2015 Panelist Orientation
- 3. Who Are We? Board of Directors President Public Art Public Art Collection & Projects Arts Council Grants, BVA Program, Worthgoing.com, Advocacy, Development Community Arts Center Galleries, events, offices, theaters, building maintenance
- 4. Our Mission The mission of the Arts Council of Fort Worth is to create an environment that promotes, nurtures, and supports the arts in our community.
- 6. 2014 Grants Over $972,000 disbursed 42 organizations received 79 grants Total numbers served over 1 million adults and 600k youth Estimated total economic impact of funded programs: In excess of $45 million
- 7. Who we fund – a partial list: Fort Worth Symphony, Fort Worth Opera, Van Cliburn Foundation, Casa Manana, Stage West, Texas Boys Choir, Modern Art Museum, Kids Who Care, Classic Guitar Society, Lone Star Film Society, Arts Fifth Avenue, 619 Productions, DVA Productions, Trinity Shakespeare, Trumpets4Kids… …and many, many more!
- 8. Who is eligible for funding? Must be a registered 501(c)(3) organization Ineligible to apply under the “umbrella” of another organization’s 501(c)(3) 501(c)(3) arts organization for Operating Support 501(c)(3) organizations providing arts programming eligible for Cultural Project Grants and Neighborhood Arts Program Grants Be able to show at least 2 years of Fort Worth programming Have prior-year operating expenses of at least $5,000 For any previous grantee – have met all reporting deadlines For college- or university-sponsored programs, they are eligible as long as the programming is open to the public, reaches a significant non- student population, and has a community-based board of directors or advisory board.
- 9. We do not fund: Debt retirement, endowments, capital improvements, etc. Interest on loans, fines, penalties, litigation fees Benefits or special events planned primarily for fundraising Scholarships, cash awards or prizes Sub-granting programs Individual artists, or groups not incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit Expenses included on any other current Arts Council grant applications
- 10. Types of Grants Operating Support Cultural Project Support Neighborhood Arts Project Support Travel and Training, Equipment and First Time Applicant These are reviewed and approved by a committee of the Board of Directors of the Arts Council.
- 11. Requirements of ALL grants 1:1 cash match required to be shown at the end of the grant period A Final Report is required from ALL grant recipients for ALL grant types. This report includes: budget vs. actuals comparison approximate numbers of audience members served, divided into Youth and Adults demographics information, including approximate ethnic breakdown of audience served and council districts served Acknowledgement of Arts Council funding in appropriate programs, promotional materials, website, etc.
- 12. Operating Support Provides unrestricted funding for general and administrative costs. Maximum amount of request based on Previous Year Expenses (“PYE”): $1 million or greater 5% of PYE max request $450,000 - $999,999 10% of PYE max request $50,000 - $449,999 15% of PYE max request Additional eligibility requirements: Must show at least $50,000 in PYE on financial statements Must have at least 1 paid staff member (full or part-time) Base of operations must be within the city of Fort Worth
- 13. Cultural Project Support Provides funding restricted to a single, defined project to be completed during the grant year Requests are limited to $8,000, and may not exceed 50% of project budget Projects can be recurring from year to year Application budgets are required to be project-specific; the budget should not include any administrative or programmatic funds not directly related to the project.
- 14. Neighborhood Arts Program (“NAP”) Support Provides funding restricted to a single, defined project to be completed in an NAP-designated venue during the grant year In general, locations are eligible if more than 50% of the user population falls below the poverty line Applicants have a list of NAP-eligible venues online Just as with Cultural Project grants, NAP Project application budgets should be project-specific Requests have no maximum dollar limit, but can not exceed 50% of the project budget
- 15. Travel and Training, Equipment, and First Time Applicant Support Travel and Training Open to Fort Worth working artists, arts administrators, and arts educators Limited to one per year No more than 3 per organization Maximum of $500 and requires 1:1 cash match Equipment Open to Fort Worth arts organizations Must support mission of programming for the arts Maximum of $2,000 and requires 1:1 cash match First Time Appliant 501(c)(3) organizations wishing to receive project support, either Cultural Projects or NAP Organizations must go through one on one interview with Arts Council staff prior to requesting grant Maximum of $2,000 and requires 1:1 cash match
- 16. What’s in an application? Organizational information (including mission statement and budget size) Project summary, attendance projections Application narrative addressing: Managerial ability of the organization (How well are they run?) Artistic merit (Why does their programming matter?) Service to the community (Who is their audience and how well do they reach them?) Attachments, including: Project or organization budget Financial statements for the last fiscal year Organizational information, including programming history & bio of leadership Demographics information, outlining audience make-up and location(s) Applicants may also submit attachments such as DVDs, press clippings, Playbills, flyers, etc. This material is passed around during the review session.
