Grafton Cultural Council

Amount Available for Granting in FY 2012

$3,959

Applications for field trips are accepted. (Formerly known as PASS applications.)

LCC Program Guidelines (PDF)

The postmark deadline for applications is October 15

Funding Priorities

The Grafton Cultural Council gathers input from the community and develops funding priorities based on this feedback. The Council will give priority to:

• proposals from Grafton artists or organizations for projects within Grafton
• collaborative projects between cultural groups and community organizations
• new applicants or new projects
• projects serving youth and families
• art forms or humanities that are underrepresented within our community.

Applications are evaluated in terms of several criteria:

• artistic and creative merit
• project design
• dedication and track record of individuals and organizations involved
• accessibility of facilities being used
• community involvement and benefit

Proposals from schools and libraries must not request support for activities that should be or used to be part of the municipal budget (i.e., salaries, classroom supplies, school-sponsored clubs or organizations, library books/video, etc.). Enrichment projects utilizing outside professionals are allowed.

Only one application per individual, organization, or school will be considered. Schools may apply for either a field trip grant or a cultural grant but not both the same year. Field trip grants for transportation will not be funded. Grafton applicants are given preference over those from out of Town. The Council will carefully scrutinize repeat requests; such proposals should show other sources of support to show the project is not dependent solely on Council funding.

Payments are made on a reimbursement basis only. Reimbursements may take 8 - ten weeks. The reimbursement form may be downloaded from www.mass-culture.org. Projects and payment requests must be completed within one year of the final award notification. Due to the limited funds available and the high demand for support, the council usually awards lesser amount than has been requested and asks that applicants find matching funds or scale back their project. Awards typically range from $150 to $500. A few larger awards are given from time to time. In cases where the project is partially funded, the council may request an explanation of how the project will be modified. Requests for extensions beyond the grant period will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be submitted in writing no later than one year from the date of the approval letter. The council will review and vote on the request and notify applicants in writing of its decision.

Local Guidelines

Applicants can be: arts, humanities or interpretive science organizations; individuals including artists, musicians, science educators, historians or other humanists; community members; or community organizations, including, but not limited to, schools, social service organizations, business and civic groups, neighborhood centers, youth, senior and family associations. Incorporated organizations must be non-profit; unincorporated associations must have a non-profit purpose. Individual applicants are required to be Grafton residents for at least one year; organizations must be organized and operating in the state for at least one year.

Completed applications must be postmarked by October 15. Application and support materials should be sent to:

Grafton Cultural Council
P.O. Box 171
Grafton, MA 01519

Important Dates

Notification of disapproved applications – by December 15

Notification of approval – by December 31

Reimbursement requests due – one year from approval notification

All applications must be typed or word processed. The application can be completed and printed out at www.mass-culture.org. The library has access to the internet. When filling out the application, use the space provided to answer questions. One additional 8 ½” by 11” page to complete questions is allowed.

Include 7 copies with the original with only one set of supporting materials including resumes of key personnel, organizational brochures, letters of confirmation from the proposed sponsor/host of the project specifying the event date and a letter of support from the venue/facility to be used, artist samples (slides, writings, video, etc.). Musical applicants must submit one CD-R, maximum ten minutes, to accompany their application. Supporting materials accompaning the application will not be returned.

Answer questions clearly, simply and as completely as space allows. Describe the project and any collaborators, and address the review criteria. The budget is divided into Project Expenses and Revenue (income). These must be equal. You can include in-kind donations, that is, services, materials or facilities which are provided at no cost to you.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In all published materials and announcements regarding the activities supported by LCC funds, the sponsoring group or individual must acknowledge this support with a written and/or verbal credit statement or by using the MCC logo.

The credit statement is “This program is supported in part by a grant from the Grafton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.”

The logo is available online at www.massculturalcouncil.org/contracts/lccred_recip.html.

This credit is required by the MCC and failure to comply may jeopardize funding.

Announcements

The Grafton Cultural Council will hold a grant writing workshop for interested applicants on September 21 at the Municipal Center and will hand out application forms and answer questions about proposals. For other information contact Fay Morrisson at 508-887-9978.