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Guidelines and Instructions

Performing Arts on Tour Grant Program

Due to budget reductions, the Performing Arts on Tour Grant program is on hiatus for fiscal year 2011: We are not currently accepting applications for activities occurring between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011. If additional funds become available, we will post a new application deadline on our Web site. We regret having to take this action and hope increased funding will be available in the future.

PLEASE NOTE: Applications for this program are made through Kentucky Arts Services OnLine (KASOL). If your organization has not used KASOL, you will set up a new profile. Once established, your profile remains on the system year after year for future applications. You must have your IRS determination letter in order to complete your profile. If you do not have this document available on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Scan the IRS determination letter.
2. Save as a .PDF or .DOC file.

After creating a profile in KASOL, you will be taken to a complete profile page. Upload your IRS determination letter at the bottom of this page. You must upload this document before clicking the "Update Profile Information" button. If the IRS letter is not uploaded, you will not be able to proceed to the application and may lose the data already entered on the complete profile page.

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Application to this program must be made via Kentucky Arts Services OnLine (KASOL). The Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) strongly encourages you to read and understand the Performing Arts on Tour Grant Program guidelines and each step of the application process before accessing the application at www.culturegrants-ky.org.

Program Purpose

The purpose of the Performing Arts on Tour Program is to make diverse public performing arts events available to the people of the commonwealth.

Goals

• To increase public participation in performing arts opportunities
• To foster an appreciation for the cultural and community background of the presented artists

Performance Expectations

Your application will be reviewed using the following performance expectations:

1. Serving an Audience (30%)

• Interests and needs of community
• Identification of target audience for activity(ies)
• Promotion of activity(ies) to target audience

2. Collaborations/Partnerships (30%)

• Performance meets the mission and needs of the organization
• Collaboration between artist and organization

3. Quality of Presentation (20%)

• Building diversity in the organization's leadership and participants
• Promotion of diverse arts and culture
• Outreach to underserved populations and persons with disabilities

4. Assessment and Feedback (20%)

• Assessment, feedback and documentation

Program Description

The Performing Arts on Tour Grant Program helps make quality public performing arts events available to the people of the commonwealth. This program provides presenters with partial fee support for booking artists, ensembles and companies included in the Kentucky Arts Council 2009 Performing Arts Directory. To access the 2009 Performing Arts Directory please go to http://artistdirectory.ky.gov.

The Performing Arts on Tour Program does not provide fee support for artists, ensembles and companies not included in the aforementioned directory or for performances outside the state. This application covers performance bookings that will occur between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.

• Performances must be open to the public and take place in Kentucky. The emphasis of the proposal must be on the public performance.
  
  
• All bookings supported by this program must present the artist(s) for whom funding is being sought as the primary performer and not as "backup" for other performers.
  
  
• This program is intended to support tour performances outside the artists' home bases, and new touring opportunities receive preference over existing performance opportunities.
  
  
• Performances at schools must target and be convenient for a community audience.

The Kentucky Arts Council recognizes the importance of all artists being presented in a fashion that fully communicates their art form. For traditional artists, we require that an enhanced interpretation of their community-based art form be included as part of the performance. Examples include developing educational materials to be distributed at the performance, or providing a cultural interpreter. For more suggestions regarding enhanced interpretation, please contact Mark Brown or Bob Gates at the Kentucky Folklife Program, 502-564-1792.

Kentucky Arts Council Values

The mission of the Kentucky Arts Council is to create opportunities for the people of Kentucky to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Working in partnership with organizations and individuals to deliver arts programs and services throughout the state, we ask that applicants and partners keep the following guiding values in mind when working with the Kentucky Arts Council:

Artists' Compensation

The Kentucky Arts Council believes that the time and work of artists have real value, for which artists should be fairly compensated. In dealing with artists' creative services and works, consideration must be given to:

• The full engagement of artists in plans for use of their work
  
  
• Gratis creative services and works, demonstrations, or performances should not be solicited as standard practice
  
