Grants & Services for Organizations
Grant Award Procedures
Deadlines
Applications with accompanying required documents are due by 5:00 pm on the date listed below. Late applications will not be accepted.
| Program | Deadline (first business day) | Grant term |
| Project Support | March | June 1 - May 31 |
| September | December 1 - October 31 | |
| Operating Support | February | June 1 - May 31 |
| Technical Assistance | 1st Monday of each month | Varies |
The beginning date signals when the organization begins to expend resources for the project, in marketing, rehearsals, etc. End dates are approximate. Events must be scheduled with adequate time after grant notification to advertise GCAC support.
Project Grants for Operating Support Recipients
Operating Support recipients may apply for project funding with unique, one-time projects. Funds may not be requested for normal operating expenses, including routine personnel costs. Applications will be accepted only at the September deadline. Projects may begin no earlier than July 1 of the following year.
Missing Information
The signed application form, including narrative and complete project budget, is required on the deadline. Each applicant has the responsibility to send materials that are relevant, readable and appropriate. All supporting documentation is due on the deadline. GCAC Grants Program staff may seek further clarification from the applicant. Timely response to GCAC requests for additional information is important to the application's success.
Awards Process
Project Support applications are reviewed by a peer panel comprised of artists, administrators, and other nonprofit professionals drawn from the Greater Columbus MSA. The panel scores applications according to the stated project support review criteria. Panel deliberations are open to the public. The Grants Committee - which is appointed from the membership of the GCAC Board of Trustees and is representative of the community at large - reviews the panel's evaluations and recommends funding based on the scores.
Operating Support applications are reviewed by GCAC Grants Program staff and the Grants Committee in a public meeting.
Technical Assistance proposals are due on the first Monday of each month. If a proposal is received after the first Monday it is moved to the next month's review. The Director of Grants & Services reviews proposals and makes recommendations to the President and the Grants Committee via email by the second Friday of the month. Consensus is reached and contracts or denials are sent by the fourth Friday of the month.
The Grants Committee may recommend one of five actions for any Project or Operating support proposal:
- Approval for full or partial funding
- Approval for full or partial funding with stipulations
- Denial with suggestions for resubmission of request
- Denial of request
- Deferral for further consideration
The Grants Committee presents their recommendations to the full Board of Trustees, which authorizes grant awards during its May and November public meetings.
Generally, GCAC will not award an Operating Support recipient an amount (from the Operating and Project Support categories combined) that exceeds 20% of that organization's operating expenses.
Letter of Agreement and Implementation
After the GCAC Board of Trustees approves a grant, a letter of agreement specifying the terms of the grant will be sent to the applicant. The applicant returns a signed copy of the entire letter of agreement to the GCAC Grants Office by the date indicated in the letter to signify agreement with the terms. No major changes in the project can then occur, either in activities or finance, without prior written approval from GCAC. Applicants are strongly discouraged from commencing projects in anticipation of GCAC support prior to formal notification. Unexpected, significant changes in the organization's management, governance, program or finances must be brought to the attention of GCAC.
Acknowledgement of Grant Support
Grant recipients must credit GCAC's support in all printed material related to the funded project, including sites on the World Wide Web or any other presence on the Internet. Verbal credit must be given where printed credit is not possible. Failure to credit GCAC will jeopardize future grant awards. To download the GCAC logo, link to our website at www.gcac.org.
www.ColumbusArts.com
Grant recipients are required to post events on the GCAC website www.ColumbusArts.com. This site provides a searchable web presence for the arts in Columbus, and connects to www.ArtsinOhio.com. Organizations receive a free promotional benefit, and have the option to provide a link to their home web sites.
Planning, Evaluation, and On-Site Visits
GCAC makes its most informed funding decisions in the presence of careful, written documentation of an organization's activity, including short and long-range plans, evaluation documents, interim progress reports and final reports. Organizations are required to state clearly the desired outcomes of their artistic activities in ways that are measurable. From time to time GCAC will utilize outside evaluators in addition to staff and trustee members for on-site visits to Project and Operating Support recipients.
Organizations that currently receive or plan to apply for GCAC funding should make available two complimentary tickets at the request of the GCAC Grants Office. These tickets are for evaluation purposes and will be subject to availability for the event.
Reporting and Payment
Project Support and Technical Assistance. Written reports must accompany any request for payment. Although GCAC pays most project grants upon receipt and approval of a final report, grantees may request 50% of the grant award prior to the completion of the project. GCAC provides forms for both the partial payment and the final report. Newspaper/magazine articles, photographic records and documentation of the GCAC/City of Columbus acknowledgement should be attached to all reports.
The final report form is required within thirty (30) days of the completion of each project. Failure to complete the final report form adequately will jeopardize future funding requests. GCAC will not review new applications for the GCAC/City of Columbus Grants Program if the applicant has a final report past due and has not been granted an extension.
Operating Support. No reports are required to generate Operating Support payments unless stipulated in the letter of agreement. Awards are paid automatically in four equal quarterly installments, on or about June 30, September 30, December 31 and March 31. Payments will be held for late audited statements or any other documents required by GCAC.
All grant payments from GCAC are contingent upon receipt of funding from the city of Columbus.
