A fee support grants program linking arts presenters with Illinois’ wealth of touring artists listed in the Artstour Roster. This program encourages the presenter or potential presenter to initiate, expand and/or diversify an arts program through the use of quality arts presentations and related activities.
Presenters may request funding to support performances/exhibit packages by
artists listed in the roster.
Artstour grants may also fund five to ten hours of residency activities such
as workshops, master classes, residencies, and lectures/demonstrations associated
with the performance(s)/exhibit.
Link to the Artstour Roster.
This information regarding the Artstour Program provides helpful points to keep in mind when using the Artstour Program - but it is not all-inclusive. Artists and presenters are responsible for reading through the Illinois Arts Council’s Policies and Priorities as well as the Artstour Program Guidelines.
Artstour is the Illinois Arts Council's (IAC) fee support grants program linking arts presenters with Illinois' wealth of touring artists as well as quality visual and media arts exhibits. This program encourages the presenter or potential presenter to initiate, expand, and/or diversify an arts program through the use of quality arts presentations and related activities.
- The Artstour Program has been responsive to the needs of libraries, park
districts, school organizations, traditional presenters, senior citizen centers,
hospitals, festivals, local arts agencies, and community organizations.
- Illinois not-for-profit organizations may request funding to support performances
by artists listed in the roster.
- Funding may also be requested to support the presentation of visual and
media arts exhibit packages listed in the roster.
- Artstour grants may also fund workshops, master classes, residencies, and lecture/demonstrations associated with the performance(s)/exhibits.
The Illinois Arts Council will not fund an Artstour
presentation through both the Artstour Program and any other Illinois Arts Council
program.
Artstour funds cannot be used for performances by artists, ensembles
or companies affiliated with the applicant organization.
Funding may be requested for up to two different presentations per year. Generally, the IAC will support only one project per presenter in a given year. Each request requires a separate application. Application forms may be duplicated when needed. Multiple applications must be prioritized in ranking order of first and second priority.
To be eligible applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Applicant must be a not-for-profit organization currently registered with the Illinois Secretary of State or an agent of a governmental body (i.e., school, school district, park district, college, or university). (What is accepted as proof of not-for-profit status?)
- Applicant must select an Illinois artist, company, ensemble, or exhibit package from the Artstour Roster.
- Applicant must submit all requested application materials prior to the deadline, which is no less than eight weeks before the program occurs.
- The proposed project must initiate, expand, and/or diversify the applicant's arts programming through the use of quality arts presentations and other related activities.
The amount an applicant can request is based on the following formula: 30% is the base-percentage for all Artstour requests. Applicants may request up to a maximum of 50% of the contracted fee of the Roster artist or exhibit package. The minimum request per engagement is $100. The maximum request per engagement is $30,000. All requests should be rounded down to the nearest zero or five.
Following are conditions that can increase the percentage requested:
MILEAGE - add 5%
If the Roster artist’s, company’s, ensemble’s, or exhibit
package’s home-base is at least 100 miles from the presenting venue. (Mileage
is measured in a straight line from point to point, not actual road mileage
traveled.)
BLOCK BOOKING - add 5%
Booking with at least one other Illinois presenter while the artist is on tour
- not applicable to exhibit packages. (A tour is defined as a series of performances
on the road, away from the artist’s, company’s, or ensemble’s
home base, necessitating overnight accommodations.)
FIRST TIME APPLICANT/FIRST TIME PRESENTING ARTIST - add
5%
If the applicant is applying to the Artstour Program for the first time, or
if it is the first time the applicant has presented the roster artist, company,
ensemble, or exhibit package through the Artstour Program.
RESIDENCY ACTIVITIES - add 5%
If the roster artist, company, or ensemble is contracted for between
five and ten hours of residency activities in addition to the scheduled performance(s)/exhibit
(Residency activities are hands-on community and/or educational programs such
as workshops, master classes, lectures, demonstrations, etc.)
making your program accessible
One of the conditions an organization agrees to in accepting a grant from the IAC is to make every attempt to ensure that the program is accessible to persons with disabilities. According to state and federal law, every organization receiving public funding must ensure that it is in a position to provide accommodations when persons with disabilities make requests for services. Accessibility involves both location (the facility) and the content (the activity or product) of the program. Thinking about accessibility issues, e.g., sign-language interpreters, cassette recordings of printed materials, audio description describers or large-print labeling in the early planning stages of a project, is the key to ensuring that persons with disabilities will be able to participate in the program.
