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SC Arts Commission Grants Programs

 

FY2010 Cultural Tourism Initiative

 

SCAC Cultural Tourism funding improves conditions for economic growth by providing funds to arts-based projects that generate tourist expenditures and positively impact local, regional or statewide economies.

 

Successful cultural tourism projects should attract new cultural tourists to S.C.; or increase in-state cultural tourism by residents traveling more than 50 miles from home; or generate repeat cultural tourism to increase expenditures during the next S.C. visit.

 

Funding will support research that results in quantitative or qualitative data to improve the long-term sustainability of a cultural tourism project and marketing that utilizes media and technology for marketing to tourists.

 

Research and marketing efforts must link directly to the overall goal of

• attracting new cultural tourists to S.C.;
• increasing in-state cultural tourism by residents traveling more than 50 miles from home; or
• generating repeat cultural tourism to increase expenditures during the next S.C. visit.

 

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Eligible Activities

RESEARCH

1. Audience Segmentation/Visitor Profiles: Research that identifies geographic and demographic characteristics of tourists
2. Conversion Study: Research that assesses the impact and results of advertising and marketing to targeted audience of cultural tourists
3. Economic Impact: Research that determines the local or regional economic impacts and effects of cultural tourism and the cultural tourist
4. Other: Research that the applicant deems necessary to support its cultural tourism project. Applicant must thoroughly substantiate a case for funding.

 

MARKETING*

1. First time use of a type of media and/or technology for marketing to cultural tourists, e.g., Web sites, audio tours, pod casts, social media, downloadable GPS, etc.
2. Development and distribution of marketing, advertising, and promotional materials into new tourist markets (brochures, posters, maps, and videos)

 

*Marketing funding is available to complement rather than duplicate funding through Parks, Recreation and Tourism’s (SCPRT) Tourism Partnership Fund. State funds cannot be matched with other state funds.

 

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicant must have production or presentation of arts events or service to the arts as its primary organizational mission; OR be the primary provider of general, multidisciplinary arts programs and/or services within a particular S.C. community or region.
• Applicant must be
  • A S.C. nonprofit, charitable arts organization that is currently registered with the Office of the Secretary of State of South Carolina that has its own federal tax exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service; OR
  • A S.C. nonprofit, charitable arts organization that is currently registered with the Office of the Secretary of State of South Carolina that applies through a tax-exempt fiscal agent organization; OR
  • A unit of local government that has production or presentation of arts events or service to the arts as its primary organizational mission;
• Applicant must have completed at least one full fiscal year of programming prior to application.

A S.C. organization is one that reflects S.C. as its primary address on all current official organizational documents.

Restrictions

• Applicant must not be a college, university or state agency.
• Funding in this grant category is limited to a total of three grant awards to a single organization.
• Previously funded organizations must detail sufficient documented success to date, show significant enhancement of the original product/project, and demonstrate reasonable and significant evolution of the product/project concept.

Deadline & Grant Period
Deadline is July 1, 2009 for projects beginning Sept. 1, 2009. All projects must be completed by June 30, 2010.

 

Applications must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the S.C. Arts Commission offices before 5 p.m., no later than the stated date, or, when the deadline occurs on a weekend or holiday, no later than the next business day.

 

Review date: The review is scheduled for July 27, 2009.

 

Funding Range
Up to $2,500

Match

1:1 (applicant:S.C. Arts Commission); 50% of the applicant's match must be cash.

Grant Payments

Payment will be on an expense reimbursement basis only. Grantees may receive a maximum of two interim payments, totaling no more than 70% of the grant award. Final grant payment will be released upon receipt and approval of grantee's final report.

Filing Fee
None

Review Process

Please contact your S.C. Arts Commission county arts coordinator for guidance on completing the application. The initial staff review of applications focuses on eligibility, accuracy and detail of budget, clarity of narrative, completeness of packet, compliance with grant requirements and confirmation of required support materials.

 

A panel composed of representatives of the S.C. Arts Commission staff and other professionals representing the fields of arts, travel and/or tourism will review and rate grant applications on the basis of specific criteria listed in the guidelines.

 

Funding recommendations will be determined on the basis of panel rating. Final funding recommendations will then be presented to the Board of Commissioners for approval.

Final Report

All grantees are required to file a Final Report (PDF) (How To Use PDFs) at the end of the grant period. The Final Report Due Date is printed on your contract. Failure to file the final report by the due date will result in cancellation of the award and repayment of funds received. SCAC will not fund applicants who have outstanding final reports. Submit only original final report forms with original signatures. Do not submit copies or fax your final report form.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Cultural Tourism grantees' final reports must also answer these supplemental questions specific to the program.

 

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How to Apply

Before applying, you are strongly advised to discuss the project with your county coordinator to determine whether your project meets the guidelines. You are also strongly advised to participate in the Cultural Tourism Webinar.

Please review the following steps carefully in preparing your application materials. Failure to include the required application materials will result in disqualification of your application. Incomplete applications and applications that do not follow font, typeface and page restrictions cannot be accepted.

