IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Electronic application through Grants.gov is MANDATORY

NOTE: Grants.gov has implemented new security requirements for the use of the Grants.gov system. Among the changes, applicants are now required to change their passwords every 90 days. See www.grants.gov for more details.

It is your organization's responsibility to create and maintain a regularly updated registration with Grants.gov. This includes registration with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR), where your organization's information must be renewed annually. Finalize a new or renew an existing registration at least two weeks before the application deadline. This should allow you time to resolve any issues that may arise with Grants.gov or CCR. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your inability to submit your application.

If your organization is not yet registered, go to Grants.gov's Get Registered. Allow a minimum of two weeks for this multi-step, one-time process. If your organization already has registered, renew your registration with CCR and verify that your registration with Grants.gov is current.
If you have problems with registration:

• CCR Assistance Center: Call 1-866-606-8220, send a message through the Web site at www.ccr.gov, or see the information posted on the CCR Web site at Help.

• Grants.gov Contact Center: Call 1-800-518-4726, e-mail support@grants.gov, or consult the information posted on the Grants.gov Web site at Help. The Grants.gov Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Maintain documentation (with dates) of your efforts to register or renew at least two weeks before the deadline.

You do not need to complete the registration process to download the application package and begin to prepare your material (see below). However, you will need your Grants.gov Username and Password that you obtain during the registration process to submit your application.

a. Legal Name: The name provided here must be the applicant's legal name as it appears in the current IRS 501(c)(3) status letter or in the official document that identifies the organization as a unit of state or local government, or as a federally recognized tribal community or tribe. (Do not use your organization's popular name, if different.)

If you are a parent organization that is applying on behalf of an eligible component, do not list the name of the component here. You will be asked for that information later.

b. Address:

Use Street 1 for your street address or post office box number, whichever is used for your U.S. Postal Service mailing address. Street 2 is not a required field and should be used only when a Suite or Room Number or other similar information is a necessary part of your address. Do not use Street 2 to give a second address for your organization.

In the Zip/Postal Code box, organizations in the United States should enter the full 9-digit zip code that was assigned by the U.S. Postal Service. If you do not know your full zip code, you may look it up at www.usps.com/zip4/.

d. Type of Applicant: Select the item that best characterizes your organization from the menu in the first drop down box. Additional choices are optional.

e. Employer/Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN/TIN): Enter the 9-digit number that was assigned by the Internal Revenue Service; do not use a Social Security Number.

f. Organizational DUNS: All organizational applicants for federal funds must have a DUNS number, which is recognized as the universal standard for identifying organizations worldwide. The number that you enter here must agree with the number (either 9 or 13 digits) that you used with the CCR (Central Contractor Registration) as part of the Grants.gov registration. Otherwise, your application will not be validated by Grants.gov and will be rejected.

g. Congressional District: Enter the number of the Congressional District where the applicant organization is located. Use the following format: 2 character State Abbreviation-3 character District Number. For example, if your organization is located in the 5th Congressional District of California, enter "CA-005." If your state has a single At-Large Representative or your territory has a single Delegate, enter your 2 character state/territory abbreviation and "-000." If you need help determining your district, go to www.house.gov and use the "Find Your Representative" tool.

a. Project Title: Provide a brief descriptive title for your proposed project.

b. Project Description: For all projects except those to the Arts Education discipline: In two or three brief sentences, clearly describe your specific project, not your organization. Begin the first sentence with "To support" and include the name of the project. Follow this with up to two more sentences that describe the type of project, the target population that will be served, and where the project will take place. For examples, see Recent Grants.

For Arts Education discipline projects: In two or three brief sentences, clearly describe your specific project, not your organization. Begin the first sentence with "To support" and include the name of the project. Follow this with up to two more sentences that describe the type of project, the instructors, the age and number of students/adults who will be served, and where the project will be take place.

For example:

To support Creative Arts Program, a weekly string instruction program for 200 8th grade students in two middle schools in Monroe, LA. Professional musicians provide master classes and one-on-one instruction, and help academic teachers learn to integrate music into the classroom. The program culminates in a year-end student performance.

c. Proposed Project Start Date/End Date: Enter the beginning and ending dates for your requested period of support, i.e., the span of time necessary to plan, execute, and close out your proposed project. The Arts Endowment's support of a project may start on or after: 1) For applicants under the March 10 deadline, January 1, 2012; or 2) For applicants under the August 11 deadline, June 1, 2012. Generally, a period of support of up to two years is allowed. The two-year period is intended to allow an applicant sufficient time to plan, execute, and close out its project, not to repeat a one-year project for a second year.

Provide the requested information for the Project Director. Select a Prefix (e.g., Ms., Mr.) even though this is not a required field.

Provide contact information, including an e-mail address, that will be valid through the announcement date for your category.

