Chatham Arts Council

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Grassroots Arts Grants

We’re thrilled to have granted an average of $10,000 every year for the past 20 years–nearly $200,000 total–to other nonprofits using the arts to do extraordinary work in Chatham County through annual Grassroots Arts Grants.

In one of our favorite partnership efforts, the Chatham Arts Council serves as the Designated County Partner to the North Carolina Arts Council in awarding these funds. And organizations use these dollars to fund artists and carry the arts into every corner of this county.

We’re proud of this investment in artists, and we invite you to read about our past recipients below. And take a look at our guidelines to see if your group is a good match to apply for a Grassroots Arts Grant.

ncacFor more information about the Grassroots Arts Grant Program, please contact us at grants (at) ChathamArtsCouncil (dot) org.

The Grassroots Grant Program is made possible by individual contributions to the Chatham County Arts Council’s general operating fund—and by the Grassroots Arts Program of the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

  • Guidelines
  • Application
  • Recipients
  • Reporting + Resources

Grassroots Arts Program :: Guidelines for Application

The 2020-21 Grassroots Arts Subgrant Application deadline is July 31, 2020. We will hold a virtual grants workshop on July 14, 2020 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. via Zoom. Please plan to attend–even if you are a frequent applicant. RSVP is required to Jenni Detwiler at jenni@chathamartscouncil.org.

Please note: The online form will not allow you to move forward in the application until all fields have been completed. We realize this is challenging, so we’ve provided a sample PDF of the full application for your planning purposes 2020 Sample Application here.

If you have questions about your application, please email us at grants (at) chathamartscouncil (dot) org.

Who may apply?

To be eligible, your organization must be able to answer YES to all of the following questions:

  • Are you an organization?
  • Have you been in operation for at least one year?  501(c)(3) status or fiscal agency is required.
  • Do you have an arts mission—or do you have a program that uses the arts to help accomplish your mission?
  • Are you based in Chatham County or do you carry out your work in Chatham County?
  • Can you submit your application and support materials by July 31, 2020?

What can we apply for?

Cash! Cash grants range from $500 to $2,500. We prefer to award gifts of $500 or greater for two reasons: (1) We want our grants to have strong impact, and (2) There is significant required reporting for the subgrantee.

What activities are eligible?

Grassroots Arts Program funds may be used for expenditures to conduct quality arts programs or to operate an arts organization.

Typical uses of Grassroots money include:

  • Program expenses such as artists’ fees and travel, space rental, advertising, marketing and publicity, website and electronic media, scripts, costumes, sets, props, music and equipment rental or purchase.
  • Operating expenses for arts organizations, including salaries, telephone, office supplies, printing, postage, rent, utilities, insurance and equipment rental or purchase.

Two particular areas of interest for the Chatham Arts Council are (1) local artist fees/fair payment of artists and (2) outreach to diverse and/or underserved communities.

Who gets funding priority?

  • The first priority of the Grassroots Arts subgrant program is to provide operating or program support to qualified arts organizations including theaters, symphonies, galleries, art guilds, choral societies, dance companies, folk arts societies, writers groups and arts festivals. We’re talking about groups whose mission is all about making and sharing art. Grassroots funds are not generally awarded to arts organizations that receive funding through the N.C. Arts Council’s General Support Program.
  • The second priority of the Grassroots Arts subgrant program is to support arts learning and arts-in-education programs conducted by qualified artists. These can be artist residencies in schools, after school summer camps, or adult arts learning classes.
  • The third priority of Grassroots Arts subgrants is to support community organizations that provide quality art experiences for the greater community. These programs must be conducted by qualified artists—and if they’re local artists, that’s even better. But these local artists can’t already be on your organization’s staff! We can’t support your non-arts org’s payroll with these grants.

What are the policies for specific types of organizations?

  • Tribal organizations that receive grassroots funds must represent state or federally recognized tribes.
  • Colleges, universities, civic organizations, municipalities, and libraries may receive grants for arts programs that are community-based or generate regional arts involvement. Grants may not support their internal programs, administration, or operation expenses (library books, band boosters, equipment purchases).
  • Religious organizations or churches may not receive grassroots funds unless the programs are presented outside regular church services, engage the larger community, and do not contain religious content.
  • Grassroots funds may not be used for activities associated with a school’s internal arts programs such as in-school student performances, the purchase of art supplies, or student arts competitions and publications.

What will the Grassroots Arts Program decline to support?

