Young ballet students wait their turn to dance.
Photograph courtesy of Madison Ballet.

DANE COUNTY CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION: GRANT PROGRAM UPDATE

At the beginning of this year, we instituted several policy changes related to our grant program. They were made in concert with the launch of our new, web-based grant system with online applications required for submission, now available to applicants!

Please read on for details about the latest policy changes and WebGrants system. Always pay close attention to Application Guidelines. They may be revised or changed from cycle to cycle.

Online Grant Application Submission

Effective for the Second Grant Cycle (June 1, 2010 application deadline), ALL applicants must submit grant applications using our online system, accessible at http://www.culturalaffairsgrants.com. Full instructions for navigation and use of this system are available on the website. Below are some important points to help you get started.

  • Registering on WebGrants: When you go to the site for the first time, you will need to create an account in order to get oriented and become familiar with the system. If you submit grant applications on behalf of an organization or other entity, your account should be created as the account of the organization, not as your own personal account (you will be considered the primary contact for that organization). If you submit grants for several organizations, you will need to create an account for each organization you represent.
  • Application Questions and Format Changes: If you have submitted grant applications to the Cultural Affairs Commission in the past, please be aware that with the rollout of our WebGrants system, the format and questions in our applications have changed. Please take the time to become familiar with the new format well in advance of the deadline for which you are applying.
  • Information Sessions: Commission staff host information sessions to help applicants learn more about our grant program and new WebGrants system. You may find it useful to attend one of these sessions. Please see this link for session schedule and registration information.

Deadlines

Grant Application Deadlines will fall annually on the following dates:

  • First Grant Cycle: February 1st
  • Second Grant Cycle: June 1st
  • Third Grant Cycle: October 1st

Grant Applications must be received by 11:59 PM CST on the deadline date. Please be aware that Commission staff will be available to answer questions and provide technical assistance no later than 4:30 PM Monday through Friday.

Application Categories

The Grant Program presently consists of two reoccurring grant opportunities and occasional special grant opportunities:

  1. Project Grants
    (Click here for more information and applications for Project Grants)
  2. Capital Grants
    (Click here for more information and applications for Capital Grants)
  3. Special Opportunities: Occasional unique grant opportunities may be offered. They will be listed in the menu above with a link to the opportunity description.

Beginning with the Second Grant Cycle (June 1st, 2010 grant deadline), ALL Project Grant applicants will complete the same application (rather than distinct applications for Arts, Arts in Schools and Local History as in the past).

Grant Applicants may submit ONE grant application in each category, Project, Capital, or Special, per grant cycle This guideline means applicants may submit a maximum of one Project Grant application, one Capital Grant application, and one Special Grant application for each grant cycle. More than one Project Grant application, one Capital Grant application, and one Special Grant application from one applicant in the same grant cycle will not be eligible for consideration or review.

Project Period Dates

Each grant cycle focuses upon primary activities that happen within certain date parameters and applies to a specific 12-month project period. Grant cycle project periods are defined as follows:

  • First Grant Cycle (February 1 application deadline): for primary activities happening between May 1 of current year through April 30 of following year
  • Second Grant Cycle (June 1 application deadline): for primary activities happening between September 1 of current year through August 31 of following year
  • Third Grant Cycle (October 1 application deadline): for primary activities happening between January 1 through December 31 of following year

Grant Amount Requested

Each grant opportunity, Project, Capital, and Special, has an upper limit grant award amount that can be requested for each grant cycle. These amounts limits may change for each grant cycle and are announced within specific Funding Opportunities in our WebGrants system. Applications that include a grant amount request in Budget Summary exceeding upper limit will be ineligible for consideration and review.

Please see the Project, Capital and other Special Grants links for more details!