Arts in Education Grants

Purpose

Innovative Partnership grants (IPG) fund the efforts of local education agencies/districts, artists and arts-focused organizations to, through the arts, meet the educational, developmental, or social needs of students in their communities. They may be used to fund in-school, after-school, or summer programs. Partners must employ the arts as their primary work.

Eligibility

• Applicants may be public, private, charter, or parochial schools, consortia of schools with one primary applicant site, or a school district. Partners may include artists, arts organizations, colleges and universities and local arts agencies.
• Arts councils may apply, if they are coordinating projects for consortia of schools or school districts.
• ABC sites are not eligible.

Restrictions

• Contracted artists must be on the Arts Commission's Roster of Approved Artists. Please be advised that inclusion on the Roster is based solely on artistic merit. If an applicant wishes to contract with an artist not on the roster, he/she must sponsor the artist’s placement on the roster. Schools and other institutions contracting artists are encouraged to follow standard hiring practices for professionals working in schools.
• Individual schools may not apply if they are included in an application from consortia of schools, a school district, or an arts council.

Deadline

January 17, 2012

For funding beginning July 1, 2012, ending May 15, 2013

Read more about deadlines >>

Funding

The funding for individual IPG grants will be no more than $4000.
For consortium applications, each participating consortium member is eligible for up to $4,000, with a maximum request of $20,000 per consortium.
The cash match for an IPG grant is 1:1 (grantee:SCAC) meaning that for each dollar granted, the grantee must match with one dollar of their own funds.

If you receive a grant award

If your application is approved, you will receive notification and a grant management folder through the postal mail. You must sign and return all required contracts to the SCAC by the date listed in the folder. You must also complete a final report, as listed in your grant management folder, by the date stated in your contract. You will be expected to contact the SCAC Arts Education Program Coordinator if for any reason your project will undergo significant revisions.

Grant Payments

Grant payments are disbursed upon receipt and approval of the grantee's final report; the due date for the final report will be printed on your contract. If the applicant is part of a school district, payment will be made to the school district, with the school listed on the check as the benefiting organization. Please remember that the SCAC does not pay artists directly. The grantee must pay the artist in full upon the conclusion of any residency included in this project.

Application Materials

Please submit one of each of the following:

1. Grant application for organizations (PDF)
   
   • Helpful directions for completing this form >>
   • How to use PDF forms >>
     
     
2. A narrative, no longer than 4 pages (12 point type, 1 inch margins) that answers the following questions.  We recommend using each question as a section header.
   • Who are the partners in this Innovative Partnership? What resources and expertise does each bring to the project?
   • What is the goal of this Innovative Partnership, and how will the goal be accomplished?
   • How will you measure success?
   • How will this partnership be sustained beyond the life of grant funding?
   • What is the source of your matching funds?  Do you understand that you must support the full cost of the project until you are reimbursed at the end of the project?
3. IPG Budget Form (Microsoft Word document)
   
   • Helpful directions for completing this form >>

If you are a private or parochial school, we also require the following:

4. Board of Directors list - List of Applicant's current board of directors. Include board members' occupations/professional affiliations indicating with asterisks those who are African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, or Hispanic.
   
   
5. IRS tax-exempt letter - A copy of applicant's IRS tax-exempt letter.
   OR, IF APPLYING THROUGH A FISCAL AGENT, submit
   • A copy of fiscal agent's IRS tax-exempt letter.
     AND
   • A copy of a letter of agreement, signed by both the applicant and the fiscal agent that outlines the working relationship and responsibilities of both parties.

Please note:

• Each page/item of materials must be labeled with the name of the applicant and be submitted in a format suitable for copying.
• Do not use 3-ring binders, folders, staples, or bind the application materials in any way other than with binder clips or paper clips.

Please mail your completed application to:

Innovative Partnership Grant Program
S.C. Arts Commission
1800 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201