  
• All parties should mutually agree upon equitable compensation for services, works or performances

Diversity

The Kentucky Arts Council believes that arts programs and services should be accessible to all people of the commonwealth. The Council recognizes that communities are not limited to geographic boundaries, and may be defined by common factors such as occupation, recreation, religion, ethnicity, belief, etc. that are shared by a group of people. The members of these groups share a common culture and a sense of aesthetics. These unique and diverse art forms bring people together and can promote positive intercultural relations among the state's various communities, including:

• persons of all ages
• gay, lesbian and transgender communities
• persons of all ethnic and racial groups
• persons with disabilities
• geographically or economically isolated communities
• disadvantaged and at-risk persons
• institutionalized persons

Preservation of Cultural Resources

The Kentucky Arts Council believes that the arts and cultural resources of Kentucky are key to understanding our heritage, and that honoring the past will help build our future. Recognizing that knowledge of our history will help build our future; we support identifying, documenting, conserving and protecting the cultural resources of the state including:

• Artistic works
• Cultural traditions
• Historic sites
• Historic structures

Advocacy

The Kentucky Arts Council believes in the importance of individuals and organizations advocating for the arts as basic to life. These are some of the ways in which you can help the Arts Council achieve public policy favorable to the arts in Kentucky:

• Involve yourself or your organization in the public life of your community
  
  
• Get to know your legislators and local officials and stay informed about the issues
  
  
• Involve your public officials in your activities or the activities of your organization
  
  
• Ask legislators and local officials to vote for your position
  
  
• Acknowledge public funding sources
  
  
• Discuss the value of the arts with your peers

Program Support

The KAC staff will offer the following support to ensure that the program standards and goals are met:

• Assistance from Kentucky Arts Council program directors in selecting appropriate program categories, and in answering questions about programs
  
  
• Review of "in-process" status applications prior to final submission
  
  
• Consultation regarding applicant eligibility, competitiveness for funding, budget issues, etc.
  
  
• Referrals to potential partners for programs
  
  
• Advice in locating appropriate technical assistance to evaluate and increase applicants' accessibility and arts participation

Who May Apply

Kentucky nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status may apply. Government agencies, schools, colleges and universities are eligible if the project primarily serves a broad community audience.

Grant Amounts and Matching Requirements

Applicants may request up to 50% of contracted artist fees for booking any of the performing artists, ensembles and companies included in the Kentucky Arts Council 2009 Performing Arts Directory. Artist fees must be primarily for public performances, but may be inclusive of workshops or master classes. Applicants may apply for funds to support multiple bookings in one application. Grants may be for up to $7,500 for a single booking or $5,000 for multiple bookings. Applicants wishing to provide a cultural interpreter for the performance may include this honorarium as part of the grant request. Applicants are responsible for providing the balance of artists' fees and all other costs associated with bookings.

Matching funds may come from the applicant, ticket sales, sponsoring organizations, businesses, community partners, other grant funding or a combination of the above.

Letters of commitment from sources of matching funds outside of the organization must be included with the application.

Restrictions

Performing Arts on Tour Grant funds may not be used for the following:

• Any expenses other than one-half of the artist's fee
• Repeat bookings between organizations and artists that have occurred within the last three calendar years (2007 - 2009)
• Background music to another event
• Purchase of equipment, property, library holdings or acquisitions
• Capital improvements, facility construction, structural renovations and restorations
• Publications or recordings for commercial purposes
• Scholarships or other activities related to academic credit or degrees
• Activities intended primarily for fundraising
• Food, beverages or other refreshments
• Requests designed to reduce or eliminate existing deficits
• Interest on loans, fines, penalties and/or litigation costs
• Expenses incurred before the starting date of the period covered in the grant request
• Investments of any kind
• Performances not available to the general public
• Programs that have sectarian purposes
• Indirect costs
• The application of new artistic work to historic buildings or structures unless approved by the state historic preservation office as being in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Contact: Kentucky Heritage Council 502/564-7005 or http://heritage.ky.gov

How to Apply

To access and complete the Performing Arts on Tour Grant Program application, please go to www.culturegrants-ky.org.

