria: Applicants are limited to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations with annual revenue less than $50,000, regardless of years of operation; such organizations may apply for support of up to 100% of their annual revenue. Emerging Arts and Culture Organizations are encouraged to apply for Operating Support Grants that build capacity and expand their ability to reach and serve residents and visitors in the City of Fresno. Emerging Arts and Culture Organization Support Grants prioritize investment reflective of the cultural, demographic, and geographic diversity of Fresno.

ELIGIBILITY FOR FUNDING

  • Organizations that do not have their principal place of business in the City of Fresno.

    Organizations whose primary mission is to raise funds

    Organizations whose primary function is regranting

    K-12 Schools

    County Offices of Education

    Public and Private Colleges and Universities

    Government agencies that receive 25% or more of their funding from the City of Fresno Budget.

    Organizations that do not serve the public and/or provide public programing.

    Individuals

  • Operating support grants are specifically for arts and cultural organizations that reflect the cultural, geographic and demographic diversity of the City of Fresno; and reflect the proportion of each grantee's overall operations that serves residents within, or visitors to, the City of Fresno sphere of influence.

    501(c)(3) Nonprofit organizations that support and expand access to arts and cultural programming. Applicants with an eligible 501(c)(3) Fiscal Sponsor that support and expand access to arts and cultural programming.

    Applicants using fiscal sponsors. An Applicant that is without its own organizational nonprofit status must use a Fresno-based fiscal sponsor organization with a federal 501(c)(3) designation that support and expand access to arts and cultural programming, to apply for funding. Types of applicant organizations eligible to apply using a fiscal sponsor include, but are not limited to, individual artists and culture bearers, artist collectives and cultural collectives, and other unincorporated arts and culture guilds.

    Applicants using a fiscal sponsor must be a City of Fresno Resident.

    An Applicant’s selected fiscal sponsors must demonstrate at least two (2) years of arts and culture programming and service as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; for Emerging Arts and Culture Project Specific Grant Applicants, the fiscally sponsored applicant or newly formed501(c)(3) organization is not required to have its own two-year history of arts and culture operational and financial experience at the time of application submission.

  • City of Fresno-based: documentation of being a Fresno-based nonprofit organization that supports and expands access to arts and cultural programing, or nonprofit social service organization with regular ongoing arts programming and/or services and a principal place of business in the City of Fresno.

    Certificate of good standing: Nonprofit organizations and fiscal sponsors (if applicable) must have “active status” with the California Secretary of State (SOS) showing evidence of “good standing “at the time of application. Organizations must also be in good standing with the Office of the Attorney General of California or provide an adequate letter of explanation regarding registration status. The organization must operate and offer its programs in a nondiscriminatory manner and in compliance with all applicable laws, including, without limitation, laws protecting persons with disabilities.

    Letter of agreement: If using a Nonprofit Fiscal Sponsor, the Fiscal Sponsor must provide a letter of agreement acknowledging the fiscal sponsorship with the project applicant and submit the letter with the application. If the grant is awarded, the fiscal sponsor becomes the legal contract holder with the Fresno Arts Council. Once a contract is awarded the fiscal sponsor cannot be changed.

    Narrative statement: Nonprofit organizations and fiscal sponsors (if applicable) will be required to provide a narrative statement, addressing the following areas: (1) purpose of the organization; (2) identification of targeted audience; and (3) how many people will be served as a result of the grant award.

For a copy of the guidelines in Spanish, contact the Fresno Arts Council at 559-237-9734

Para obtener una copia de las pautas en español, llame a Freno Arts Council (el Consejo de las Artes de Fresno) al 559.237.9734.

 For a copy of the guidelines in Hmong, contact the Fresno Arts Council at 559-237-9734.

Hu rau lub Fresno Art Council ntawn 559-237-9734 yog tias koj xav tau ib daim ntawv luam u alus Hmoob txog peb cov lus coj qhia.

 For a copy of guidelines in Punjabi contact the Fresno Arts Council at 559-237-9734

 ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿਚ ਦਿਸ਼ਾ-ਨਿਰਦੇਸ਼ਾਂ ਦੀ ਕਾਪੀ ਲਈ ਫਰਿਜ਼ਨੋ ਆਰਟਸ ਕੌਂਸਲ ਨੂੰ 559-237-9734 'ਤੇ ਸੰਪਰਕ ਕਰੋ

Each grant application funding cycle, available funding will be allocated approximately 50/50 between General Operating Support and Project-Specific Support (all contemplated allocations may be adjusted in response to community need and interest; actual awards will also be affected by application quality as related to applicable scoring criteria).

