CITY ARTS PROGRAM. Table of Contents

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1 CITY ARTS PROGRAM 2015 Table of Contents CityArts Overview Grant Size and Grant Period Eligibility Criteria and Funding Restrictions General Instructions and Key Points Funding Categories Timeline / How To Apply Illinois Cultural Data Project (CDP) Review Process / Funding Criteria

2 PROGRAM OVERVIEW The goal of the DCASE CityArts program is to encourage the attainment of artistic excellence and financial stability through general operating support for 501(c)3 nonprofit arts and culture organizations. Through this program, DCASE provides one-year general operating support grants to arts organization with vibrant artistic or cultural programming. General operating support funds may be used for artistic, administrative and/or program activities including expenses such as salaries, marketing, insurance, supplies, professional services, fees and training. All grants are one-year grants. NOTE: Through CityArts, DCASE aims to support a diverse portfolio of grantees which includes arts and culture organizations working across the city at all stages of organizational development and across all budget sizes up to $2,000,000. Cultural Grants Staff Contact Information: Allyson Esposito Director Julie Partynski Coordinator Andrea Portillo Coordinator Please direct all inquiries to: culturalgrantmaking@cityofchicago.org Note: due to the high volume of inquires, please allow 48 hours for a response Grant Size and Grant Period Grant Size: We will accept requests between $2,000 and $15,000. DCASE will not provide a grant that is greater than 10% of an organization s annual adjusted income from its most recently completed fiscal year (FY13). To calculate your organization s annual adjusted income, subtract the total amount of government contributions received during the previous fiscal year (this includes federal, state, and municipal/city contributions) from your organization s total income for the previous fiscal year. Note that in-kind contributions should not be included in this calculation. Annual Adjusted Income = Total Income Government Contributions Exception: Organizations with annual adjusted income budgets smaller than $20,000 are eligible to apply. Please request a grant of $2,000. DCASE may award larger or smaller grants than those requested by applicants based on our available budget and the strength of the application. Grants will be made in a single, one-time payment following the successful completion of the grant agreement. Grant Period: If awarded, all grant funds must be expended by the grantee between January 1, 2015 and December 31, Grantees are likely to receive payment in April of 2015, but can use the funds to reimburse the organization for expenses incurred between January and April 2015.

3 CityArts Program Eligibility Criteria To be eligible to apply for the CityArts Program grant, applicants must meet EACH and ALL of the following criteria. Organizations must: Have a primary mission to create, produce, present, provide, or support arts and culture services for the public. Work in one of the following disciplines: Dance, Literature, Media, Music, Museums, Theater, Visual Arts, Architecture, Film, Interdisciplinary OR serve as an arts service organization. Be a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) application incorporated in the State of Illinois for at least 12 months prior to applying (must have been incorporated as of March 5, 2013). Be a resident company in the city of Chicago with a valid street address (P.O. Boxes will not be accepted). Have had an annual adjusted income budget under $5,000,000 during the last fiscal year. Adjusted Income is the level of Total Income minus any Government Contributions (city/municipal, state, and federal grants). Primarily serve the residents of the city of Chicago (demonstrate that, on average, half of all programming occurs within the city of Chicago limits). Be planning programing/activities open and available to the public during the 2015 calendar year. NOTE: DCASE is unable to pay grant funds to any organization with outstanding, existing debt with the City of Chicago. Please pay off or clear up debt (utility bills, etc.) prior to applying for a CityArts grant. Funding Restrictions: DCASE CityArts funds cannot be used to support: Organizations with primary office addresses located outside of the city of Chicago Organizations applying using a fiscal agent Organizations serving as fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors for an organization/program Social service organizations For-profit organizations Religious institutions Public or governmental agencies Schools, school districts, and higher education institutions Athletic teams, social organizations, fraternal organizations Consortiums and collaboratives Individuals 2013 or 2014 CityArts Grantees that have not or will not have successfully submitted a Final Report to DCASE ANNUAL ADJUSTED INCOME = TOTAL INCOME TOTAL GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTIONS Demographics and Geographic Dispersion of CityArts Grantees DCASE s Cultural Grants Program strives for an equitable distribution of artistic services across the city s Wards. Grant reviewers will be instructed to take geographic access into account during the review process, taking note of organizations specifically serving residents of Wards which have been historically underserved with little access to arts and culture activities or resources. Previous CityArts Grantees Beginning with 2013, an organization can receive CityArts funding for up to three consecutive years before it is required to take one year off from applying for or receiving CityArts support. Any CityArts support received prior to 2013 will not count towards this three-year rule.

