Guides
Guide to Grants documents include the official guidelines for Arts Commission grants to organizations and schools.
Annually, guide documents are published online in December or January in anticipation of the annual March submission deadline. After the March deadline, guides remain posted for the remainder of the calendar year to serve as a reference for current and future applicants.
Grant guidelines and requirements are updated and adjusted annually. Applicants are encouraged to review current guide documents before preparing grant applications. The majority of application questions are listed within each Guide to Grants document, providing applicants the opportunity to fully prepare responses prior to opening the grant application within GO!EGOR.
The application period for the 2013-2014, Fiscal Year 2014 cycle of Grants for Organizations and Schools is now closed.
Guidelines for FY2014 grant programs are posted below for reference.
Letters of interest for the Call for Proposals: Strengthening Schools Through Arts Partnerships program are no longer being accepted.
2013-2014, Fiscal Year 2014 Guide to Grants Documents
To request any agency publication in an alternative format, contact the Arts Commission offices at (602) 771-6501.
Arizona organizations or schools may be eligible to apply to more than one grant program; however they may submit only one application during the FY2014 cycle of Grants for Organizations and Schools. Please refer to the following chart.
Community Investment Grants
Community Investment Grants (CIG) assist Arizona’s arts organizations with general administrative and/or artistic expenses. Community Investment Grants are available to nonprofit arts organizations of all sizes, local arts agencies and tribal cultural organizations, whose primary mission is to produce, present or serve the arts. Organizations may use CIG funds for general operating expenses (frequently the most difficult type of grant to obtain) as well as leverage for other public and private funding. CIG eligibility levels are based on organizational adjusted annual income. CIG awards must be matched with cash (at least 1:1) by the organization. Click to download FY14 Grant Guidelines – Community Investment.
Arts Learning Grants
Arts Learning Grants are meant to deliver grant funding to quality arts programming which supports lifelong learning in, through and about the arts, and to quality student-centered arts programming which supports Arizona’s Academic Standards in the Arts. Projects may provide learning opportunities for participants of any age, and can take place in a variety of settings and formats. Click to download FY14 Grant Guidelines – Arts Learning.
Festival Grants
Festival Grants assist Arizona organizations in their efforts to provide quality arts programming, and are awarded to assist with the costs of connecting artists (or their artistic work) with communities. For this grant program, festivals are defined as follows: Festivals allow communities to share artistic and cultural traditions which can create vibrant opportunities and experiences for citizens and visitors. A festival is often a person’s first experience and point of entry with the arts and can serve as a bridge to new kinds of arts attendance. Festivals may be multidisciplinary in scope and often feature arts education opportunities. Festival activities can include music, dance, art, food and traditional demonstrations, but also may be specific to an artistic discipline. Click to download FY14 Grant Guidelines – Festivals.
Honoring Our Servicemembers Grants
Honoring Our Servicemembers Grants assist Arizona organizations in their efforts to provide participatory arts and cultural experiences for active-duty servicemembers, reservists, veterans and their families. This program is not meant to subsidize tours, entry fees or ticket prices. Proposals may focus on any arts discipline or arts therapy, or could align with existing arts programming. Projects may involve participants of any age, and can take place in a variety of settings and formats. Click to download FY14 Grant Guidelines – Honoring Our Servicemembers.
Special Initiatives
Call for Proposals: Strengthening Schools Through Arts Partnerships
The Arizona Commission on the Arts, in partnership with the Arizona Department of Education, developed the Strengthening Schools Through Arts Partnerships program to support school-based initiatives aimed at effecting change in Arizona “D” label schools by strengthening teaching and learning in arts education and/or arts integration, through school/community partnerships. Proposals may focus on any number of effective models, and must articulate the desired goals and outcomes related to the support of school improvement and/or capacity-building efforts that will be addressed through the proposed arts education programming.
Applicant Eligibility
Partnerships must include at one school and one nonprofit arts organization or governmental entity; eligible schools must be Arizona “D” label schools (based on 2012-2013 accountability letter grade). Either partner may serve as the primary applicant. Proposed programming must take place in Fiscal Year 2014 (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014). Click to download FY14 Grant Guidelines – Strengthening Schools Through Arts Partnerships