REQUEST AMOUNTS

  • General Operating Support Approximately 40% of available funding

    Applicants limited to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations; may apply for:

    1. Organizations with less than $250,000 annual income as reported to the IRS, may apply for up to 70% of annual income

    2. Organizations with more than $251,000 in annual income as reported to the IRS may apply for up to 30% of their annual income, capped at $300,000

    Applicants who qualify as an Emerging Arts and Culture Organization, as defined below, shall first be reviewed for that tier of award.

  • Emerging Arts and Culture Organization Support Grants – Approximately 10% of available funding

    Applicants are limited to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations with annual revenue less than $50,000, regardless of years of operation; may apply for support of up to 100% of their annual revenue Emerging Arts and Culture Organizations are encouraged to apply for Operating Support Grants that build capacity and expand their ability to reach and serve residents and visitors in the City of Fresno. Emerging Arts and Culture Organization Support Grants prioritize investment reflective of the cultural, demographic, and geographic diversity of Fresno.

    Distribution is dependent on available funds annually.

OVERVIEW OF APPLICATION PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS

  • Grants are accepted annually.

  • Guidelines and Application Available December 31, 2023

  • Webinars and Office Hours: Workshop webinars and office hours will be offered from January through March, 2024. Check https://www.fresnoartscouncil.org/artsandculturegrants for full schedule.

  • Open Application Period: December 31, 2023-March 25, 2024

  • Staff Eligibility Review: Spring 2024

  • Panel Review: Spring 2024

  • PRAC Commission Review and Adopts Recommendations: Spring 2024

  • Notifications Sent via Email: Spring 2024

  • Awards Disbursed: Summer 2024

  • Grant Period July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025

REQUIRED STANDARDS OF PRACTICE

Minimum Standards of Practice for All Organizations or Fiscal Sponsors:

  • General Liability insurance

  • Workman’s Compensation insurance (provide basis for exemption if applicable)

  • Current practice of annual Year-End Financial Review completed by an external Certified Public Accountant/Firm for organizations with a budget of $2 million and above.

  • The applicant organization must have a functioning Board of Directors that meets regularly.

  • Applicants using a fiscal sponsor must demonstrate that the fiscal sponsor can meet these requirements.

  • Additional data/demographic requirements from City of Fresno

FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

  • Matching funds are not required.

  • Applicants must apply for the funding category that applies to their organization.

  • Projects or services funded through the Measure P grant funds must be displayed, operate, run, etc. within the City of Fresno.

  • Applicant shall provide a discount to City of Fresno residents for events funded in whole or in part through Measure P grant funds issued hereunder.

ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Fresno Arts Council uses Submittable to accept and manage grant request applications. You will need to create organizational/user accounts and profiles. Access the online application portal at https://fresnoartscouncil.submittable.com.

    For questions, please contact Fresno Arts Council at 559-237-9734 or lilia@fresnoartscouncil.org. Fresno Arts Council encourages you to attend webinars, office hours, and make use of instructional resources early in your application process. FAC strongly recommends submitting the application and required supporting materials at least five (5) business days before the deadline to provide time to troubleshoot any technical issues.

    The deadline to submit the online grant applications will be on March 25, 2024 at 11:59PM. To ensure that organizations have enough time to prepare, the grant guidelines and application will be posted, and the application will open for a minimum of 60 days.

  • Read the Application Instructions prior to completing an application. You do not have to complete and submit the application in one sitting; you may save and return to it as many times as you like.

  • All organizations that are considering applying for a grant are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to attend the pre-application workshop(s) offered by FAC. At the workshops, staff will review the guidelines and demonstrate Submittable, FAC’s online grant application system. Applicants are also encouraged to consult with the program staff well in advance of the application deadline if they have any questions about program requirements.

    Webinar Schedule: TBD

    In person workshop: January 17, 2024

Email Support: For technical assistance and grant guideline questions, please call 559-237-9734 Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9:00AM and 3:00PM. You may also email Executive Director, Lilia Gonzáles Chávez at lilia@fresnoartscouncil.org. Please allow 24-48 hours for staff response.

