Our Town: Frequently Asked Questions
BASICS
Q: What is "creative placemaking?"
We think Ann Markusen and Anne Gadwa said it best in their publication, Creative Placemaking:
"In creative placemaking, partners from public, private, nonprofit, and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, tribe, city, or region around arts and cultural activities. Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together to celebrate, inspire, and be inspired."
For more information, please click to Creative Placemaking.
Q: Could you tell us about the future of the Our Town initiative?
A: It is our hope that Our Town will continue as an ongoing program, but as with all federal programs it is subject to funding availability.
Q: What is the total funding available through the Our Town initiative?
A: The NEA's Appropriations Request to Congress is $5 million. Pending availability of funding, grants are expected to be awarded at set levels ranging from $25,000 to $150,000.
Q: What is the success rate for applicants?
A: For the first year of Our Town funding, 447 Statements of Interest were received and 51 grants were awarded.
Q: If we received an Our Town grant last year, can we apply again this year?
A: No. Current Our Town grantees (FY 2011) and their officially named partners are not eligible to apply this year under the FY 2012 Our Town guidelines. You may apply to the Our Town category again next year in FY 2013.
Q: How long can my grant period be?
A: Your grant period may be up to two years in length, and may start on September 1, 2012, or any time thereafter. If your project is part of a multi-year initiative, you may describe the broader vision but your application should reflect only the activities or phases of work that will occur within the grant period.
Q: How do I know if my community is eligible?
A: Every community in the U.S. can apply for Our Town funding.
Q: Will projects in small towns and rural areas be competitive?
A: Yes. We are seeking a diverse range of applicants and encourage communities of all sizes to apply.
REVIEW PROCESS
Q: Who reviews and selects grantees?
A: All applications will be reviewed by an advisory panel composed of qualified peer experts representing a range of multidisciplinary art, design, and economic and community development fields. Panel recommendations are forwarded to the National Council on the Arts, which then makes recommendations to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Chairman reviews the Council's recommendations and makes the final decision on all grant awards.
Q: How will the projects be evaluated?
A: Congress specified in our authorizing legislation that "artistic excellence and artistic merit" are the criteria by which applications must be evaluated. For more detailed information about how the artistic excellence and artistic merit of applications will be evaluated, see the "Review Criteria" in the guidelines.
Q: Can NEA staff help me with my application?
A: Members of NEA Design staff are available to answer specific questions about your application. However, the NEA does not review full proposals or provide edits to text or budgets in advance of the application deadline. Please e-mail OT@arts.gov to set up at time to speak to the staff.
Q: Can I request panel comments or feedback after my project has been reviewed?
A: Yes. After notification of whether you've received a grant or not, you may contact NEA staff for panel comments. In such instances, you must contact us no later than 30 days after the official notification.
OTHER NEA GRANTS
Q: Is a project eligible to receive funding from both the Our Town and Art Works categories?
A: Yes. You may apply to other Arts Endowment funding opportunities, including Art Works, in addition to Our Town. In each case, the request must be for a distinctly different phase of the project, with a different period of support and costs.
Q: If a project has been recommended for a Challenge America Fast-Track grant, may the same project be submitted for additional funding to Our Town or Art Works?
A: You may apply to Our Town or Art Works for a project already receiving a Challenge America grant, as long as you apply for a distinctly different phase of the project, with a different period of support and costs.
BUDGET AND MATCHING FUNDS
Q: Do all matching funds need to be committed in advance of the submission deadline?
A: No, but we ask you to designate on the budget form funding that is committed versus funding that is being proposed or sought.
Q: Can funds raised prior to the project be used as part of the match?
A: Yes. However, matching funds must be spent on eligible activities included as part of the proposed project, during the proposed period of time.
Q: Can matching funds be in-kind?
A: Yes. No formula exists for how much of the required match can be in-kind. However, reviewers tend to look very carefully at any project with a budget that shows a match that is largely in-kind; generally some cash match is preferred. In all cases, matching funds are evaluated in the context of the project. Remember, if you use in-kind contributions as part of your match, you need to maintain proper documentation. For help in doing this, see our sample format for recording in-kind (third party) contributions.
Q: Can federal funds such as Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) or Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funding count toward the match?