Provide the requested information for the individual who should be contacted on all matters involving this application and the administration of any grant that may be awarded. For colleges and universities, this person is often a Sponsored Research, Sponsored Programs, or Contracts and Grants Officer. Select a Prefix even though this is not a required field.

In some organizations, particularly smaller ones, this individual may be the same as the Project Director. If this is the case, you may check the "Same as Project Director" box and not repeat information that you have already provided in Item 7. (If the Primary Contact/Grant Administrator is the same as the Authorizing Official, please complete all items under both 8 and 9 even though there will be some repetition.)

Enter the requested information for the AOR (Authorized Organization Representative) who will be submitting this application to Grants.gov. Select a Prefix even though this is not a required field. The AOR must have the legal authority to obligate your organization. By clicking the "I Agree" box at the top of Item 9, this individual will be certifying compliance with relevant federal requirements on your organization's behalf. (These requirements can be found in the "Assurance of Compliance" section of these guidelines.) The "Signature of Authorized Representative" and "Date Signed" boxes will be populated by Grants.gov upon submission of the application.

To this button, attach a one-page Organizational Background statement. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "OrgBackground.pdf" (e.g., "ABCDanceCoOrgBackground.pdf" or "StateUnivPerfArtsCenterOrgBackground.pdf").

This statement should cover the points below; use the following headings and letters to organize your response. If you are a parent organization that is applying on behalf of a component, this information should refer to the component.

• Date organization was incorporated. If not applicable, omit.

• Mission/purpose of your organization: Briefly summarize the mission and purpose of your organization. For organizations whose work extends beyond the cultural sphere (e.g., universities, human service agencies), summarize your mission as it pertains to your public cultural programs or services.

• Organization overview: Address the following:

  1. An overview of your organization's activities.
  2. Some specific examples of previous activities that demonstrate your organization's ability to carry out the project for which you are requesting support.
  3. The size and general demographics (e.g., ethnicity, income, age) of the community/region/audience that you serve. If you are a membership organization, indicate the number of individuals or organizations that you serve.
  4. A description of any special efforts that your organization is making to reach a broad segment of the community.

To this button, attach your Details of the Project narrative. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "DetailsofProject.pdf."

Your narrative can be a maximum of four pages, but keep in mind that the Arts Endowment and its panelists prefer succinct descriptions. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed. Organize your response a), b), c), etc., and use the boldfaced language below as headings for each item. For example, "a) Major project activities: The ABC Arts Center plans to ..."

The information that you provide will be reviewed in accordance with the "Review Criteria" for the Art Works category. Your narrative should address each of these "Review Criteria" and include information on the following, as relevant to your project. Ensure that your descriptions are consistent with the information that you provide on the NEA Organization & Project Profile form.

1. Major project activities. Be as specific as possible about the activities that will take place during the project period. Include information on the location(s) of the proposed activity and any special resources that will be used.

   Discuss how the project incorporates: 1) the opportunity for participants to experience exemplary works of art -- in live form wherever possible -- and how participants will gain knowledge and skills in the arts through focused study; 2) the opportunity for participants to create art within the discipline(s) studied; and 3) assessment of participant learning aligned with national or state arts education standards. For more information on arts education standards, please see State and National Standards for Arts Education.

   In order to demonstrate in-depth learning, please provide:

   • The number, frequency, and length of classes, workshops, or learning sessions, as well as the ratio of artists/teachers to participants.
   • The specific knowledge and/or skills to be acquired by participants.
   • The manner in which participants experience the arts and artists, whether attending live performances, working with artists, or studying exemplary art forms of the past.

   For Consortium applications, discuss why your project is considered to be innovative, including how the project could prove transformative with the potential for meaningful change; be distinctive by offering fresh insights and new value for the field and/or the public through unconventional solutions; and be shared and/or emulated, or lead to other innovations.

2. Outcome(s) and Measurements. All Arts Education projects will have the following as their primary outcome:

   • Learning: Americans of all ages acquire knowledge or skills in the arts.

   Discuss how your project directly addresses this primary outcome in relation to pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 children and youth, and/or professional development of arts educators. You may also address a secondary NEA outcome (Creation, Engagement, or Livability). Identify any additional goals of your own that you have established for the project.

   Detail the performance measurements that you will use to provide evidence that the NEA Learning outcome was achieved. You must address:

   Plans for assessment of participant learning. Describe how you plan to implement the following, as relevant to your project.

   • Measure students' knowledge and/or skills development according to national or state standards for arts education; or
   • Measure knowledge and/or skills development by teachers, teaching artists, and other educators.
   • Indicate which tools you will use for assessment and why they are appropriate to the project (i.e., formative and/or summative).

   Plans for overall program evaluation.

   • As assessment of participant learning is a component of program evaluation, indicate how student assessments contribute to overall program evaluation.
   • Include your plans for documentation and program evaluation (formative and/or summative), as appropriate.
   • If this is an ongoing project, describe the results to date and the rationale for continuing the project.
   • Where appropriate, describe the use of internal and/or external evaluators.

