North Charlotte Today

City of Charlotte issued the following announcement on Oct. 10.

The City of Charlotte and the Arts and Culture Advisory Board are accepting grant requests from Charlotte-Mecklenburg artists and arts and culture groups that are seeking support for near-term projects, programs and initiatives. Applicants can request up to $50,000 from the Opportunity Fund.

Grant requests are being accepted through the fall, until roughly $400,000 has been allocated or until December, whichever comes first; the advisory board will then evaluate the program's progress. Opportunity Fund dollars come from the Infusion Fund, a partnership of the city, Foundation For The Carolinas and private donors to support local arts and culture through June 30, 2024.

Information about eligibility and the grant request process is available online. To provide additional help to applicants in the grant request process, here are a few frequently asked questions and their answers.

Where do I complete an application?

An applicant must submit a brief letter of intent via a form that is available on charlottenc.gov/arts-culture. Letters of intent should summarize:

• How the project or initiative meets the city's guiding principles for arts and culture planning and Infusion Fund investments — principles such as more collaboration, equity and access, and financial sustainability and growth.
• The project's timeliness.
• Why the project falls outside established or existing grant structures, or why it requires the type of support offered through the Opportunity Fund in particular.
• Challenges and conditions an Opportunity Fund grant may help address.
• How the project is open to the public and/or focuses on expanding the public's access to arts and culture.

Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and whose projects align with the guidelines of the Opportunity Fund will be invited to submit a full proposal with a project budget.

Is there an application deadline?

Letters of intent are accepted on a rolling basis, but advisory board members will consider and vote on recommended grants monthly while funding is available.

A schedule of the grant process is available below. While Opportunity Fund dollars are available, any letters of intent or full proposals received after the applicable monthly deadline will be reviewed and considered in the following month’s round of reviews.

How much should I request? Can I use this funding to cover the full cost of my project or program?

Applicants may request up to $50,000. However, board members will consider whether they believe a grant request is appropriate to the project's overall budget, and the constraints that come with providing grants to multiple projects across the community.

Applicants who are invited to submit a full proposal will need to complete a budget form for the project, program or initiative. City staff will provide the form.

I have a for-profit creative business. Is my business eligible for this grant?

No; Opportunity Fund grants are for nonprofits, and artists, groups or collectives using a nonprofit fiscal sponsor or fiscal agent. Funds distributed by the Foundation For The Carolinas must go to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status and must be used for a charitable purpose.

I'm an individual artist. Am I eligible for this grant? 

Yes, if you are associated with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor or fiscal agent. If you do not have a fiscal sponsor or agent and are looking for one, review this explanation of fiscal agency and fiscal sponsorship.

Does the fiscal sponsor's primary mission need to be in arts and culture?

No.

Can the fiscal sponsor be from outside Charlotte?

Yes.

I am applying with a fiscal sponsor; will it be a problem if the fiscal sponsor is also applying for funding?

No, these will be treated as separate requests.

Does the Opportunity Fund support projects or programs outside Charlotte's city limits?  

This grant is for eligible artists and groups creating projects, programs or initiatives that take place primarily in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County or that benefit the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.

How can I use the funds? Are there any restrictions on how the funds are used?

Recipients can use the money for project expenses, such as the following, if they meet eligibility requirements:

• Artistic and cultural experiences.
• Programming and collaborations.
• Organizational and technical support.
• Facility and infrastructure costs.
• Permitting costs.
• Advertising and marketing.
• Research and reporting.
• Personnel and training costs.
• Membership fees.

Ineligible expenditures include:

• Purchase of alcoholic beverages.
• Personal use items.
• Political or public policy campaigns. Nonpartisan voter registration is permitted.

As a reminder, to qualify, the project, program or initiative:

• Must begin by June 30, 2023, and conclude by June 30, 2024.
• Must not require multiyear or unrestricted funding from the Infusion Fund.
• Has not received prior project support through the Opportunity Fund. (Applicants who have previously received funding through the larger Infusion Fund are eligible if other eligibility guidelines also are met.)

If awarded, grant funds should be spent according to the project budget that is submitted with the full proposal.

A final budget report detailing actual use of funds will also be required of all grant recipients.

The primary purpose or function of my organization is not arts and culture, but we do some arts and cultural programming. Are we eligible? 

Yes, if the funding would support a project, program or initiative related to local arts and culture that takes place primarily in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County or that benefits the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. The project and request must meet other eligibility requirements as outlined.

For how long does a nonprofit need to be established before applying for a grant?

There is no minimum time that a nonprofit must be established to be eligible for this grant.

If I am invited to submit a full proposal, what should I include in the proposal?

Applicants invited to submit a full proposal will be contacted by city staff and prompted to submit:

• A project budget form that details how the grant will be spent, and projected revenue and expenses for the project. (City staff will provide the form.)
• For applicants that are not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit: a letter of support or memorandum of understanding from the fiscal sponsor or fiscal agent.
• For 501(c)(3) nonprofits: an IRS letter of determination reflecting tax-exempt status.
• Up to three supporting materials that illustrate the project plans in detail. These may include materials previously submitted with the letter of intent that answer the following questions:
  • What is the project?
  • Who is the team implementing the project (i.e., who is leading it, who are collaborators or partners, what makes this team well equipped to do this project?)?
  • How will it be implemented?
  • When will the project take place? Provide start and end dates.
  • Where will the project take place?
  • What funding or support does the project already have, and what funding or support is still being sought and from where?
  • Whom will it benefit and how?
  • What do you aim to achieve?

If the initial letter of intent did not provide this information, a document that includes the necessary details will be accepted as part of the full proposal.

As a reminder, letters of intent also should have summarized how the project aligns with Infusion Fund guiding principles; any challenges and conditions a grant could address; if and how the project promotes collaboration, public access to arts and culture, and the ongoing cultural planning process; and other relevant factors. Review the full eligibility details and evaluation criteria.                

Original source can be found here.