Lowell Cultural Council

Amount Available for Granting in FY 2013

$50,961

Applications for field trips are not accepted. (Formerly known as PASS applications.)

LCC Program Guidelines (PDF)

The postmark deadline for applications is October 15

Funding Priorities

Lowell Cultural Council grants are open to individual artists, arts organizations, community organizations and municipal agencies. All projects funded by the Lowell Cultural Council must be based in Lowell and must benefit the citizens of Lowell through exhibits, performances, readings, demonstrations, or by other means. The Lowell Cultural Council prefers to fund local artists who live or work in the city. As a general rule, the Lowell Cultural Council does not provide funding for operating support.

2012/2013 Priorities are: Art forms or humanities (i.e. writers, musicians, ethnic interpretations) that are underrepresented in the community and projects that serve a wide range of social, ethnic and economic backgrounds.

We will accept a maximum of one (1) grant from each individual or organization.

Local Guidelines

The Lowell Cultural Council grant process is governed by requirements and regulations established by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, failure to comply may jeopardize a grant application. Additional information about the Massachusetts Cultural Council and its programs may be found at www.massculturalcouncil.org. The Lowell Cultural Council holds at least 2 public meetings each fall to establish funding priorities and application procedures, as well as the following GUIDELINES:

1. The grant activity must take place in Lowell.

2. The maximum requested amount is $3,000.

3. One application per applicant.

The Lowell Cultural Council maintains the right to fund grants over $3,000 if the project is large scale, innovative, exceptional, and is a benefit to the larger community by impacting and enriching the lives of the local population.

The Lowell Cultural Council does not award Field Trip (PASS) grants at this time.

COMPILING YOUR GRANT PACKET - Your grant application packet must be typed (no smaller than 10 pt.) and MUST contain the following:

1. ONE (1) signed original LCC Grant Application and FOURTEEN (14) copies, for a total of FIFTEEN (15) Grant Applications.

2. ONE (1) original and FOURTEEN (14) copies of all supporting paper documentation, including critical personnel resumes. *Duplicate copies of slides, video's, CD's, DVD's are not necessary.*

3. Please COLLATE the Grant Application with the supporting documentation and create FIFTEEN (15) individual grant packets. Each packet MUST be stapled or paper-clipped.

All applications must be POSTMARKED on or before the October 15th deadline. Applications may be hand delivered or sent to: Lowell Cultural Council, c/o COOL, 50 Arcand Drive, 2nd Flr, Lowell, MA 01852. Application numbers are assigned on a random basis and are not dependent on delivery.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST:

1. Have you included one (1) SIGNED original and fourteen (14) copies of your Grant Application (15 total)?

2. Have you included one (1) original and fourteen (14) copies of your supporting documentation, including the resumes of your key personnel (15 total)?

3. Does your budget (Expenses on Left and Income on Right) balance?

4. Have you postmarked (MAILED) your application by the deadline date? NOTE: Packages can be dropped off during normal business hours

5. PLEASE NOTE: Incomplete Applications will not be considered for funding!**

ONCE YOUR GRANT IS RECEIVED / INTERVIEW MEETINGS - You will receive notification of the receipt of your grant application packet along with an invitation to attend an OPTIONAL interview meeting with the Lowell Cultural Council members on Wednesday, November 7th, or Thursday, November 8th. At this interview, the Council will ask questions about your application -- you will NOT be asked to make a presentation. Though attendance at the interview is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended that you or someone involved with your grant accept the invitation and answer any questions the Council might have on the project. The interviews are strictly question & answer sessions -- again, no presentations will be heard.

Each interview meeting is assigned on a first come, first served basis starting at 6PM. Once you arrive at the meeting place, you may sign up for a specific time slot between 6PM and 8PM. Each meeting will only take about 5 minutes -- once your meeting is finished, you may leave the room OR stay and listen to any or all of the following meetings. All interview meetings are open to the public!

LOWELL CULTURAL COUNCIL GRANT DELIBERATIONS - After the interview meetings, the Council will discuss applications and vote on those applications that will receive funding. The Council will determine the amount of funding each successful grant will receive.

Grant Evaluation: There are five major areas considered by Council members in evaluating each grant application: 1) quality of project, 2) community benefit, 3) budget and funding, 4) planning, and 5) leadership.

The criteria used to evaluate these areas include:

1. Quality of Project - Is it creative? Does it have a specific focus and is that focus well defined? Is it engaging? Is it collaborative? Will the project enhance the cultural life of the city?

2. Community Benefit - How well does the project serve the residents of Lowell? How wide an audience is served? Does the project reflect priorities developed from the community input meeting? Is the target audience an underserved population?

3. Budget and Funding Support - Does the budget balance? Does the budget follow guidelines? Is the budget appropriate and clear? Are there other sources of funding or is LCC the sole source of funding? Is the project budget specific? Has this project been funded previously by LCC? Should this project be part of the city budget?

4. Planning - Are there well defined goals / targets? Is this a single event or an on-going project? If an on-going project is there a culminating event, activity or product that can act as a benchmark for evaluation? Is it clear that project planning has already taken place? Is the public program portion of this project accessible to individuals with disabilities?

5. Leadership - Does the leadership / staff have experience? Do personnel qualifications match the project needs? Is there evidence of past success in executing a similar project?

IMPORTANT FINANCIAL INFORMATION - Please note that LCC grants are reimbursement-based. All grant recipients MUST submit a reimbursement request form accompanied by documentation that the project occurred (invoices, receipts, cancelled checks, program books) to the Council. The request is then reviewed, and then forwarded to the City for processing and payment. Although the reimbursement process has been streamlined, be aware that it can take up to SIXTY (60) days to process a reimbursement -- please plan accordingly!

MASS CULTURAL COUNCIL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT GUIDELINES - Proof of credit acknowledgment MUST be included in all published materials, announcements, and websites that promote your grant funded project. These materials must then be included in your reimbursement packet (see "Important Financial Information" above). This acknowledgement is required by the Mass Cultural Council and failure to comply may jeopardize your reimbursement and/or future funding. Please be certain to include the MCC logo on all promotional materials and websites along with the following credit statement:

"This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lowell Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency."

The MCC logo and additional credit information is available at the MCC's web site: www.massculturalcouncil.org.

For any questions on the grant application or reimbursement procedures, please contact the Lowell Cultural Council Grant Administrator, Suzzanne Cromwell, at 978-674-1484.