4 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS/KEY POINTS Previous CityArts Grantees: An organization can receive funding through CityArts for up to three consecutive years before it is required to take one year off from applying for CityArts support. Note that this rule does not apply to those who received funding prior to 2013 from programs previously administered by the City of Chicago or the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture. All 2013 and 2104 CityArts grantees can and should reapply for 2105 CityArts funding. Number of Grants: In 2013, DCASE made97 grants through CityArts, with an average grant size of approximately $5,200. In 2014, DCASe made 130 grants, with an average grant size of approximately $6,000. The number of grants and the grant amounts awarded in 2015 will be contingent on DCASE s 2015 Cultural Grants Program budget. Recipients of Other DCASE Support: DCASE supports local arts and culture organizations in a variety of ways including residencies, performance opportunities, exhibitions, subsidized space/venue rental, etc. Organizations receiving other forms of DCASE support remain eligible to apply; however priority will be given to those not receiving other significant DCASE support. Significant support will be determined on a case by case basis, but may include organizations receiving subsidized or free daily office space or large-scale performance venue subsidies. You will be asked to identify what and when DCASE support was received in 2014 or will be received in 2015 within the online application. Organizations with Parents having annual adjusted income budgets larger than $5M: In certain circumstances, arts and culture organizations with parent organizations that are larger than the $5M threshold will be eligible to apply. To be eligible, the child organization must meet ALL and EACH of the following criteria. In addition to meeting the general CityArts eligibility requirements, the child organization must: Have its own separate mission focused primarily on arts and culture Maintain finances/budgets separate and distinct from the parent AND have a budget less than $5M Have received funding from other sources beyond the parent organizations during the most recently completed fiscal year (2013) Maintain leadership separate from the parent organization in the form of separate and distinct staff, an advisory board or governing board, etc. Funding Categories: DCASE will prioritize CityArts funding to arts and culture organizatins working within one of the six Funding Categories detailed on the next page of this packet. CityArts Funding Categories are derived directly from recommendations within the Chicago Cultural Plan and the DCASE Strategic Plan. All applicants will select one Funding Category within which to apply and will be reviewed with organizations applying within that Funding Category, against evaluation criteria designed specifically for the kind of work they do.

5 FUNDING CATEGORIES All applicants must choose ONE Funding Category within which to apply this year, even if the applicant s mission.programs/work falls within or across multiple Funding Categories. 1.FOSTER INNOVATION: All awards in this category will be $15,000 regardless of organizational budget size. This is the most competitive category; only a handful of creative risk-takers will be selected. The most competitive applicants in this category will have plans to make new work during the 2015 calendar year and have a full season of work planned. This category is intended to include organizations: With a strong, truly unique and clear artistic voice that seek to experiment, innovate and take risks within the field. Doing work NOT being done elsewhere in the City. With spark-plug programs that seek to bring new ideas into the sector. 2.MAKE, CREATE, PRODUCE, PRESENT ART: Includes organizations producing or creating art and presenting organizations providing facilities, space, performance or exhibition opportunities for Chicago s arts and culture community. Priority will be given to organizations: (1) seeking to reach broad and diverse audiences across the City, (2) increasing access to the arts, (3) making new work or significantly changing existing work (including bringing existing work to new audiences in new ways). 3.PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY ARTS EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES: Includes organizations: Offering meaningful, consistent opportunities to expose underserved youth to Chicago s arts and culture resources. Serving as a bridge between arts and cultural resources and Chicago youth of all ages. Creating opportunities for youth to engage with the arts for the purposes of: providing exposure to the arts, developing connections to communities, broadening learning, and positively impacting social-emotional development. 4.ELEVATE CULTURAL ASSETS: Includes organizations that: Seek to expose Chicagoans to one or more specific cultural heritage(s), resources, or art forms; Serve as museums or art centers that are open to the general public, have professional art exhibitions and make consistent efforts to build audiences. Archive or document cultural resources. 5.SUPPORT CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE SECTOR: Includes organizations that provide a coordinating, convening, and supporting function for the larger Chicago arts and culture community, helping organizations and artists to build artistic and administrative capacity. 6.ENGAGE COMMUNITIES: Includes organizations that have a primary purpose to: Elevate and expand neighborhood cultural assets, especially by linking neighborhoods to one another and to downtown. Grow neighborhood cultural capacity and celebrate community. Provide large-scale public events such as festivals or park-based performances for the residents of the City of Chicago.