   Be sure to include the costs committed to assessment and evaluation on the Project Budget form. Separately identify these costs if they are part of staff salary and/or time.

3. Schedule of key project dates.

4. Key partnering organizations and individuals that will be involved in the project. (Bios of key project personnel are requested as a separate item.) Indicate whether the organizations, artists, and other individuals that are cited are committed to or merely proposed for the project. Where relevant, describe their involvement in the development of the project to date. Describe the process and criteria for the selection of organizations and artists. Where key organizations or individuals remain to be selected, describe the procedures that you plan to follow and the qualifications that you seek. Focus on the organizations and individual(s) who will be responsible for the arts learning aspects of the project.

5. The target population (i.e., the intended audience and/or other beneficiaries to whom the project is directed). If actual figures or reasonable estimates can be secured, indicate the number of people the project will reach and any available participant demographics. Have you worked with this target population before? Has the target population been involved in the planning for and implementation of the project? In the case of children and youth, describe the age range and any special needs that exist. Describe any underserved groups or areas that will benefit.

6. Plans for promoting, publicizing, and/or disseminating the proposed project, as relevant.

7. Plans for making the project accessible to individuals with disabilities in compliance with federal law and regulations. This includes access accommodations for both facilities and programs, such as audio description, sign-language interpretation, closed or open captioning, large-print brochures/labeling, etc. Give examples of how your organization has accommodated participants with disabilities. See the Nondiscrimination Statutes in "Assurance of Compliance" for more information. (For technical assistance on how to make your project fully accessible, contact the Arts Endowment's AccessAbility Office at 202/682-5532 or 202/682-5496 Voice/T.T.Y. or the Civil Rights Office at 202/682-5454 or 202/682-5695 Voice/T.T.Y.)

8. Budget. If this project is being undertaken over and above your normal operations, what resources will be applied to cover these costs? If you were to receive less than your requested amount, what would be your project activity priorities?

To this button, attach a single file that includes all of the items below that are relevant to your application. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "Bios.pdf." Label clearly each item.

• For all applicants: Brief, current biographies of the key project personnel [e.g., the proposed primary artist(s), project director, teachers, administrators, parents, as appropriate]. Describe their experience as it relates to the project. Send no more than two pages of bios; group several on each page. Do not substitute resumes for the required biographies. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed.

• For projects that involve highly technical professionals (e.g., individuals who work with new technology, art conservators): Resumes (not bios) for those individuals.

• For parent organizations applying on behalf of an eligible component: A list of key staff of the component unit. Describe any overlaps in staffing with the parent organization. This documentation is required to demonstrate your eligibility.

To this button, attach a single file that includes all of the items below that are relevant to your application. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "BoardList.pdf." Label clearly each item.

• For all applicants: A list of current board members including professional affiliations.

• For parent organizations applying on behalf of an eligible component: A list of board/advisory group members for the component as well as the parent organization. Note how long each board/advisory group has been in existence. This documentation is required to demonstrate your eligibility.

• For lead applicants applying on behalf of a consortium: A list of current board members for the primary consortium partner as well as the lead applicant.

To this button, attach the Project Budget form, Pages 1 and 2. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "ProjectBudget.pdf."

If you wish to submit a copy of a differently formatted budget (e.g., one created for your own planning purposes), attach it to this button. This project budget may not be submitted in lieu of the required Project Budget form in Attachment 5. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "SepBudget.pdf." Limit this to a maximum of three pages.

To this button, attach the Financial Information form. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "FinancialInfo.pdf." You may not submit other documentation in lieu of the required form.

If you are applying for an official Consortium Application, to this button attach the Consortium Partner Information form. This form must include the name of the Authorizing Official for your consortium partner, but no signature is necessary. The file name of your attachment should indicate the name of your organization (not your partner) or a recognizable acronym followed by "ConsortiumPartner.pdf."

To this button, attach a representative list of your Organizational Activities for the past three seasons. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "OrgActivities.pdf."

Submit up to three pages of a selective representative list, in chronological order, of your organization's programming or activities for the following years: 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11. For organizations that schedule activities according to a single calendar year, use programming for 2008, 2009, and 2010. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed.

This list should demonstrate eligibility (i.e., your organization's three-year history of programming) and the artistic excellence and merit of your organization. Where available, include arts or cultural programming that has a relationship to the project for which you are requesting support (e.g., examples of your previous work with children or youth). Use the bullets below as a guide to possible column headings for your list; adjust them as appropriate for your organization.