A: No. Even though these funds may come through your state, the original source is federal. No matching funds can be from federal sources and these should not appear in your Our Town project budget as either income or expenses.
Q: Can community infrastructure costs be considered part of the match for something like a streetscape project?
A: Costs that pertain strictly to preparing a site specifically for the art or design work, such as slabs or pedestals, landscaping that's necessary for the art work or landscaping that is the art work (e.g., a mosaic tiled walkway with landscaping that is required for the work) are allowable. Costs to prepare the street, including purchase of property, building appropriate access, infrastructure, etc., are not allowable.
Q: Are artists' fees eligible expenses?
A: Yes. Fees for individuals involved in the project are eligible, such as fees for artists, performers, designers, architects, facilitators, or other consultants. All fees must be incurred during the period of support.
Q: Can salaries for administration or additional fundraising be funded?
A: Salaries, contract fees, and stipends for administration and project management are allowed, but fundraising is not an eligible expense.
Q: Does sharing the funding between the two required partners count as subgranting or regranting?
A: No. Subgranting is defined as regranting funds to an individual or organization for activities that are conducted independently of your organization and for the benefit of the subgrantee's own program objectives.
ELIGIBLE PARTNERS
Q: Can a private foundation or corporate entity serve as a partner?
A: Partnerships must involve at least two primary partners: a nonprofit organization and a local government entity. One of the two primary partners must be a cultural (arts or design) organization. Only the two primary partners can serve as lead applicants, but additional partners across all sectors are encouraged.
Q: Can a local government arts agency apply and fulfill the role of the cultural organization and the government agency?
A: Yes, but it would still need a nonprofit organization to serve as the other primary partner.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENTITY
Q: Can a city and county apply for separate projects if the city lies within the county?
A: Yes, as long as the city that is applying separately is not included or represented in the county project, and vice versa. Each local government is limited to one application, so we encourage each community and region to coordinate internally to ensure that only one application per government is submitted. If more than one application is submitted for a government, we will ask the highest ranking official to select one application to move forward.
Q: Can a county partner on more than one community?
A: A county can partner with more than one community if they are all part of the same project and application. A county cannot, however, submit multiple applications in partnership with multiple communities. Each local government is limited to one application, so we encourage each community and region to coordinate internally to ensure that only one application per government is submitted. If more than one application is submitted for a government, we will ask the highest ranking official to select one application to move forward.
Q: Can a nonprofit partner on more than one application in different communities?
A: Yes. A nonprofit can partner on more than one application in different communities.
Q: Can a tribal government entity apply?
A: Yes, federally recognized tribal governments qualify as local governments.
Q: Can a regional government entity apply as a primary partner?
A: No, regional government entities do not qualify as local governments and may not apply as a primary partner.
Q: Do public school districts, community colleges, or state universities qualify as a local government entity?
A: Local education agencies (school districts) and local government-run community colleges are eligible local governments. A state university does not qualify as a local government. Please note that a letter of endorsement from the highest ranking official for the local government is required regardless of who the local government partner is.
Q: Does a quasi-local government organization, such as a Business Improvement District (BID) or Chamber of Commerce, qualify as a local government entity?
A: No. Business improvement districts and chambers of commerce do not qualify as local government entities.
LETTERS OF ENDORSEMENT/STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT
Q: If we have a local government entity on board as a partner, do we still need a letter of endorsement from the highest ranking official for the local government?
A: Yes. A letter of endorsement from the highest ranking official for the local government is required to ensure that that a community does not submit multiple or competing proposals. Do not assume that your project is the only one in your community; larger cities may designate one agency or contact to pre-select a project from that city. Each local government is limited to one application, so we encourage each community and region to coordinate internally to ensure that only one application per government is submitted. If more than one application is submitted for a government, we will ask the highest ranking official to select one application to move forward.
Q: How do we reach out to our highest ranking official for the local government to request a letter of endorsement?
A: Each community is managed differently, but we suggest checking with your local cultural affairs department, arts commission, or planning agency to determine how best to seek the approval of your highest ranking official for the local government.
Q: Can you guide us as to what the letter of endorsement should contain? Do you have a template that we can use?
