Appeals Process for Grant Applicants

Applicants who believe their applications for funding were rejected for any of the following three reasons may appeal to the Commission for reconsideration:

1. the application was declined on the basis of review criteria other than those appearing in the guidelines;
2. the application was declined due to infl uence of advisory panel or Commission members who willfully failed to disclose confl icts of interest; or
3. the application was declined because erroneous information was provided by the staff, panelists, or Commission board members at the time of review, despite the fact that the applicant provided accurate and
   complete information on regulation forms as part of the standard application process.

Incomplete applications are specifi cally denied any appeals process. Dissatisfaction with the denial of an award or the amount of a grant award is not grounds for appeal.

Requests of appeals must be received, in writing, at the Commission office within 30 days of the applicant’s notification of a funding award decision. The board of the Commission will review and act upon the appeal at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

If the Commission changes a funding decision as a result of an appeal, the timing of the payment of the grant will be at the discretion of the agency’s Executive Director.

Appeals Process for Publications

(Performing Arts Tour Directory, Writers in Virginia Directory, and Artists in Education Artist Roster)

Applicants for either the Performing Arts Tour Directory, the Residency Program Artist Roster, or the Writers in Virginia Directory may appeal a decision not to be included in the Directory or on the Roster on the basis
of the three reasons listed above. The same procedure is followed for these appeals with the exception that applicants have only 15 days from notifi cation to fi le their appeals because of publication schedules. These
appeals will be reviewed and acted upon by the Executive Committee of the Commission.