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GENERAL
GUIDELINES
Cultural
Incentive Program
Supported
by funds from the City of Abilene, Taylor County,
and the Tax Increment Financing District.
Revised
August, 2001
The
Abilene Cultural Affairs Council was established
in 1977 as a division of the Chamber of Commerce
to support and foster the growth of the arts and
humanities in the Abilene area. One of the Council's
primary functions is to distribute public funds
to qualifying non-profit organizations. The Cultural
Affairs Council has two separate grant programs,
the Cultural Incentive Program (CIP) and the ACAC
Grants Assistance Program. In general, grants
from the ACAC Grants Assistance Program are for
organizational support for established arts groups
and for events that promote cultural tourism.
Grants from the CIP program are for events, exhibits,
festivals, performances, and arts-in-education
programs. organizations may submit applications
to both programs as long as they are for different
projects. |
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| Eligibility
Requirements: |
Any non-profit, tax-exempt organization, as defined
by the Internal Revenue Code, or public and tax-supported
organization (including colleges and universities),
may apply. Proof of the organization's tax-exempt
status must accompany first-time applicants.
Organizations
which are not tax-exempt may apply for a grant
under the umbrella of an exempt non-profit organization
or government agency. Umbrella applications require
a signed agreement between the applicant and the
sponsoring umbrella group. This agreement must
contain a clause which holds the Abilene Cultural
Affairs Council harmless for any liabilities incurred
by either the applicant or the umbrella organization.
Written approbal of the Board of the umbrella
organization must accompany the application. umbrella
organizations must be tax-exempt as defined by
the Internal Revenue Code.
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| Grant
Guidelines: |
| 1.
Grant funds must be used for cultural activities
of an established non-profit organization,
government or educational insitution. |
| 2.
Organizations requesting grants larger tha
$3,000 must emphasize in their applications
how they plan to serve and impact a large
segment of the community. |
3.
Applicants must use the grant application
forms provided by the Council. |
| 4.
All grants proposals must be received by the
COuncil no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 1st.
If June 1st falls on the weekend, proposals
are due the first working day of June. LATE
OR INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Please refer to the grant checklist to ensure
that the grant packet is complete. |
5.
Applicants shall match the ACAC award according
to the following schedule:
| Organizational
Budget |
Grant
Award Match |
| $10,000
or less |
Cash
or in-kind services |
| $10,000
- $50,000 |
25%
cash or greater |
| $50,000
or greater |
50%
cash or greater |
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6.
Applicants receiving funds from one of the
Council's grant programs may not used the
funds to provide the match for another Council
grant program. |
What
the Council does not fund in the ACAC Grants
Assistance Program: |
| •
Deficit budget expenses or retroactive funding
for current projects |
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Activities restricted to an organization's
membership |
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Costs of parties, receptions, fundraising
benefits, and other social activities |
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College or university-based projects which
are part of an academic degree or curriculum
and are not open to the public |
| •
Programs that are primarily recreational,
rehabilitative or therapeutic |
| •
Activities which do not benefit the citizens
of Abilene and surrounding areas |
| •
Activities of individuals applying without
the aegis of a non-profit organization |
| •
Major capital improvements, construction,
renovation, or structural maintenance of facilities |
| •
Operating expenses of privately owned facilities,
i.e. homes and studios |
| •
Church related activities unless they involve
the community as a whole |
| •
Projects that have an arts-in-education focus |
| Applications:
|
1.
Multi-Cultural - Projects that enhance cultural
diversity
2.
Project and Organizational Support - Exhibits,
performances, and events with excellent
artistic programming that are open to the
public; minority involement on the board
and/or staff; and sound financial management
3.
Collaborations - Projects between two or
more arts groups
4.
Arts in Education - Projects that deliver
arts through school curriculum, enhance
student achievemnt, provide teacher training,
or provide hands-on activities
5.
Cultural Tourism - Projects that promote
cultural tourism |
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| Acknowledgement:
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The
following acknowledgement should be included
in al promotional materials.
This
project is supported by a grant from the
Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the City
of Abilene, Taylor County, and the Downtown
Revitalization Program of the Tax Increment
Finance District. |
| Evaluation
Report: |
Grant
recipients must provide an evaluation report
within 30 days following the completion
of their project. Each report must include
five color slides. Two black and white photographs
and copies of flyers, poster, and other
promotional materials. The Council will
provide evaluation forms. Failure to submit
an evaluation report will prohibit future
disbursal of grant monies to the organization.
Fill
out your evaluation report here
(open
the form, fill it out on your computer, then
print off the required number of copies) |
| Award
Notification: |
| A
letter regarding grant status and amount awarded
will be sent to the applicant. The applicant
must return one copy of the letter signed
by the appropriate person. Grant monies will
not be disbursed until the Abilene Cultural
Affairs Council has received the signed letter.
All grant monies are awarded in the fiscal
year of the Council, which is October 1st
through September 30th. |
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