6 TIMELINE Event Dates Description Application Assistance Workshops November 13 December 5, 2014 Application opens November 14, :00 AM CST Application deadline January 14, :00 PM CST No Extensions will be Granted Notification of Results End of March, 2015 All applicants will be notified via a formal letter sent to the registered address on file. Contracting period April 2015 Grantees will be required to supply the following information: - Signed and notarized contract - Economic Disclosure Statement (EDS) Certificate - A certificate of insurance with City listed as additional insured ($1M) Payments disbursed May 2015 Payments may be electronic or via check. Final reports due January 15, 2016 Reports will be completed electronically through CyberGrants. HOW TO APPLY Beginning at 9:00 AM CST on Friday, November 14, 2014, the online CityArts Program application will be available here: Applicants can apply through our online application system, CyberGrants. Previous applicants can log in using their previously created login information. New applicants will be required to register and create an account prior to accessing the application. Please read and follow all directions and guidelines to ensure that your application is complete and accurate before submitting. You can save your work and return to complete the application at any time before January 14, 2015 at 5PM CST. Although you may type your responses to application questions directly into the online application, it is a good idea to draft your answers in a separate document or word processing software, then cut and paste to complete the application. This will prevent any loss of work due to internet connectivity or other technical issues. We strongly recommend that you begin your application well before the due date to familiarize yourself with the CyberGrants software system and to address questions you may have. We also strongly recommend beginning by uploading of required attachments as this is the most time-consuming portion of the application for many applicants. If possible, please submit your application earlier than the stated deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted or reviewed. DCASE Cultural Grants Team will answer questions and help you to troubleshoot technical issues to the best of our ability. NOTE: Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted or reviewed.

7 . What You Need to Apply for a CityArts Grant Proof of 501(c)(3) Status Submit a copy of the first page of the official letter from the Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, designating the organization as tax-exempt. Board of Directors List A one-page list including professional affiliations (i.e., place of employment and job title). Key Personnel Biographies A one-to-two page document containing brief paragraph descriptions of the key people who lead your organization both artistically and administratively. Biographical information should be brief but should focus on achievements, activities, awards, publications, education, etc. For the purposes of this requirement, personnel should be defined broadly to include volunteers and independent contractors that are responsible for leading the organization and setting direction. A list of your organizations Chicago-based programs for the 2015 calendar year. Geographic Information The Chicago Wards and Chicago Zip Codes where your organization directly provided programming during FY14. A Recent Work Sample A recent and relevant work sample and a description of this work and how it relates to your organization s current work. Applicants may upload JPG images or Word documents OR provide URLs or web links to video or audio recordings or images. The work sample plays a critical role in helping grant reviewers to understand and experience your organization s work. Work samples do not need to be professionally produced to demonstrate vibrant programming or artistic excellence. Below are guidelines as to the size/length and number of samples that are appropriate given your discipline: Dance/Theater/Music/Performance/Film: Up to 5 minutes of video or sound recordings Literary: 10 pages Visual Arts: 6-8 images Architecture, Art Service Organizations, Fashion, Interdisciplinary, Media, Museums: Any combination of the above, as appropriate Financial Information The top three funders of your organization for the previous and current fiscal year. An approved projected budget for current fiscal year (FY15). Financial Statements from the most recently completed fiscal year (FY13 or FY14, depending on fiscal year end date). Organizational budget of less than $300,000: Please submit a copy of your Federal Form 990/990EZ-990 e-postcard. Organizational Budget over $300,000: Please submit Federal Form 990 or an audit, if available. Supplementary Information (Optional) Materials that contribute to the overall narrative of the application or are appropriate to your organization and discipline. These may include critical reviews, letters of support, resumes of artists involved with your organization, promotional materials, public relations materials, etc. Illinois Cultural Data Project DCASE Funder Report CDP is an online system for collecting and standardizing historical, financial and organizational data. See the next page of this packet for more information.