- 17. DUE DATES All Grant Applications Friday, October 3rd @ 11:59 pm
- 19. Review Panels Panel 1: Operating Support, Level I Organizations (PYE >= $450,000) Panel 2: Operating Support, Level II Organizations (PYE $50,000 - $449,999) Panel 3: Cultural Project Support Panel 4: NAP Project Support Mini Grants – reviewed by Board of Directors committee The actual number of applications reviewed by each panel varies from year-to-year and is based solely on the number of applicants for each grant.
- 20. The Role of Staff Arts Council staff assists organizations with the application process, reviews applications upon submission for technical errors & to ensure eligibility, and helps facilitate the review sessions. Staff do not participate in the reviews themselves
- 21. Dividing the Workload All panelists are expected to be familiar with all applications assigned to their panel, BUT… In order to divide the workload, each panelist will be assigned 2-4 applications that they are responsible for reviewing IN DEPTH Each application will have 2 panelists assigned You are expected to have attended at least 1 of the organizations performances – the arts organizations are responsible for sending out invitations. You are expected to have met with management to discuss managerial ability, artistic merit and service to the community. The arts organizations are responsible for contacting you to set up a meeting. On review day, the Panel Chair will ask the 2 reviewers assigned to an application to give a summary and their thoughts on the application. Other panelists are then invited to share their questions, comments, or concerns.
- 22. Dividing the workload, cont. Each panelist will receive a list of assignments as soon as possible after applications have been received. Sample: Organization Reviewer 1 Reviewer 2 Carp Hall Organa Calrissian Fort Worth Music Group Solo Organa Museum of Stuff Madine Mothma Project DANCE! Calrissian Skywalker Youth In Action Theater Kenobi Solo
- 23. Getting to know the applicants All applicants have panel roster with your contact information. ALL PANELISTS: every applicant is asked to invite their panel members to select programming and provide 2 complimentary tickets GENERAL OPERATING PANELISTS (Panels 1 & 2): applicants hold “site visits;” basically, informal meetings at which the applicant gives a short presentation on the organization and its programming. Applicants are responsible for invites & setting up site visits!
- 24. Programming & Site Visits Programming invites ALL applicants ALL panelists In-school, nights, weekends lectures, concerts, exhibits, festivals, plays, etc. Site Visits Panel 1 & 2 ONLY Operating grant applicants ONLY usually during lunchtime
- 25. Pre-review session workload Before convening in January, you and your fellow panel members will need to: Attend programming and site visits (site visits are for Operating grant reviewers ONLY) Review the applications assigned to your panel (available online) Fill out the evaluation forms for applications to which you’ve been assigned (also online) Notify grants program staff of any questions you have for the applicant
- 26. On the actual review day… Panels meet from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm; breakfast and lunch are provided Locations and dates are TBD!!!!! All panelists are required to complete a Conflict of Interest statement If you do have a Conflict of Interest, you are asked to recuse yourself during deliberations for that particular applicant Applications are reviewed in alphabetical order The panel chair (a member of the Board of Directors of the Arts Council) – moderates discussion, calls for votes & approval of recommendations Staff – keeps track of panel scores, tracks time for each review, provides factual information Applicants can be contacted via speakerphone for last-minute questions WE ASK ALL PANELISTS TO PLEASE BRING A LAPTOP/TABLET We will not have printed materials the day of the review sessions. If you would like to have the materials printed please print yourself and bring with you.
- 27. Your assigned applications: The Panel chair will have a list of organizations and assigned reviewers. When it’s your turn, give a summary of the group, your thoughts on site visits or performances, a description of the project (if it’s a project application), and any thoughts or concerns you might have. Other panel members may then voice their thoughts and answer any questions.