• Contact the performers and negotiate fees, performance dates, and supplemental residency activities (if applicable).
  
  
• Please choose the performer(s), ensemble(s) or company(ies) to present from the Kentucky Arts Council 2009 Performing Arts Directory.

Instructions for Completing Application Introduction and Narrative

Please respond to the Introduction and each of the Performance Expectations below with a total of no more than 12,000 characters. Be sure to include complete information on each bulleted item in your narrative.

Introduction

Description of Organization

• Describe your organization, including the type of nonprofit, year founded, mission and number of full-time and part-time professional staff.
  
  
• Describe your organization's audience in recent years in relation to the community.

Description of Presenting Program

• Describe your presenting program, including number and type of events each year and artistic focus.
  
  
• List total annual paid and unpaid attendance for performances.

Description of Proposed Performance Bookings

• List the artist(s) for whom you are requesting support in this application.
  
  
• Describe the performance(s) for which you are requesting support including: whether it is a series that includes several artists and performances, a single performance, a festival, etc.; dates, venues, audience capacity, total performance fee and amount requested from the Kentucky Arts Council.
  
  
• Describe any activities directly connected to the performance, such as classes, school programs, etc.

Performance Expectations

1. Serving an Audience (30%)

• Describe how you determined the interests and needs of your community, and how this performance meets those needs.
• Describe your target audience for this activity.
• Describe how you will promote the activity to your target audience.

2. Collaborations/Partnerships (30%)

• Describe how this performance makes progress toward the mission and needs of your organization.
• Describe how the presenter and artist will work together to plan the performance.

3. Quality of Presentation (20%)

• Describe how the artist will be presented in a fashion that fully communicates their art form.
• Describe how you will deepen appreciation by the audience for the presented art form.
• Describe how the venue(s) and program(s) are or will be made accessible to artists and audience members with disabilities.
• Describe how you will educate the audience about the artist and their art form. If a cultural interpreter will be utilized, please identify them and describe their presentation and knowledge of the art form.

4. Assessment and Feedback (20%)

• Describe the process and tools to be used to assess the activity, including feedback from the audience and artists who participate.
• Describe how you will assess the working relationship between the presenter and the artist.
• Describe how you will use the assessment to plan future performances and activities.
• Describe how you will document the activity.

Program Timeline

Application deadline	February 1, 2009
Deadline for submission of paper copy of the application and attachments	Within 7 calendar days of February 1, 2009
Review of applications by panel	May, 2009
KAC board reviews panel recommendations	June, 2009
Applicant notification	As soon as possible after board approval of panel recommendations
Use of grant funds may begin	July 1, 2009
Use of grant funds must conclude	June 30, 2010
Final Report due	July 30, 2010

Application

Completed application forms must be submitted via Kentucky Arts Services OnLine (KASOL) by the deadline. Upon online submission, applicants will receive a confirmation e-mail with your application PDF attached. If you do not receive a confirmation, contact the KAC immediately. Print and sign the PDF and mail/deliver it to the KAC along with the required work samples in accordance with the guidelines. The PDF and materials must be received in the KAC office within seven calendar days of the deadline date. KAC offices will be open until 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday (EST). If the application deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a state/federal holiday, the deadline date will be the next day which is not a Saturday, Sunday or a state/federal holiday. If the KAC does not receive these items by close of business on the 7th day, your application will be considered ineligible.

Following the deadline, each application will be reviewed by the program director who may contact the applicant if clarification is needed. Applicants will be notified by e-mail/letter of their status in the application/panel process.

Note: Due to postal regulations, all packages over 16 ounces must be given directly to a postal clerk at a post office, and not dropped in a postal box.

Supporting Materials

Presenters may submit supporting materials such as sample brochures, programs, flyers, reviews, feature articles or any other relevant information that will help give the panel an understanding of your program, your community and your request. Please be sure that your organization’s name is clearly marked on each item.