APPLICATION COMPONENTS

  • https://fresnoartscouncil.submittable.com

  • Legal Name of Organization/Applicant (and Fiscal Sponsor, if applicable)

    DBA Name of Organization/Applicant, if applicable

    Founding Date: Enter the year your organization was founded or began activity.

    Address: PDF proof of address upload

    Fresno City Council District where Organization/Applicant is located: Use this finder too if you are unsure of your district.

    Organization/Applicant Phone

    Primary Contact Name, title, email, phone

    Organization/Applicant Website

    Type of organization: 501(c)(3); fiscally sponsored)

    Organization or Fiscal Sponsor EIN number

    Which month and day does your organization or Fiscal Sponsor’s fiscal year end?

    Primary Discipline?

    Organization Mission/Purpose: Enter your organization’s mission statement, or primary purpose. Your mission statement should be concise. Do not add program details here.

    Has your organization, or your Fiscal Sponsor, conducted a majority of its cultural arts programming within the City of Fresno for the past two years preceding this application?

    How much will your organization discount for events funded in whole or in part through Measure P grant funds issued hereunder.

  • Annual income reported to the IRS

  • Required Financial Forms and/or Reports: All attachments must be in PDF format, with exception of Supporting Material(s) and Work Samples. For 501(c)(3) Cultural Arts Organizations with a budget of $50,000 or less:

    IRS Designation Letter

    Federal Form 990, 990EZ or 990N

    For 501(c)(3) Cultural Arts Organizations with a budget of between $50,000 and $200,000

    IRS Designation Letter Federal Form 990 or 990EZ

    Accountant reviewed Financial Report for most recently completed fiscal year OR if this financial rep ort is not yet available, a letter from the CPA stating when it will be completed AND internally generated financial statements for most recently completed fiscal year.

    For 501(c)(3) Cultural Arts Organizations with a budget of $200,000 or more IRS Designation Letter Federal Form 990 Independent Financial Audit (for organizations with a budget of $2 million or more) or reviewed Financial Report for most recently completed fiscal year; OR if this financial report is not yet available, a letter from the CPA stating when it will be completed AND internally generated financial statements for most recently completed fiscal year.

    For fiscally sponsored projects:

    Sponsor organization’s IRS Designation Letter

    Sponsor organization’s Federal Form 990

    A signed letter of agreement between the fiscal sponsor and the project applicant outlining the terms of the agreement and services

    If the sponsor’s budget exceeds $2 million, An Independent Financial Audit OR letter from CPA stating when it will be completed AND internally generated financial statements for most recently completed fiscal year. For sponsors with a budget between $200,000 and $1,999,999, submit a CPA- reviewed Financial Report for most recently completed fiscal year.

  • Please complete this grant budget Budget-Template_General-Operating-Support_EAAC_24-25

  • You are required to submit at least one work sample that exemplifies the cultural and/or artistic programs or events presented by your organization. This may include video or audio recordings, or digital images of performances, exhibitions, or events. Select the type of work sample that is most relevant to your organization. Maximum of 6 work samples accepted.

  • You may upload or provide links for up to three supporting documents from the past five years that demonstrate the impact of your programs on viewers/participants. Examples include: letters of support, participant testimonials, reviews, audience surveys, social media posts. This section is OPTIONAL; however, you are strongly encouraged to submit at least one document. These documents help reviewers understand the impact of your programs on participants and audience members. Note: You may upload a document or provide links. You may provide a title and brief description for necessary context. 3 documents maximum.

  • See Grant Guidelines or https://fresnoartscouncil.submittable.com

APPLICATION REVIEW AND EVALUATION

  • Once the application window closes, Fresno Arts Council staff will review applications for eligibility and completeness. Once an application has been submitted, it cannot be reopened, revised, or resubmitted. Applications that pass this initial review will then be evaluated for their strengths by a separate Grant Review Panel, which will rely substantially on the information provided in the application and supporting materials submitted by applicants.

  • An adjudication panel will be established that includes community members, artists and culture bearers, and arts and culture administrators. The Commission and Fresno Arts Council shall ensure that grant applications are reviewed in a transparent, competitive process.

