Support Materials

General Guidance

• Submit what is requested. Inclusion of excessive materials does not allow time for a thorough review of all materials submitted. Support material should be concise, but informative.
• Unless instructed otherwise by the program guidelines, limit documents to a maximum of 10 pages. Additional pages will not be reviewed.
• Label all attachments and support material as required by the program guidelines.
• Do not submit items as support materials that are valuable, irreplaceable, or otherwise treasured. Images, reproductions, and photocopies are acceptable. Original works of art will not be accepted. The Arts Commission cannot be responsible for lost or damaged items.
• Do not include multiple copies of the same piece of material (for example: five of the same brochure), or multiple formats of the same piece of material (for example: the same photos as jpgs and in a PDF).

• Letters of Support

  Letters of support should express confidence in the success of the proposed project or grant, including specifics on what the writer is basing his or her endorsement. Letters should be from knowledgeable and respected sources, such as:

  • school or community leaders/members
  • participating artists or organizations
  • members of participating organizations
  • elected officials
  • experts in the applicable field(s)
  • committed contributors, sponsors, partners, or benefactors

  Reminder: This is general guidance. Always submit what is recommended or required as stated in the grant guidelines.

• Artistic Work Samples

  Work samples submitted as support material are often the review panel’s only exposure to the applicant’s work (and/or the work of participating artists), so it is essential to select examples of the highest artistic quality.

  • Submitted work should be recent and relevant to the application.
  • Unless otherwise specified by the program guidelines, choose work that shows a wide range of styles and abilities.
  • The materials themselves – recordings, images, etc. – should also be of the highest quality, so as to best represent the work under review.
  • Follow program guidelines for instructions on how to label and list your work samples.
  • If work samples are collaborative but pertain to an individual artist, specify the artist’s role in the creation or execution of the work, and/or identify the artist in the sample material (e.g. the actor wearing the blue shirt in this scene; the solo pianist in this orchestral work; the writer of the script being performed).

  Again, always defer to the program guidelines for detailed instructions on what to submit. Should you find a conflict between a program’s guidelines and the information provided on this page, please visit our Staff page for the appropriate program contact.

• Other Support Materials

  Examples of appropriate support material may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Samples of recent reviews, labeled with the name of the publication, the name of the reviewer, and the date of the review.
  • Samples of published material, such as programs, brochures, catalogs, or flyers.
  • Listings of the types of services that indicate levels of community involvement and support.
  • For performing arts organizations, a listing of company repertoire.
  • For literary arts, documentation of publishing history or professional status.
  • Season brochures/schedules, or publication schedules.
  • Resumes of key administrative and/or artistic personnel, as evidence of their skills and abilities.