Illinois Arts Council
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The Illinois Arts Jobs Preservation Grants Program (IAJP) is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5 (Recovery Act). The Recovery Act recognizes that the nonprofit arts industry is an important sector of the economy. It also recognizes that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is uniquely positioned to fund arts projects and activities that preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector that are threatened by declines in philanthropic giving and other support during the current economic downturn. As part of this important investment, the NEA has designed a plan to expedite distribution of critical funds for the national, regional, state, and local levels for projects that focus on the preservation of jobs in the arts. As a partner of the NEA, the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) has an important role in advancing the goals of this program.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. It is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act is an extraordinary response to a crisis unlike any since the Great Depression, and includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need. For further information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, visit www.recovery.gov.
The NEA website offers a Recovery page at www.arts.gov/recovery with updates on Recovery grants, agency reports, and other information.
The Illinois Recovery website was created to share information about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, (ARRA) as it relates to Illinois.
The IAC has designed the Illinois Arts Jobs Preservation (IAJP) Grants Program to mirror the NEA’s ARRA grant program and to respond to the particular needs of the Illinois arts and cultural community. This one-time funding opportunity is available for eligible not-for-profit arts and community organizations, units of government, colleges, and universities presenting quality arts programming that can help advance the goals of ARRA, the NEA, the IAC, Arts Midwest* and the IAJP Grants program. Through this program, the IAC seeks to invest in those positions in the not-for-profit arts sector that make a meaningful difference in an organization’s ability to serve its community. (See "Applicant Eligibility” for further information)
The IAJP Grant Program will provide support to eligible organizations for the following purposes:
*Arts Midwest will be distributing a portion of its ARRA funding to Illinois organizations utilizing the Illinois Arts Council’s IAJP grant guidelines and application process.
Applications for the Illinois Arts Jobs Preservation Grant Program must be postmarked no later than Monday, June 15, 2009. Hand-delivered applications must be received in the IAC office no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Monday, June 15, 2009.
Applicant organizations must:
NOTE: Any IAJP Grant Program applicant not recommended for FY2010 Program Grant or Partners-in-Excellence funding, will be deemed ineligible.
NOTE: Application to the IAJP program does not disqualify an organization from applying to other NEA, IAC, or Arts Midwest grant programs. In each case, the request must be for a distinctly different project.
Colleges and universities are:
Applicants may request
IAJP grants are non-matching and will be awarded for the amount requested.
Funds must be spent between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010. Funds will not be renewed or extended.
Funds are restricted to only one of the following:
*Funding is to provide fee support for artists and/or contractual personnel already involved in activities that:
The intention is not to support the engagement of personnel for new projects.
Preparing an application
NOTE: All required application materials must be submitted together in order for the application to be considered an eligible application.
(Cover Sheet, Key Statistics, Project Information, and Budget Form)
complete form on page 1.
complete table on page 2, providing key statistics on the following:
The narrative may not exceed three pages and must be prepared on a computer or typed, use a minimum 12 point type and have at least one inch margins.
Respond to the following narrative sections A. Introduction and Request Overview and B. Funding Justification. Begin each response using the section title as a heading. Be sure to complete information on each item in the order below. (College and University applicants responses should relate to the arts program for which you are seeking support.)
Organization Description should include:
Applications must be mailed or hand-delivered by the deadline to the following address:
Illinois Arts Council
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph St., Suite 10-500
Chicago, IL 60601-3230
Please note the security measures for the James R. Thompson Center: All visitors to state government offices including the Illinois Arts Council in the James R. Thompson Center (JRTC) will be required to submit to a security screening before being allowed access to the elevators. Visitors will be required to show a valid government-issued picture I.D. and pass through metal detectors. In addition, all bags and items carried by visitors will be searched by the Illinois State Police Protective Service Unit (PSU).
IAC offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
*For the purposes of this grant program, the term "project" is used to denote the staff position(s) for which salary support is requested, or if applying for fees, the project/program for which the artist(s) or contractual personnel is contracted, such as a festival, theatre production, artist residency, strategic planning process, website design, etc.