- 28. Scoring & Funding Recommendations All grants scored on a 100-point scale Applications are reviewed according to overall: Managerial Ability Artistic Merit Service to the Community Possible point totals vary by grant type Scores are averaged to determine their panel score Funding recommendations are completed by a committee of the Board of Directors of the Arts Council which is made up of all panel chairs plus a few other members. The recommendations are based on the scores you provide during the review sessions and funding is then mathematically determined by: average score, amount of request, total amount of funding allocated to the panel, number of applicants.
- 29. Scoring & Funding cont. The funding recommendations determined by the committee of the Arts Council Board will be presented to the full Board of Directors who will then vote on whether to approve the recommendations. IMPORTANT: The Board may also adjust awards as they see fit: awards are not final until approved by Board vote.
- 30. Comments, Feedback, Questions If you have a question, concern, or general feedback for an applicant, you can simply type that question into the appropriate area of the Evaluation form. Alert Grants Program staff, who will then send your question to the applicant & give them a chance to respond. Arts Council staff will also be taking notes during the review sessions to provide feedback to applicants. ALL FEEDBACK/QUESTIONS/ETC. ARE ANONYMOUS. AT NO TIME WILL YOUR NAME BE ATTACHED TO YOUR COMMENTS!
- 31. In summary… Once applications are submitted & reviewed by staff, you’ll receive login information and a list of the applications assigned to your panel Review applications online & use the Evaluation forms to ask questions, voice concerns, and organize your thoughts Attend programming throughout the fall (enjoy!) If you are on a Operating panel, attend site visits Attend the review session in January (exact date TBD) at which time the entire Panel will convene, review, and score. Attend the Grant Awards Presentation – date in February TBD.
- 32. USING THE ONLINE SYSTEM
- 33. Account Information All grant panelists will have accounts created for them by the program administrator – you cannot register on your own! Default login information: User name: email address Password: Password1 We can reset passwords if you get stuck!
- 35. The Basics… Be as objective as possible Applications should stand on their own merits We fund on MERIT, not NEED Evaluation Criteria for all grants is a combination of: Managerial Ability Artistic Merit Service to the community Keep in mind – the applicants have access to the Evaluation Criteria – they know what it is you will be looking for Remember – your job as a panelist is to be a good steward of public funds.
- 36. In general… Does the application give a clear picture of the applicant? Who, What, When, Where, Why For projects – is the project description clear? What would we be funding? Is the programming proposed in the application reasonable given the applicant’s mission, programming history, and abilities? Can you tell what the organization does? Who they serve? What type of programming they produce?
- 37. Managerial Ability Overall effectiveness of the organization Presentation of a clear and realistic budget Organizational stability Effective marketing of programming Evidence of / or potential for financial support from the community Long-range/strategic plan? Administrative efforts effective? Good Staff-Board relationship? Diverse Board of Directors?
- 38. Artistic Merit Artistic product perceived to be high quality by audience Innovation and creativity in programming and artistic selections Strong leadership and vision in artistic staff Programming is appropriate to and supports the mission of the organization Artistic staff effective?
- 39. Service to the Community Diversity in the audience (appropriate to the mission and programming) Diversity on the board of directors Efforts to reach and education current & potential audience members Programming attracts an audience appropriate to the organization’s activities (locals vs. visitors, children vs. adults, etc.) Activities have local, regional, national or international impact
- 40. Budgets & Financials For Operating budgets, are variances of +/- 20% from year-to-year explained? Deficits/surpluses? If so, are they explained? Audits – is there a Qualified Opinion? If so, why? Is there a “Going Concern”? Cultural & NAP Project budgets: Appropriate to the scope of the project? Are they predicting a surplus/deficit? How diverse is their income stream? NAP Projects – usually NO earned income
- 41. How NOT to review: Your job is not to judge the artistic product itself, but how effectively is that product being produced and presented to its intended audience. Your job is not to dictate to the organization how they should present their product. Instead, it is to judge the effectiveness of the manner in which they present their product to their intended audience. Letting emotion into the equation – no matter how much you may love the organization, you need to be as objective as possible. Everyone has a bad day – don’t let one performance influence your overall judgment too much. Remember – you will be reviewing organizations with widely divergent budget & staff sizes! Be careful not to make apples- to-apples comparisons.
- 42. And finally… If you need to drop off for any reason, please let us know ASAP! No hard feelings – you will be welcome back next year! and…THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE ARTS!