MCAC Community Arts Grant, Re-Granting Illinois Arts Council, Agency of State of Illinois

This program is sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the McLean County Arts Center.

The McLean County Arts Center offers funds from the Illinois Arts Council to Local Agencies.

 

Download the 2012 Community Arts Access Grant Application

The McLean County Arts Center (MCAC), the arts agency for McLean County,  is seeking applications for Community Arts Access Grants.   The MCAC matches funds from the Illinois Arts Council to 501C3 organizations presenting arts programming in our county. The Illinois Arts Council is a state agency.   Applications are available on the Arts Center website with a January 20, 2012 deadline.  

Funding priorities include supporting the quality, quantity, promotion and visibility of arts for the community; increased access and outreach to the arts for underserved populations; and fostering collaboration among organizations and/or individual artists.  A total of $4,450 will be distributed. New applicants, including churches and social service agencies, are encouraged to apply.  A public workshop on the application process will be held at the MCAC on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 6pm.

The committee has determined the following list of priorities, in order of importance, with which they will determine the ranking of applications.  Please address these carefully in your application.  This year will again be highly competitive in terms of the number and quality of applications.

Applicants currently receiving Illinois Arts Council support must also submit a copy of any current IAC grant narratives to ensure Community Arts Access Grants are not overlapping existing IAC support.

 

 

Funding Priorities:

  • Support the quality, quantity, promotion and visibility of arts for the community
  • Increase access and outreach to the arts for underserved populations
  • Foster collaboration among organizations and/or individual artists

 

     Project Plan:

  • Clarity in description of project
  • Degree to which project fulfills its purpose
  • Quality of planning and implementation

     Collaboration:

  • Collaboration among organizations and individuals
  • Encourages and promotes cooperation and pooling of resources

     Budget:

  • Balanced proposed budget page
  • Evidence of cash match and in-kind contributions
  • Evidence of additional and alternative funding sources

     Outcomes:

  • Evidence of attainable, measurable and manageable outcomes

     Organizational Capacity:

  • Evidence of fiscal accountability of applicant
  • History of sound management practices

     Completeness of Application:

  • All requested information provided by the deadline
  • Prior grant final report or progress report submitted

The following items are not eligible for funding as explicitly stated in the McLean County Arts Center’s Grant Agreement with the Illinois Arts Council:

  • Capital expenditures.
  • Permanent equipment
  • Out-of-state touring
  • Scholarships
  • Deficit Funding

You may not request more than $2,500 in re-granting funds, and 50% of your proposed program’s total budget must be matched by your organization or other sources.

 

Submit Electronically Only by 1/20/2012 to doug@mcac.org

 

 

 

Community Arts Access Grants Awarded

Bloomington -- The McLean County Arts Center, in its role as designated arts agency for the county, announces the recipients of the Community Arts Access Grants on behalf of the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.  A total of $4,450 will be distributed among six groups in McLean County. These non-profit organizations will provide many community members and approximately 7,000 children with a cultural experience, employing 90 artists.

The MCAC provides a partial match to state funding. Funding emphasis is placed on artistic innovation, outreach, underserved populations, participating artists and organizational stability. 

For 2011, the selected groups were as follows: Bloomington-Normal Boys and Girls Club Teen Group Arts Experience, $210; Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, $210; Community Players Theatre, $600; Heartland Theatre Company, $750; Illinois Symphony Orchestra, $1,250; Prairie Fire Theatre, $1,430.

A rotating committee of local individuals with arts, music, and finance backgrounds comprise the review panel.  The 2011 panelist were Jeff Greeneberg, Melanie Hunter, and Rhys Lovell.

Attendance for local cultural programs exceeds 315,400 and sponsoring institutions have budgets of more than $4,500,000, providing state revenue in surplus of $600,000.

 

 

 

 

 

Please direct questions to Doug Johnson