This program has an open deadline. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received and must be received no less than eight weeks before the project start date as identified on the first page of the application. All projects must be completed no later than August 31. Applications received less than eight weeks before the project start date may be ruled ineligible.
- Read the Artstour guidelines and application carefully and contact IAC staff if questions arise. It is the responsibility of the applicant (presenter) to be familiar with the Artstour guidelines, application and the Illinois Arts Council policies.
- Select a performer(s)/exhibit package from the Artstour Roster. NOTE: Applicants may not request funds for the same artist, company, group, or exhibit package for more than two consecutive years.
- Contact the artist, company, ensemble or exhibit representative listed in the roster to discuss availability, tour plans, dates, fees, other services, etc.
- Negotiate a contract including date(s) of performance(s)/exhibit/ screening(s), fees, technical details, etc. Applicants may request funding for multiple performances by the artist(s) selected. Performances must take place within a reasonable time frame and adhere to IAC’s policies and priorities and the Artstour Program guidelines.
- Submit the complete application with all required materials.
Assembly of Application materials
All of the following materials must be submitted together at the time of applying for an application to be considered eligible:
- Original signed Artstour Presenter Application and one copy (a total of two copies).
- One copy of the signed contract between the presenter and the performer(s)/exhibit developer.
- One copy of proof of not-for-profit status. ( What is accepted as proof of not-for-profit status?)
- Two copies of a list of additional presenters for block booking - if applicable.
- Two copies of a schedule of residency activities - if applicable.
All materials listed above must be submitted together at the time of applying in order for the application to be considered an eligible application.
Applications must be postmarked by the deadline. Hand delivered applications must be received by 5pm. If the deadline occurs on a weekend or legal holiday, the next weekday automatically becomes the deadline date. Applications may be mailed or hand-delivered to the following address:
Illinois Arts Council
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph, Suite 10-500
Chicago, IL 60601-3298
NOTE: Applicants hand-delivering their applications must visit the building’s SERVICE CENTER on the ground floor to have their application package scanned prior to delivering it to the IAC offices on the 10th floor. In addition, applicants must bring photo identification, such as a driver’s license, to gain access to the IAC offices.
Grant notification And Requirements
Notification of funding will be sent six to eight weeks after the IAC’s receipt of application. If funded, this notification will include grant agreement and cash request forms, which must be completed and returned. Once the appropriate documents are returned to the IAC, it will take about ten to twelve weeks to process the documents. Grant monies will be paid no sooner than 45 days before the starting date of the program. Funds are sent directly from the State Comptroller to the applicant who is responsible for paying the artist.
Organizations that receive an IAC grant will be required, as part of their grant agreement, to notify by letter their state representative, senator, and the Office of the Governor as to the grant amount and the project it helps support. Copies of these three letters must be submitted to the IAC with the signed grant agreement, cash request, and any other required documents before grant funds will be released. Names of the individuals to be addressed can be obtained from your County Board of Elections or the State Board of Elections website at www.elections.state.il.us .
Final report forms will be mailed to grantee prior to the
project's ending date and are due within 30 days after the completion of the
program. Failure to submit a final report jeopardizes the receipt of future
IAC funding.
Grant recipients must credit the Illinois Arts Council in all promotional material
and public notices in the following manner: This program is partially
supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
(Credit is not required until the applicant receives award notification.)
Any grant funds that are determined to have been misspent or which are being improperly held are subject to recovery according to the terms of the Grants Funds Recovery Act of 1984, as amended. Project expenditures are deemed to consist of grant funds in the same proportions as defined by the matching requirement for the project grant.
An interactive PDF (Portable Document Format) file is availble for download. In order to open this file, Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed on your computer. It is free and easy to download from www.adobe.com
Download Artstour Presenter Application - PDF format
Artists and Community Services Office
312/814-2815
communityarts@arts.state.il.us