 

Each page/item of materials must be labeled with the name of the applicant organization and be submitted in a format suitable for copying (8½ x 11). Submit only original application forms with original signatures; do not submit copies or fax your application. Do not use 3-ring binders, folders, or bind the application materials in any way other than with binder clips or paper clips.

 

Forms are in portable document format (PDF). (How To Use PDFs)

 

The application package must include one complete collated set of the following items:

1. Three Forms
   • Grant Application for Organizations
   • Organization Profile
     Statistical information for the Service Area Profile section is available at www.census.gov. Select "SC" under State & County Quick Facts, then select your county.
   • Detailed Project Budget
     Itemize all expenses and sources of revenue.
   
   


2. Narrative

   Narrative must not exceed five pages, single spaced with one inch margins. Typeface must no less than 12 point, Arial or Times New Roman font. Questions should be answered sequentially by letter.

   
   

   Applicants may apply for funding to support either Research or Marketing, not both.
   
   NOTE: Research and marketing efforts must link directly to the overall goals of

   • attracting new cultural tourists to S.C.; or
   • increasing in-state cultural tourism by residents traveling more than 50 miles from home; or
   • generating repeat cultural tourism to increase expenditures during the next S.C. visit.
   
   A. Summarize your overall cultural tourism project and its major goals/objectives, economic impact, and give specific components of the project that will help clarify its breadth and scope as it relates to cultural tourism. What is your plan for ensuring long-term success of this project?
   

    

   • Note restriction: If you have had a cultural tourism project that was previously funded, you must detail success to date, any significant enhancement of the original project, and demonstrate reasonable and significant evolution of the project concept.

    

   B. Describe the Research or Marketing activity for which your organization is requesting funding. How would this activity lead to your project meeting one or more goals of the cultural tourism initiative?

    

   C. Outline the measurable goals of this activity.

    

   D. Describe strategies that will be used to obtain this goal.

    

   E. What methods will be used to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of your activities that lead to accomplishing the goals?

    

   F. How will the results of this activity be utilized in future years? Provide at least three specific examples.

    

   G. List key collaborators, partners or associates, their specific roles and financial contributions, if any.

    

   H. Provide a detailed project work plan, including a timeline (not included in page count). Sample work-plan format:
   
   

   What is the task?	Date of task initiation	Who is responsible for completing the task?	When is the task to be completed?	How will the task be monitored and evaluated?





Evaluation Criteria

The grant application will be rated as follows:


 

Narrative section A: 25 points

Applicant clearly summarized their overall cultural tourism project, provided economic impact information and gave specific components of the project that helped clarify its breadth and scope as it relates to cultural tourism. Applicant provided a plan for ensuring long-term success of this project.

 

• Previous Grantees Only: Applicant detailed current success of a previously funded project and provided information on significant enhancements of the original project, and demonstrated reasonable and significant evolution of the project concept. (There will be a 15-point reduction if this information is not included.)

 

Narrative sections B – E: 30 points

Applicant effectively described the Research or Marketing activity for which the organization is requesting funding. Applicant detailed how this activity leads to meeting one or more goals of the cultural tourism initiative.

 

Applicant outlined project goals that are appropriate and measurable.

 

Applicant provided strategies that are appropriate and feasible to obtain the goals.

 

Applicant provided methods that are appropriate and feasible to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the activities that lead to accomplishing the goals.

 

Narrative section F: 15 points

Applicant outlined plans to use the activity results in future years to contribute to long-term success.

 

Narrative section G: 15 points

Applicant listed appropriate key project collaborators, partners or associates, their specific role and included individual letters of support on the letterhead of each partner.

 

Partnerships should demonstrate accessibility and/or inclusiveness and how local professional artists, arts and cultural institutions, government, businesses and a diverse cross-section of the community could be included as partners in the project.

 

Narrative section H: 15 points

Applicant provided a detailed work plan for this project, including a timeline that is appropriate and feasible.

 



3. Letters of Support
• Submit a signed one-page letter of support from your organization's board stating how the board as a whole will support this work.
• Submit a signed one-page letter of support from the board director, director, or project manager of each partnering organization stating their specific role and financial contribution. E-mail correspondence or a single letter signed by all partners is not acceptable. The letter of support must be on letterhead and dated within 45 days of the application deadline.

 

 

4. IRS Tax-Exempt Letter
   A copy of applicant's IRS tax-exempt letter
   OR
   If applying through a fiscal agent,
   a. A copy of fiscal agent's IRS tax-exempt letter
   b. 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.

 

 

You may use this optional application checklist (PDF) to ensure a complete application package. (How To Use PDFs)

 

Submit to:
Cultural Tourism Initiative Grant Program
S.C. Arts Commission
1800 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201

 

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NOTE: The SC Arts Commission will no longer require a copy of an applicant's current SC Charities registration letter. Instead, applicant information will be provided to the SC Office of the Secretary of State. In accordance with the SC Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act, charitable organizations must maintain current registration with the SC Office of the Secretary of State. Failure to register and renew the registration annually may result in severe fines by the SC Office of the Secretary of State.

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