Panel Meeting

A panel of arts professionals and other individuals with relevant experience will review all applications according to the performance expectations. Please be aware that panelists include people from inside and outside Kentucky, who may be unfamiliar with the state's organizations, artists and/or communities.

The Kentucky Arts Council conducts an open panel review process for this program. This means that applicants and other interested citizens may, and are encouraged to, attend the panel meeting, listen to panelists' deliberations and briefly respond to direct questions from the panel. The Kentucky Arts Council will send notification of panel dates to applicants after the application deadline.

KAC Board Meeting

All KAC board meetings are open to the public. The Council Board approves panel recommendations before notifications are made. Applicants are informed of the Council Board's decision by letter immediately following the board meeting.

Grant Agreements

Applicants that receive a favorable recommendation enter into an agreement with the State of Kentucky. Agreements cannot be altered without prior approval from the Council. Grantees are required to promptly notify the Kentucky Arts Council in writing of any changes in their grant activity. If grantees do not notify the KAC about changes before they file a final report, future funding may be jeopardized. Grants are for the period specified in the approved application. Funds must be spent or committed for activities taking place within the period stated unless an extension has been approved in writing. Funds spent before the period starts are not eligible and must not be included in the budget.

Funds granted must be expended solely for the activities described in the approved application, unless specific approval has been received in writing. Any funds granted but not spent must be returned to the Council at the conclusion of the grant period.

Grant agreements must be signed and returned and funds dispersed by the KAC by June 30. Funds are not available after this time.

Final Reports

All KAC grantees must submit a Final Report within 30 days of completion of the grant period. Requests for extensions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may be granted if a written request is submitted before the due date of the Final Report. The Final Report form can be accessed through the applicant's account in KASOL.

If a grantee fails to submit the required Final Report for any grant, the Kentucky Arts Council will accept no future applications until an acceptable Final Report is received.

Appeals

Applicants may appeal adverse grant decisions if they can demonstrate any of the following:

• The review of the application was based on criteria other than those appearing in the Arts Council's guidelines.
  
  
• The final decision was unduly influenced by a panelist with undisclosed conflicts of interest.
  
  
• Required application information submitted by the appropriate deadline was withheld from the review panel or the Arts Council.

Applicants must initiate a formal appeal within 30 calendar days of the date of the award-notification letter of the Arts Council decision. Upon receipt of this award-notification letter, applicants should first consult with the appropriate program staff to review the considerations that went into the Arts Council's decision. If, after such consultation, applicants wish to pursue an appeal, they must do so in writing to the executive director of the Arts Council. If applicants are unable to consult with appropriate program staff within the time limitation, the applicants must still submit a written appeal postmarked within the 30-day time period.

In the executive director's response to a formal appeal, a deadline date for submission of all material supporting the appeal will be established. No such deadline date will be set earlier than seven days or later than 21 days from the date of the executive director's letter. Failure by applicants to meet any deadline date in the appeals process will result in the loss of the right to appeal.

An ad hoc committee of members of the Kentucky Arts Council board will review all appeals. Should the committee recommend a change in applicants' funding, the Arts Council board at its next regular or special meeting shall act upon the committee's recommendations. The ruling of the Arts Council shall be the last administrative remedy and there shall be no further right of appeal.

For More Information

The Kentucky Arts Council welcomes all questions regarding this program. For more information on this program, please contact:

Tamara Coffey
Individual Artist Program Director
502-564-3757 Ext. 479
E-mail: Tamara.Coffey@ky.gov

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Kentucky Arts Council
21st Floor, Capital Plaza Tower
500 Mero Street
Frankfort, KY 40601-1987
Phone: 502-564-3757
Toll-free: 888-833-2787
FAX: 502-564-2839
Send comments or questions to: kyarts@ky.gov

Copyright & COPY; 2007 Commonwealth of Kentucky. All rights reserved
URL: http://artscouncil.ky.gov

Revised: January 11, 2010