Applicant and Recipient Information

General Information

The committee has determined the following list of priorities, in order of importance, with which they will determine the ranking of applications.  Please address these carefully in your application.  This year will again be highly competitive in terms of the number and quality of applications.

Funding Priorities:

·       Support the quality, quantity, promotion and visibility of arts for the community

·       Increase access and outreach to the arts for underserved populations

·       Foster collaboration among organizations and/or individual artists

     

Project Plan:

·       Clarity in description of project

·       Degree to which project fulfills its purpose

·       Quality of planning and implementation

     

Collaboration:

·       Collaboration among organizations and individuals

·       Encourages and promotes cooperation and pooling of resources

     

Budget:

·       Balanced proposed budget page

·       Evidence of cash match and in-kind contributions

·       Evidence of additional and alternative funding sources

     

Outcomes:

·       Evidence of attainable, measurable and manageable outcomes

     

Organizational Capacity:

·       Evidence of fiscal accountability of applicant

·       History of sound management practices

     

Completeness of Application:

·       All requested information provided by the deadline

·       Prior grant final report or progress report submitted

The following items are not eligible for funding as explicitly stated in the McLean County Arts Center’s Grant Agreement with the Illinois Arts Council:

1.                       Capital expenditures.

2.                       Permanent equipment

3.                       Out-of-state touring

4.                       Scholarships

5.                       Deficit Funding

You may not request more than $2,000 in re-granting funds, and 50% of that must be matched by your organization or other sources.

Required Acknowledgment 

All grant recipients must acknowledge in all material that funding was received from the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council Agency and the McLean County Arts Center, in addition to including these logos below (click logos to enlarge).   The Illinois Arts Council Agency has added the word agency to their title, make sure you have updated your files. Use this exact language:

" This program was supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, an agency of the State of Illinois, the McLean County Arts Center, and the National Endowment for the Arts"

Click each image to download hi-res logo image to use in all promotional material.

Sample Letters

We are able to provide these grants to you because of the support from our state government. We have provided a letter template for you to send to your local congress representative which expresses your appreciation for their continuing support. This will ensure our continued ability to support your future endeavors. Feel free to add your own comments and thoughts.  These letters must be sent, with additional copies addressed to our offices, before checks will be issued.

Please mail the letter to your representatives and senator

Your Organization's State House District CLICK HERE TO IDENTIFY 

The Organization's State Senate District CLICK HERE TO IDENTIFY

And 

The Honorable Governor J. B. Pritzker, 207 Statehouse, Springfield, Illinois 62706

Sample Only:

Please use your organization letterhead

Date

Name

Organization

Address, Street

City, State, Zip

Dear _________________,

The (your program title) has just completed its (___successful year) with a fun filled (weekend) of (exciting activities) for individuals and families in this region. As we reflect on (____years) and look forward in hopes of an even more successful future, we could not do so without taking a moment to thank our government officials and legislative leaders. Thank you for the support provided for the arts and humanities in Illinois!

We could not have provided such a program without the funding support we received from the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the McLean County Arts Center, which is made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Although the amounts we receive may seem small compared to many larger programs in the state, the ($amount) that we received from the Mclean County Arts Center makes all the difference in the world in the Midwest Illinois region. We know that the (number) participants at our event truly appreciate the programming we can do with this funding.

Please continue to support the arts funding of cultural programming and thanks for your support of arts and humanities funding in downstate Illinois

Sincerely,

Your Name Here