Emerging Arts Leaders Grants

About this Grant

Purpose

To strengthen and nurture emerging arts leaders and their organizations. This leadership- and capacity-building initiative will provide resources, training, and support for emerging leaders and the boards of arts nonprofits to build sustainability, capacity, and partnerships in South Carolina.

Program goal

• Support professional growth and leadership training in the arts.
• Strengthen the small organizations’ operational capacity.
• Develop and strengthen South Carolina’s Arts Industry workforce.

Please Note

Grant guidelines are subject to change until the application opens.

• Eligibility

  1. The applicant must be a nonprofit organization
     • currently registered with the S.C. Secretary of State’s Office
       Note: Applicants who are exempt from this registration must upload their registration exemption approval.
     • reflecting S.C. as the primary address on all current official organizational documents
     • with federal tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service
       OR
       applying through a tax-exempt fiscal agent/receiver organization
       Note: Applicants who are applying through a fiscal agent/receiver must submit a letter outlining the working relationship and responsibilities of both parties.

  2. In accordance with federal government policy, all organizations – including (but not limited to) private schools, public school districts, government entities, and nonprofit organizations – must provide a valid UEI number* to receive an SCAC grant award. *Learn about the new grant requirement: Unique Entity ID (UEI) Note: If an applicant organization is using a fiscal agent/receiver, separate UEI numbers must be provided for both the applicant organization and the fiscal agent/receiver. Exceptions to separate UEI numbers are organizations run by a local government or a school district.

• Restrictions

  The applicant must be a nonprofit arts organization, not an individual artist.

• Use of Funds

  Funds cannot be used for food/beverages, operating support, fundraising projects/events, or endowment/capital campaigns.

  Funds can only be used for professional development. Examples include:

  • conference fees and expenses
  • staff and board training
  • consultant services for strategic planning and strategic plan implementation
  • financial management
  • program evaluation consultation
  • communications, marketing, and rebranding strategy development
  • facilitation of a board retreat
  • in-person or virtual training

• Additional Requirements of this Grant

  • Attend two (2) one-on-one meetings with the SCAC program director
  • Participate in one (1) peer network activity hosted by or identified by the SCAC program director
  • Host a site visit during the grant period, aligned with state guidelines regarding COVID-19.

• Priority

  Special consideration will be given to arts organizations who have experienced ongoing hardship and have been unable to continue their professional development and to organizations in underserved communities.

  Underserved communities include those communities in which people lack arts programs, services, or resources due to geography, economic conditions, cultural background, socio-political circumstances, disability, age or other demonstrable factors. The term “community” can refer to a group of people with a common heritage or characteristics, whether they in the same location or not.

• Deadline & Grant Period

  Deadline

  November 7, 2023

  Applications may be submitted until 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the deadline date. However, please be aware that staff members will not be available to assist you with questions or technical difficulties after SCAC closes at 5 p.m. that day.

  Grant Period

  All grant-supported activities must be implemented from January 1 through May 31, 2024.

• Funding & Match

  Funding

  $2,500 ($1,500 for organization training and $1,000 for leader training)

  Matching Requirements

  None

• Grant Criteria

  Are you wondering what makes for a strong application?

  The SCAC recommends using the FY24 Emerging Arts Leader Grant Evaluation Rubric as a guide when writing your application. Grant panelists will score your application responses based on the criteria within this rubric.

  The application must include actual leadership-and capacity-building initiative(s) the organization has identified to support the leaders and the board of the arts nonprofit to build sustainability, capacity, and partnerships in South Carolina.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted through our grants portal, which uses the Foundant platform.

New to Foundant? For frequently asked questions, registration instructions, and other helpful information, we highly recommend visiting the Grants Portal FAQ, before you begin working in the system.

• Your Grants Portal Account

  The applicant must have an active account in our Grants Portal.

  • If you have previously used Submittable to apply for other SCAC grants or programs, please note that the grants portal is a different system. Your Submittable credentials will not work; you will need a grants portal account to apply for this grant.
  • If you have used the grants portal as both an artist and as a contact for a school or organization, be sure you log on with the correct account to apply for this grant.

  Helpful Hint: To ensure the correct person is listed as the primary contact for your application, that person should be the one to log on and click the “Apply” button to start the application. The primary contact person for this grant should be the person who will:

  1. edit and submit the grant application;
  2. manage this grant’s activities, and
  3. receive and respond to communications from the SCAC about this grant.

• Support Materials

  • Organizational goals or strategic plan
  • Board member list. Include any board committees, the purpose/function of each committee and the number of board members serving on each committee if applicable.
  • List of management personnel and their qualifications and/or brief bios. These are the personnel that make the decisions for your organization.
  • Provide the website of the individual or institution that will be providing training/professional development. You may link directly to a conference or course webpage, if available.

• Starting Your Application

  1. Follow the “Apply” link below. The grants portal will open in a new browser tab or window.
  2. Log on, then click the “Apply” link at the top of your Applicant Dashboard.
  3. Find “FY24 Emerging Arts Leaders” in the list of available grant applications, and click the “Apply” button to the far right.

After You Apply

• Review Process

  The Grants Team will review submitted applications for completeness and compliance with guideline and application requirements. A review panel of business professionals will evaluate the applications based on the published review criteria (see “Grant Criteria” section).

  An applicant’s panel comments are available to them upon request. Staff will then develop funding recommendations, based on these evaluations and the availability of funds. Final funding decisions are approved by the deputy director. Award notification is expected in four to five weeks after the application deadline.

• If You Receive a Grant Award

  If your application is funded, you (and your fiscal agent/receiver, if applicable) will enter into a contractual agreement with the South Carolina Arts Commission, and you must comply with all requirements stated in that contract. You will receive notification and instructions when your contract is available in the Grants Portal. You must submit your completed contract packet, including signatures and other documentation as instructed, by the date indicated in the system. You must also complete all other assigned follow ups by the due date.

  Please note: Any significant revisions to grant-funded activities must be approved in writing, in advance, by the SCAC. Significant revisions to grant-funded activities must be emailed to grants@arts.sc.gov to be processed for approval or denial.

  Additional details about managing an SCAC grant are available on our agency website.

  Grant Payments

  • An initial 50% of the grant award will be released upon receipt and approval of the signed contract packet.
  • Up to 40% of the remaining grant award will be released upon receipt and approval of up to two interim payment requests.
  • Any remaining amount of the grant award will be released at receipt and approval of the final report.

  Final Report

  ALL GRANTEES are required to file a final report at the end of the grant period. The final report due date is stated in the grant contract. Failure to submit an accurate and complete final report by the due date will result in cancellation of the award and repayment of any funds received. SCAC will not fund applicants who have outstanding final reports.