Grants Assistance Program General Guidelines

ACAC Grants Assistance Program - Supported by funds from the City of Abilene’s hotel/motel occupancy tax and grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

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 HeARTS for the ARTS Grants Program (formerly known as the Cultural Incentive Program, or 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 HeARTS for the ARTS program are for multi-cultural, community oriented, and arts-in-education programs. Organizations may submit applications to both programs as long as they are for different projects.

Eligibility Requirements:

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 to the Council for funding assistance. Proof of the organization’s
tax-exempt status must accompany first-time applications.

Grant Guidelines:

1. 1. The Cultural Affairs Council may fund cultural activities of an established non- profit organization.
2. Grants, other than major support grants, will not exceed $3,000.
3. Major support grants will not exceed $7,500. A major instruction is defined as having:
   • a full-time professional director
   • annual budgets in excess of $50,000
   • annual season of exhibits and/or performances
4. Applicants must use the grant application forms provided by the Council.
5. 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.
6. 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

7. 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.
8. Emergency grants of $1,000 or less will be considered as requested only if funds are available.

What the Council does not fund in the ACAC Grants Assistance Program:

• Projects or organizations that do not enhance cultural tourism
• Deficit budget expenses or retroactive funding for current projects
• Activities restricted to an organization's membership
• Costs of parties, receptions, fundraising benefits, and other social activities
• 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 are encouraged in the following areas:

1. Collaborative Projects- for two or more art groups who work together on projects designed to attract visitors and further the Artfully Abilene marketing platform.

2. Project and Organizational Support- including exhibits, performances, and events with excellent artistic programming that are open to the public; organizations must have minority involvement on the board and/or staff; and sound financial management.

3. Cultural Tourism Projects- Organizations with events, exhibits, and/or performances that promote cultural tourism.

Acknowledgement:

The following acknowledgement should be included in all promotional materials.

This project is supported by a grant from the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the City of Abilene and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

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, posters, 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 (read instructions in yellow below)
(open the form, fill it out on your computer, then print off the required number of copies)

To fill out your evaluation electronically, right click on the link above and click "Save Link As..." or "Save Target As..." and save to your desktop. Then open the file in Adobe Acrobat (full version). Certain features may not be available to users who only have the free version of Acrobat (Reader), like the ability to save a completed electornic file for your own records. This requires the full version of Adobe Acrobat.

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.