Subgrants may not be awarded to individuals or to organizations for prizes or tuition, including scholarships and financial awards. Grassroots Arts Program money may not be used for the following kind of expenditures:

  • Art, music, and dance therapy
  • Art supplies
  • Fundraising events
  • Artifacts
  • High school band activities or equipment
  • Artwork
  • Interest on loans, fines, or litigation costs
  • Capital expenditures
  • Lobbying expenses
  • Contingency funds
  • Oral history and history projects
  • Deficit reduction
  • Tuition for academic study
  • Food or beverages for hospitality or entertainment functions

When does my project need to take place?

The activity must occur between July 1 of the application year and June 30 of the following year, and all grant funds and matching funds must be spent during that time. Retroactive grant applications (for activities that occurred between July 1 and the Grassroots Grants Award announcements on September 31) are allowable, but they do not tend to score as well with grant panels. If you’d like to apply for support of a multi-year project, you can apply for the phase of the project that will happen in the current application year.

Is there a matching requirement?

Yes. All subgrantees are required to match their grant amounts dollar for dollar. The funds must come from other public or private sources. Other N. C. Arts Council funds cannot be used as a match.

What is required of Grassroots Grant Recipients?

Each grant recipient will:

  • Complete the Grassroots Grant contract. The contract must be submitted to the Chatham Arts Council with a copy of your organization’s Conflict of Interest Policy, Certification of No Overdue Taxes, Board List, W9, and By-Laws.
  • Use the Chatham Arts Council logo in all relevant publicity. This includes listings in print materials, email blasts, web pages, and news releases. The Chatham Arts Council logo is available for download on our website here.
  • Use the North Carolina Arts Council logo and grant acknowledgement line in all relevant publicity. This includes listings in print materials, email blasts, web pages, and news releases. The NC Arts Council’s web site offers information and downloadable logos, at ncarts.org.
  • Thank Chatham County senators and representatives in writing for appropriating state funding for the arts. The letter should provide info about how Grassroots funds were used to support your program or project—as well as the community impact of the event. Copies of letters to legislators must be included in the subgrantee’s final report.
  • File final reports on the use of the grant in a timely and thorough manner. Each subgrantee is required to submit a final report providing a detailed description of the funded project, participation statistics and demographics, sample marketing and program materials using the N. C. Arts Council and Chatham Arts Council logos, and copies of their legislative letters. The Subgrant Report form can be downloaded from the N. C. Arts Council Web site. Final reports must be completed online at the Reporting + Resources tab on this page by May 31, 2020.
1 Organization Information
2 Request Description
3 Project Questions
4 Budget Information
5 Organization Mission & Strategy
6 Organizational Demographics
7 Financial Information
8 Grant Acknowledgement Opportunities
9 
  • Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
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  • No earlier than July 1, 2020
    Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • No later than June 30, 2021
    Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
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  • Please answer the following questions

    Be concise and specific. No need to add flowery language! Remember that your panelists have a lot to read. Besides, you have plenty of other work to do, right?
  • 120 character max
  • 250 character max
  • 450 character max. Please write these in two numbered "To" phrases, as in: 1) To reach every community in Chatham County. 2) To pay our artists for the first time ever. (These do not have to be your goals. This is just how we want to see them written.)
  • 450 character max. Include racial/ethnic, geographic, age, gender, and other if desired. Participants are anyone who is part of the project (audience, artist, staff, etc.).
  • 300 character max
  • 1000 character max
  • This is important. Just want to emphasize that. 750 character max
  • (Example: “Communication with our members” is okay. “Email blasts to members” is good. “Four email blasts to our 650 members” is awesome.) 450 character max
  • (Example: “We have strong attendance” is not so fabulous. “More young people come than last year” is better. “At least 15% of our audience is under 50” is awesome.) 450 character max
  • 600 character max
  • 600 character max
  • 450 character max
  • This one is a big deal, too, y’all. 600 character max
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  • Project Budget

    Please provide a projected budget for your proposed activity utilizing the format below. If this is an operating grant this budget will be your FY20 annual budget.
  • Total Project Expenses

  • Grant Request Allocation

    This will tell us which of the above project expenses you plan to pay with this Grassroots Arts Grant.
  • Be sure this matches the amount of your grant request on page 2 of this application!
  • Project Expense Summary

  • Be sure this matches the total project expense you entered earlier on this page!
  • Be sure this matches the amount of your grant request earlier on this page!
  • This is the amount your organization will be putting toward the project from other grants, donations, or assets. Super important: This amount MUST be greater than or equal to the grant request amount. Also super important: This applicant cash contribution plus the total grant request amount should equal the total project expense amount.
  • Project Income Summary

  • Not including this Grassroots Arts Grant request.
  • This is assets you already have on hand.
  • In this application!
  • This number should equal the Total Project Expense amount entered earlier on this page.
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  • Organization Budget Statements