  • The adjudication panel is comprised mainly of individuals with substantial background in arts and culture, usually drawn from the ranks of experienced and skilled arts and culture practitioners, administrators, managers and board members of City of Fresno arts and cultural organizations, the Cultural Arts Subcommittee or other applicable PRAC subcommittee, and experienced arts and culture grant-makers from philanthropic and public sectors.

    Scores for each assessment category are collected from individual panelists. Each organization’s category scores, and cumulative total are reported back to them during the award notifications process.

    Following the Grant Panel Review process, Fresno Arts Council will submit grant application rankings and award recommendations to the Parks, Recreation, and Arts Commission (PRAC) for final acceptance.

  • A call for panelists will go out at the same time as the Request for Proposal. A list of eligible panelists will be submitted to the PRAC prior to the start of the adjudication process. Panelists will be required to declare any possible conflict of interest at the time of application. Declaration of Conflict of Interest form is included here as an attachment. Panelists may not be on the board of staff of any applicant for that grant cycle, nor related by blood or marriage to any applicant in that grant cycle.

  • Adjudication of applications is based on 6 weighted questions.

    1) Organization Description 10%

    2) Programming 30%

    3) Cultural equity and inclusion statements and policy 20%

    4) Organizational Challenges 10%

    5) Proposed Impact and Outcomes (organizational and community) 20%

    6) Governance and Administrative Structure 10%

    Adjudication of Emerging applications is based on 4 weighted questions.

    Emerging Organizations will be scored on:

    Organization Description 30%

    Organizational Challenges 30%

    Proposed Impact and Outcomes (organizational and community) 20%

    Governance and Administrative Structure 20%

    (Scores for each assessment category are collected from individual panelists. Each organization’s category scores, and cumulative total are reported back to them during the award notifications process.)

  • Once recommendations have been accepted by the PRAC, Fresno Arts Council will publish an intent to award a press release announcing grant recipients, funding amounts, and project descriptions. Anticipated Spring 2024.

  • 2024 - 2025 Organizational General Operating Support funds will be awarded Spring 2024 and disbursed Summer 2024

    Project Specific Grant funds will be awarded Spring 2024 and disbursed Summer 2024

  • Any applicant not recommended to receive an award may submit a written appeal to Fresno Arts Council staff no later than 5:00 p.m. by the tenth calendar day following notification from staff to the applicant that no award is being recommended. Staff will review the appeal and present it to the PRAC subcommittee for review and recommendation. The PRAC will make the final ruling. Upon request from an appellant, staff will provide written comments submitted by the evaluation panels, to help the appellant prepare their response.

SELECTED GRANTEE REQUIREMENTS

  • The following are a list of additional requirements that will be included in the grantee agreement.

    Legal Requirements

    Insurance/endorsements

    Conflict of Interest disclosure statement

    Vendors

    Tax

    Copyright

    Background Check/Mandated Reporter, etc.

    Invoicing for and receipt of grant payments

    Project amendments

  • At a minimum, data collected shall include information needed to demonstrate compliance with Section 7 - 1506(b)(4)(D) such as:

    (a) Attendance data:

    (i) Number of youth participants served. Youth shall be defined as age seventeen (17) and younger.

    (ii) Number of adult participants served. Adult shall be defined as ages eighteen (18) through sixty-one (61).

    (iii) Number of senior participants served. Senior shall be defined as age sixty-two (62) and older.

    (b) Participant zip code data to identify the number and percentage of City of Fresno residents served.

    (c) race, ethnicity, household income and gender identity.

    (d) For murals only: total square feet installed and location/address.

    (e) Photos and/or videos highlighting grant funded projects, events, programs, etc.

  • Grant recipients are required to acknowledge the support of the Measure P, Parks and Arts ordinance and Fresno Arts Council to demonstrate how City funds support arts and culture. Recipients receiving funds must use the required logos and credit line on all printed and electronic materials that advertise performances, exhibitions, or other public events throughout their work or, for those receiving operating support, throughout the grant period. The credit line and links to logos are listed below:

    “This work [event, organization, project] is funded in part by the City of Fresno Measure P Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Fund through Fresno Arts Council.”

    Required logos will be provided to grantees upon award acceptance

  • Grantees must submit programming information and flyers to be included in the forthcoming Cultural Arts Calendar.

  • 90% of grant funds will be awarded at the beginning of the grants cycle with the remaining 10% awarded when final reports are submitted.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES