Rural Libraries Public Engagement Grants

About this Grant

Purpose

To support public library-led projects that stimulate partnerships between libraries and artists and arts organizations that encourage communities to participate actively in artistic and cultural activities in small and/or rural areas of the state.

Please Note

Grant guidelines are subject to change until application opens.

• Eligibility

  Libraries serving small communities are identified as those with a service area population of 25,000 or less and a rural community is defined as one that is more than, or equal to, five miles from an urbanized area. An eligible library must be located within the following counties to apply:

  • Abbeville
  • Aiken
  • Allendale
  • Anderson
  • Bamberg
  • Barnwell
  • Beaufort
  • Calhoun
  • Cherokee
  • Chester
  • Chesterfield
  • Clarendon
  • Colleton
  • Darlington
  • Dillon
  • Dorchester
  • Edgefield
  • Fairfield
  • Florence
  • Georgetown
  • Greenwood
  • Hampton
  • Jasper
  • Kershaw
  • Lancaster
  • Laurens
  • Lee
  • Marion
  • Marlboro
  • McCormick
  • Newberry
  • Oconee
  • Orangeburg
  • Pickens
  • Saluda
  • Sumter
  • Union
  • Williamsburg

  1. The applicant must be a public library, public library authority, network of public library authorities, Friends of South Carolina Libraries, or organization managing a public library authority as defined under the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964.

  • • a unit of government, OR
    • a nonprofit organization
      1. currently registered as a charity with the S.C. Secretary of State’s Office
         Note: Applicants who are exempt from this registration must upload their registration exemption approval.
      2. reflecting S.C. as the primary address on all current official organizational documents
      3. 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

  This grant funding cannot be used for:

  • non-arts-related projects
  • food and beverages, alcohol, craft or catering services
  • activities that do not engage the public

• Use of Funds

  The RLPE grant can be used to fund public engagement activities involving any of the following artforms: dance, music, opera, musical theatre, theatre, visual arts, design arts (architecture, fashion, graphic, industrial, or interior), crafts, photography, media arts, literature, playwriting/screenwriting, media productions, spoken word/slam poetry, time-based art (installation, sound, experimental film, video art, computer-based technology, or performance art), and/or folklife/traditional arts.

  Funding will be considered for a broad variety of activities, for example:

  • festivals,
  • exhibitions,
  • workshops,
  • residencies,
  • digital projects,
  • and performances that have a public engagement component.

  Libraries must provide a physical space for the community to experience and interact with artistic content and programs or to create their own art. Works of visual and performing art may be temporary exhibits, permanent installations, programs or performances offered in the library, or parts of a library’s viewable collections.

  Funds can also be used to hire professional artists or presenters such as those listed on SCAC’s Arts Directory and Teaching Artist Roster. It is strongly encouraged to use members of the S.C. Arts Directory for grant-funded group lectures, demonstrations, performances, classroom residencies, and short-term arts teaching experiences.

  Please note

  Presenters can be individuals, organizations, artists, or educators. Programs may include interactive performances, workshops, concerts, or informational presentations.

  Artists labeled as “Verified Teaching Artists” on the S.C. Arts Directory have been additionally vetted by SCAC through the submission of sample lesson plans, recorded teaching samples, and letters of recommendation; we encourage but do not require grant-funded teaching artist residencies to employ Verified Teaching Artists.

• Additional Requirements of this Grant

  Any activities carried out within this grant must align with state guidelines regarding COVID-19.

  Projects must:

  • provide opportunities for participants in an activity to develop their own artistic skills and/or produce their own artistic work, OR
  • offer artistic development opportunities to artists through activities such as residencies or workshops OR
  • provide opportunities for using the arts in new contexts

• Priority

  Priority will be given to individuals or organizations that have projects in SCAC’s Opportunity Initiative Counties:
  

  • Allendale
  • Bamberg
  • Calhoun
  • Cherokee
  • Clarendon
  • Dillon
  • Edgefield
  • Hampton
  • Jasper
  • Laurens
  • Lee
  • Marion
  • Marlboro
  • Saluda
  • Williamsburg

• Deadline & Grant Period

  Deadline

  • Applications must be submitted at least five weeks (unless otherwise noted by an * below) before grant-funded activities begin or purchases are made. However, earlier applications are encouraged. Applicants do not need to wait until five weeks before their project starts to apply.
  • Note: No applications will be accepted after Monday, March 4, 2024. Here are some time-specific deadlines:
    • August 7, 2023, for projects beginning September 11 or later.
      Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of September 4.
    • September 4, 2023, for projects beginning October 9 or later.
      Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of October 2.
    • October 2, 2023, for projects beginning November 6 or later.
      Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of October 30.
    • October 30, 2023, for projects beginning December 11* or later.
      Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of December 4.
    • December 4, 2023, for projects beginning January 15, 2024* or later.
      Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of January 8, 2024.
    • January 08, 2024, for projects beginning February 12 or later.
      Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of February 5.
    • February 5, 2024, for projects beginning March 11 or later.
      Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of March 4.
    • March 4, 2024, for projects beginning April 15* or later.
      Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of April 8.

  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 between September 11, 2023 and May 31, 2024.

• Funding & Match

  Funding

  Up to $2,500

  Matching Requirements

  1:2 (grantee:SCAC – the grantee must match each SCAC dollar with fifty cents of their own funds)

  • A 1:2 match means that for each dollar granted, the grantee must match with $0.50 of their own funds.
    • For example, if the total project cost is $1,800, the applicant may request $1,200 and must provide the remaining $600 from other sources.
  • Up to 50% may be in-kind donation of materials and contracted services.
    • An example of “in-kind” is a contracted fee that is waived or discounted as a donation to your project.
  • Funds may not be matched with another SCAC grant or with any federal funds.

• Grant Criteria

  Are you wondering what makes for a strong application?

  The SCAC recommends using the FY24 Rural Libraries Public Engagement Grant Evaluation Rubric as a guide when writing your application. Grant panelists will score your application responses based on the criteria within this rubric.

  Applicants should tell us (narrative section tied to project detail points):

  • About the library and the community it serves, including demographics, dynamics and key issues or challenges it faces.
  • About the purpose and goal for the arts project
  • Why the project is important to the library and/or the community it serves
  • How the library and/or community benefit from the project
  • What the target audience is for the project
  • What kind of marketing/outreach is planned for the project

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.

• 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 “Rural Libraries Public Engagement” in the list of available grant applications, and click the “Apply” button to the far right.

Not quite ready to apply? You can preview the application before you create an account or start an application.

After You Apply

• Review Process

  The Grants Team will review submitted applications for completeness and compliance with guideline and application requirements. A combination of SCAC program staff and external panelists will evaluate the applications based on the published review criteria and priority areas. 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 five (5) weeks after the grant application has been submitted as detailed in the “Deadlines & Grant Period” section of these guidelines.

   

• 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 a completed Contract Packet.
  • The remaining 50% will be paid on an expense reimbursement basis, released upon receipt and approval of a completed Final Report.

  Payments are reimbursement-based. This means 50% of expenses must be financed up front by the grantee and/or a cooperating entity.

  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.

I’m Here to Help!

• If you are seeking advisement, please contact Arts Industry Director La Ruchala Murphy (803.734.8762 | lmurphy@arts.sc.gov) before submitting an application.
• If you have submitted an application, and/or you have a current grant, please contact the Grants Team (803.734.8695 | grants@arts.sc.gov).

Grants Coaching

We also highly recommend a visit to our Grants Coaching webpage, for

• category-specific information for grant applicants,
• topic sessions, and
• opportunities for one-on-one assistance.

Missed a group call or session? Look for the video link to access a recording of that presentation.