Services to the Field

• Purpose
• Description
• Eligible Applicants
• Eligible Activities
• Deadlines
• Amount of Assistance
• Criteria for Evaluating Applications
• Application

Purpose
To support the work of local arts agencies and other organizations that provide services to artists and arts organizations, that focus on the development of the arts as a whole in a community or region, and that work to integrate the arts more fully into the community or region.

Description
These grants will support services of all types provided to artists and arts organizations.

Eligible Applicants
Arts councils, commissions, or other entities whose principal purpose is to provide planning, support, services, and development for arts organizations and artists in a local or regional geographic area. New and emerging local arts agencies may apply for support through a fiscal agent.

Note: Eligible applicants may apply in one of the categories of General Operating Support for Arts Organizations, Project Grants, or Services to the Field, but not in any two of those categories in the same year.

Eligible Activities

• planning and research studies
• promotional materials, newsletters, and calendars of arts events
• salaries for staff to provide services
• costs of presenting conferences and professional development workshops
• shared administrative costs, such as information technology or office equipment
• operational costs for facilities that house muliple arts organizations or groups of artist studios
• shared technical services
• other costs of information and services provided to artists and arts organizations throughout the community or region
• start-up costs for new local arts agencies

Note: Regranting funds and the costs of presenting arts activities for the public are generally not funded in this category

Deadlines
March 3, 2008 for activities taking place between July 1, 2008 and June 15, 2009

Amount of Assistance
Generally, the grant amounts will be $20,000 or less. The Commission will rarely grant more than 50% of the cash costs of any proposed activity.

Criteria for Evaluating Applications:

• Effective organizational structure and administrative capability
• Quality of organizational planning
• Evidence of community-wide planning for growth of the arts
• Quality of partnerships and collaborations with local arts and civic organizations
• Quality of partnerships and collaborations with artists
• Promotion of diverse arts and culture
• Effective communications with artists and arts organizations and the community at large
• Community need for funding