8 Illinois Cultural Data Project (CDP) Requirements The Cultural Data Project (CDP) is an online system for collecting and standardizing historical, financial and organizational data. See CityArts applicants must submit a DCASE Funder Report which will aggregate data for three most recent consecutive fiscal years for which data has been entered into the system , 2013 and 2014, where possible and available. The DCASE Funder Report is currently available to generate and attach to your CityArts application. Recently established organizations with less than three years of financial data must submit a DCASE Funder Report with at least one year of data reflecting the most recently completed fiscal year. For organizations in operation only during FY14, data for 2014 must be submitted. Organizations with fiscal years ending 12/31 may elect to submit financial data within CDP for FY11, FY12 and FY13 (not FY14). In lieu of providing information within CDP for FY14, an approved year-end actuals statement may be provided. As a reminder, the process for completing an Illinois Cultural Data Project data profile can be time consuming. Applicants should be sure to begin the process early to allow enough time to complete this process before the application deadline. It is highly unlikely for applicants who wait until the day of the deadline to complete this process successfully. Data Profiles from FY12 and FY13 must have Review Complete status. Data Profiles from FY14 need not have achieved Review Complete status. What is Review Complete Status? As part of the effort to ensure the accuracy of your data, throughout the year, the Illinois CDP Help Desk will review each of your submitted Data Profile(s) and contact you with suggested revisions. It is your responsibility to respond to the Help Desk and to make any necessary changes to the submitted Cultural Data Profile(s). When you have made the suggested revisions to your Data Profile for a given fiscal year, that Data Profile is deemed Review Complete.

9 1 2 3 Review Process The anticipated review period is March - June, 2015 Eligibility Screening The DCASE Cultural Grants team will review all submitted applications to ensure they have met the minimal eligibility criteria (residency, incorporation and tax status requirements, all required materials submitted, etc.). Those which do not meet the minimal eligibility criteria will not move forward in the review process. Internal DCASE Grants Committee Review All eligible applications are initially reviewed by a committee of DCASE staff with extensive, discipline-specific knowledge of Chicago s arts and culture community. The strongest applications will move forward in the process to Step 3. Peer Panel Grant Review Funding Category-specific reiew panels of grant reviewers comprised of artists, arts administrators, arts advocates, arts stakeholders, arts funders, and other experts will be selected. Consideration is given to creating teams with demographics appropriate for each category and reflective of the city as a whole, including artistic expertise, gender, geographic knowledge of the city, and cultural understanding. Grant reviewers are charged with reviewing eligible proposals, providing extensive comments on each application, and assigning numerical scores of up to 100 points using Funding Category-specific review criteria. Each grant reviewer will consider applications in relation to DCASE and Cultural Grant Program goals, CityArts criteria, and in comparison to other applications from organizations of a similar size and stage of development. Grant reviewers make final funding recommendations to DCASE. The role of the DCASE staff is to facilitate grant panel review and to aid grant reviewers in finding consensus. Funding Criteria All proposals will be evaluated based on the specific criteria associated with the Funding Category within which they applied. The following are criteria that will be relevant across all Funding Categories: High-Quality Programs: Develops high-quality, innovative, unique programs align with a stated mission. Public Benefit: Works to attract and sustain audiences for the arts, build community, expand access to arts and culture, enhance the economic impact of the arts and culture in Chicago, serve neighborhoods which generally lack arts programming, or meet the needs of special audiences such as youth, senior citizens or persons with disabilities. Organizational Capacity (relative to the organization s size and stage of development): Clear mission and vision, strong and effective leadership, active board, appropriate planning, goal-setting and assessment of work. Financial Strength (relative to the organization s size and stage of development): Ability to manage resources effectively and responsibly and plan for the future. Why do funding criteria matter? Grant reviewers will use the CityArts funding criteria to evaluate and score applications. Grant reviewers are instructed to evaluate each proposal holistically, taking into account all narrative, financial and support materials before scoring an application. Commitment to the above criteria should thread through your entire application.