    Please attach complete income and expense statement (an audit may be substituted) for your last completed fiscal year and complete operating budgets for the current fiscal year. Public schools and other large governmental or community agencies should attach arts program financial information only. Please copy the totals from these attachments in the spaces below.
  • Last Year's Financials

  • This Year's Financials

  • It's okay if your FY20 is still in progress or it's just ended and you only have draft numbers so far. Just note that on your statement.
  • It's okay if your FY19 is still in progress or it's just ended and you only have draft numbers so far. Just note that on your statement.
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  • 300 characters max
  • 600 characters max
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  • Please provide the information in items 7, 8, 9, + 10 for your most recently closed fiscal year for your organization—not just your project. If you don’t have exact numbers, please estimate to the best of your ability.
  • 7. Audience / Participants

  • Of this number, approximately what percent are:
  • Please enter a number less than or equal to 100.
  • Please enter a number less than or equal to 100.
  • Please enter a number less than or equal to 100.
  • Please enter a number less than or equal to 100.
  • Please enter a number less than or equal to 100.
  • Please enter a number less than or equal to 100.
  • 8. Volunteers

  • 9. Staff / Contractors

  • Of the total number of staff/contractors, how many are:
  • 10. Board

  • Of the total number of board members, how many are:
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  • Year-round acknowledgement of the donors and legislators who provide funding for the Grassroots Grant Program is critical to the on-going strength of the program. Please check each credit line option that your organization can provide to recognize the support of the Chatham Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council with insertion of the CAC logo, NCAC logo, and NCAC text credit line (see the the Resources + Reports Tab for logos and credit line):
Save and Continue Later
  • If there is relevant information you haven't been able to share elsewhere in the application, please share it here. 500 characters max.
  • Certification

  • You did it! Thank you for applying for a Grassroots Arts Grant this year. Our panelists will read everything carefully. You will receive an email copy of your application and a separate email confirming receipt of your application in our office. Good luck!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
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day-of-the-dead-7

Yes, please do explore below to learn about some of our past partnership projects with Grassroots Arts Grant recipients!

  • Go See This: New Classes now available at the Chatham Clay Studio
  • Go See This: Drive-In Day of the Books / El Día de los Libros en Carro
  • Go See This: NCAI Artshop opens with Folk Art Show
  • Go See This: Fiesta! This Weekend in Siler City
  • Go See This: Sisters’ Voices Spring Concert
  • Go See This: Day of the Books / El Día de los Libros
  • Go See This: Celebrate the Bluegrass Experience
  • Meet This Artist: Leandra Strope is empowering girls to find their voices
  • Go See This: Sisters’ Voices Winter Concert
  • Go See This: The Day of the Book Festival / Vaya Ver Esto: El Día de los Libros Festival

Download Chatham Arts Council logo:

  • Black/White
  • Color
  • White (transparent background)
  • All (.zip)
  • Click here to get a No Overdue Tax Debts form for grant acceptance.
  • Click here to access a W-9 form for grant acceptance.

Grassroots Arts Grant Report Form (Due May 31, 2020 unless you have a COVID-19 exception)

  • Organizational Information

  • Choose the one item which best describes you. This code is used for N.C. Arts Council lists to group similar organizations together.
  • Choose the code describing the discipline for the majority of supported activities. Only use Multidisciplinary (14) if the majority of activities cannot be attributed to one discipline.
  • This is a National Standard for Arts Information Exchange data collection project to document state arts agency grantmaking activities. This information will not be used in making grant decisions.

    Applicant Race/Ethnicity
    Individuals may select any combination of the codes that apply. Organizations should choose the one code that best represents 50 percent of more of their staff or board or membership.
  • Grant Data

  • Project Data - Participation Statistics

  • (Include the total number of individuals who were directly involved in the funded activity, i.e., artists, non-artist project participants or audience members.)
  • Project Data - Multicultural Statistics

  • Excluding artists but including audience, what number of total participants in the funded project are: (Do not enter a percentage)
  • What number of artists in the funded project are: (Do not enter a percentage)
  • Arts Education

  • Project Description Narrative

  • Limit: 200 characters
  • Project Expenses Report

  • ItemAmount 
  • Attachments

  • Attach a PDF copy of any materials used for project publicity and any other printed materials using the N.C. Arts Council credit line and logo and the Chatham Arts Council logo. This includes articles, reviews, and other materials documenting the funded project.
    Accepted file types: pdf.
  • Attach copies of the letters or emails sent to legislators expressing appreciation of this grant.
  • Attach a list that includes the names, place of residence, ethnicities, payment amount, and art forms of artists participating in your funded project.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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