A: We do not have a template. However, the document should be a one-page formal endorsement letter, on appropriate letterhead, from the highest ranking official for the local government (e.g., mayor, county executive, or tribal leader). This letter should reflect the official's familiarity with and support for the project, and must designate your project as the only one being submitted for the community.
Many local government structures exist. Please provide in your letter a sentence explaining why this official is the leader of the local government. For example, "In the Village of XYZ, our city manager is the highest ranking government official."
Q: We are applying with the local government as lead applicant. Should we submit an endorsement letter from the highest ranking official for the local government, or a statement of support from the nonprofit organization?
A: You are required to submit both.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of statements of support that we can submit?
A: No. If you list an organization or individual as a partner in your Project Narrative, you must include a statement of commitment. There is no limit to the number of statements that you can submit. However, we encourage you to be selective in listing only the partners or individuals that are critical to the project's success, not those that are solely funding sponsors or project beneficiaries. If you are working with multiple agencies within a community, only one statement is necessary. Please keep statements to one page each.
OTHER
Q: What are some examples of measurement tools you'd like to see?
A: You should propose measurement tools that are feasible and appropriate for your organization and project. The NEA anticipates that the long-term results for Our Town projects include measurable community benefits, such as growth in overall levels of social and civic engagement; arts- or design-focused changes in policies, laws, and/or regulations; job and/or revenue growth for the community; and changes in in-and-out migration patterns. You will be asked to address the anticipated results in your application. If you receive a grant, you will be asked to provide evidence of those results at the end of your project. Given the nature of Our Town projects, benefits are likely to emerge over time and may not be fully measureable during the period of a grant. You will need to provide evidence of progress toward achieving improved livability as appropriate to the project. Before applying, please review the reporting requirements for Livability.
Beyond the reporting requirements for all grantees, selected Our Town grantees may be asked to assist in the collection of additional information that can help the NEA determine the degree to which agency objectives were achieved. For example, Our Town grantees may be asked to participate in surveys or interviews, and/or may be asked to assist in publicizing and promoting these data collection efforts. You may be contacted to provide evidence of project accomplishments including, but not limited to, work samples, community action plans, cultural asset studies, programs, reviews, relevant news clippings, and playbills. Please remember that you are required to maintain project documentation for three years following submission of your final report.
Q. How do I know if I need to submit documentation of compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and/or the National Historic Preservation Act?
If your project will never physically change a building, site, landscape, or district, or you're not working on a plan or design for a building, site, landscape, or district, you probably do not need to submit anything as National Environmental Policy Act and/or the National Historic Preservation Act documentation.
If you are proposing a series of public art projects, temporary or permanent, or you are designing or planning a building, site, landscape, or district, we need you to provide us with documentation. Every state is different and will provide different levels of follow up, so provide what is available to you and let us know about your efforts to obtain information. We may contact you for additional documentation.
See the guidelines for examples.
Mayors' Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative (MICD 25) RELATED QUESTIONS
Q: Can MICD 25 grant recipients apply for an Our Town grant in support of the project already funded through MICD 25?
A: Yes, MICD 25 grantees (FY 2010) may apply for Our Town, but must request support for a distinctly different project, or a distinctly different phase of the project, from that which was funded with the MICD 25 grant. All MICD 25 grant activities must be complete and your final report must be submitted by June 1, 2012, before a FY 2012 Our Town grant can be awarded.
Q: Can MICD 25 applicants who were rejected apply to Our Town for the same project?
A: If you have applied to the NEA in the past and were not recommended for funding, you may apply again to any funding opportunity, including Our Town. However, we encourage you to enrich the project in substantive ways so that it is not merely the same submission. Please read the Our Town guidelines closely to make sure your project meets all the outcomes and eligibility requirements, as they are different from the MICD 25 guidelines.
Q: Must my mayor be committed to participate in the Mayors' Institute on City Design program, or be a past Mayors' Institute participant?
A: The requirement to be a MICD alumni does not apply to the Our Town initiative. Communities of all sizes – counties, parishes, cities, towns, villages, or federally recognized tribal governments – are eligible to apply for Our Town funding as long as the local government entity is on board as a partner.
National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506 |