• Year: 2008-09, 2009-10, or 2010-11. For organizations that schedule activities according to a single calendar year, use 2008, 2009, or 2010.
• The titles of the program or project.
• Project director.
• Key Artist(s)/Personnel. This may include arts specialists, teachers, participating artists, curriculum developers, assessment/evaluation specialists, youth/community development specialists, etc.
• The location of the activity.
• Dates of the activity and the number of classes/performances/events/exhibitions.
• Number of participants/attendance.

Example:
An after-school visual arts learning program might fill out its selective representative list as follows:

Year	Program/ Location	Project Head	Participating Artist(s)	Dates/# of classes	Attendance
2008-09	After School Arts/ Sweeney Elementary	Jan Smith	Lois Jones Vince Kraft	Sept. 08- May 09; 1 1/2hours weekly/ 28 weeks	125 3rd & 4th grade students
2009-10	The Arts at ABC Jr. High	Bill Miller	Susan Johnson	Oct. 09- April 10; two days every week	60 students
2010-11	Teen Studio/ Austin Fine Arts	Bob Doe	Ray Ward Jill Hale Kate Hall	2 hours weekly/year-round	80 students

To this button, attach a single file that contains no more than five one-page statements of support for the project. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "Statements.pdf."

Statements of support are used by panelists to assess the level of commitment of project partners and the impact of project activities. Each statement should include the name, phone number, and e-mail address of the individual who provided it. Statements should be addressed to your organization, not the NEA.

We strongly encourage you to submit statements of support electronically through Grants.gov. If you submit this item as a scanned document:

• Scan images at a resolution of 300 dpi. Resolutions over 300 dpi will result in unnecessarily large files.
• Save the images as black-and-white JPEGs. Please be sure you are not saving them in color, as this significantly increases the file size.
• Experiment with the JPEG quality settings. Saving the document as a "medium quality" or "low quality" JPEG will reduce the file size, and is not likely to reduce readability.
• When you have scanned the images, concatenate them into a single PDF file. Submit a single file; do not submit a separate file for each scanned page.

However, if you cannot submit this item electronically, you may submit a hard copy with the items detailed under "Prepare and submit material to be mailed directly to the Arts Endowment."

If you are a single school that is applying as the local education agency (school district), to this button attach documentation that assigns your organization the authority to operate as the local education agency. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "SchoolDistrict.pdf."

NOTE: The Arts Endowment does not make awards directly to individual elementary or secondary schools -- charter, private, or public. Local education agencies (school districts) are eligible. If a single school also is the local education agency, as is the case with some charter schools, the school may apply with documentation that supports its status as the local education agency.

To this button, attach your Work Sample Index. This item documents the relevance of the work samples to the project. Group several work sample descriptions on each page and do not exceed a total of three pages. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed. Provide this as a text document; do not insert images. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "WorkSampleIndex.pdf."

For each work sample that you are including with your application (see "Prepare and submit material to be mailed directly to the Arts Endowment"), provide the information below as relevant to your particular project:

• A letter designation. Start with "A." List your samples in the order in which you want them reviewed (e.g., A, B, C). Make sure that the letter on the Work Sample Index corresponds to the letter on the sample work itself. Each different CD, etc., should be considered one work sample. For digital images on a CD, each set (not each image) should be considered one sample.

• Format (e.g., DVD-R, DVD-ROM, CD, printed material, Web site).

• If the work sample is a set of images on CD, provide details for each image on your Work Sample Index. (Follow the instructions under "Mailed Materials/Work Sample Formats/Digital Images on CD" below.)

• For other types of work samples, provide the following for each selection on that sample. If a work sample includes more than one selection, list your selections in the priority order in which you would like them reviewed.

• Description of the work or activity, including artists and titles of work where relevant.
• Date of the work or activity.
• Relevance of the work sample to the project for which you are requesting support. Identify the age or grade of the children and youth; whether they are beginning, intermediate, or advanced students, or a combination thereof; and the context for the work including the chronological point in the project that is represented (e.g., start-of-year class, mid-session workshop, year-end program).
• Instructions for reviewing the selection. Include, as relevant:
  • The track or chapter number.
  • Real elapsed time or cue information indicating the start of that selection. Note your first cue as 0:00. If your second selection starts five minutes later, note the start of that as 5:00, etc.
  • For Web sites, the URLs for the pages to be shown, as well as any necessary information on required plug-ins or the navigation path. Indicate what should be viewed on each page and explain its relevance to the project.

Example of one page:

Work Sample A
Format:	CD
Description of the work or activity:	Final student musical performances
Date:	June 2009
Relationship:	Similar to culminating student performance described in project narrative. Fourth grade students who have been in the project for six months.
Instructions for reviewing the selection: Play the first two minutes of track #5

 

Work Sample B
Format:	Web site
Description of the work or activity:	Example of assessment tool
Date:	March 2009
Relationship:	Tool used to assess student learning in the project
Instructions for reviewing the selection: Go to www.artsafterschool.org/assess.html. Click on tabs at top to switch between components.