In addition to the review criteria listed above, the IAC will also take the following factors into account in evaluating proposals:
A preliminary review of applications will be conducted by staff and will focus on eligibility of the applicant, completeness of application package, and compliance with grant requirements. Applications which do not meet all eligibility requirements or are incomplete will be ruled ineligible and will not be reviewed.
The IAC Council Chairman will appoint volunteer panelists from throughout Illinois to review and evaluate eligible applications. The review panelists will make funding recommendations that will be presented to the full Council for their review and final decision.
*Depending on the number of applications received, the IAC may convene multiple panels to review applications.
The Illinois Arts Council will convene in late August to review and act on the IAJP funding recommendations. Applicants will be notified of the decision following the Council meeting.
Funded applicants will receive grant paperwork by mail. This paperwork will need to be completed and sent back to the IAC for processing.
Grant funds will be released in one payment once all the required grant paperwork has been received.
Please note grantees will have substantial reporting obligations, including quarterly reports on each position funded with IAJP monies. When applying, consider that there will be significant reporting for each funded position, or partial position.
Grantee organizations will be required to:
Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council or Arts Midwest (as applicable) in their programs and related promotional material including publications and Web sites. Specific requirements for acknowledgment of this initiative will be provided to all grantees when funds are released.
Frequently Asked questions
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)) recognizes that the nonprofit arts industry is an important sector of the economy. The NEA is uniquely positioned to fund arts projects and activities that preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn. As part of this important investment, the NEA has developed a plan to expedite distribution of critical funds at the national, regional, state (state arts agencies), and local levels for projects that focus on the preservation of jobs in the arts.
The program is funded with ARRA funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. The funds were awarded to the IAC and Arts Midwest by formula, based on a total distribution of $20 million to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations. The Illinois Arts Council will be awarding approximately $335,000 through the Illinois Arts Jobs Preservation Grant Program (IAJP). Arts Midwest will be distributing an additional $90,000 to Illinois organizations utilizing the IAJP guidelines and application process.
This criterion is the result of guidance provided by the Office of Management and Budget to the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Illinois Arts Council’s best effort to be equitable and fair. The Office of Management and Budget directed the NEA and their sub-grantees, such as the IAC, to work to mitigate risk by taking actions such as obligating funds to existing award recipients with the demonstrated ability to deliver the results and accountability objectives in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The IAC decided that grantees drawn from the Program Grant and Partners-in-Excellence Programs would serve a similar purpose. Because it was important that eligible applicants have a history of support and have been vetted through a rigorous panel review by experts in the field and approved by the Illinois Arts Council, the IAC further defined the eligible applicants to those organizations which have received funding through the Program Grant or Partners-in-Excellence Program in at least two of the last four fiscal years (FY06-FY09).and have had a total arts programming budget of over $50,000 in actual cash expenses for at least two of the last four fiscal years. Targeting these grantees allows the IAC to reach out to all arts disciplines and fields, organizational sizes and wide geographic areas. These grantees have demonstrated that they use public funds resourcefully and responsibly. Additionally, the applicants in this pool are well-prepared to meet the demands of the ARRA reporting requirements allowing a national evaluation of the program.
Provides for a diverse pool of approximately 600 recently adjudicated organizations - with budgets that range from $50,000 to over $100 million, far more than the IAC can support given the available funding.
Represents all arts disciplines organizational sizes, and diverse populations and a wide geographic reach.
Provides a rational and manageable pool of potential applicants and enables the IAC to implement ARRA funds quickly and efficiently as mandated by the NEA.
While your organization may only collect one award from the $50 million earmarked for art jobs, your organization may be eligible for other “non-arts” stimulus dollars administered by other sources. These additional stimulus funding opportunities can be found on the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies website at http://www.nasaa-arts.org/nasaanews/stimulus-opportunities.shtml.
While the overall Recovery Act speaks to both job creation and job preservation, the part of the Act specific to the NEA states that funds are to be distributed in direct grants "which preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn."
Yes, you can apply for up to two artistic or administrative staff position or fees relating to previously engaged artist/contractor or groups of previously engaged artists/contractors working on the same project. College and University applicants are limited to applying for artist/contractual fees.
Yes, you may apply to the IAC if you have also applied to NEA.
No, you may accept only one ARRA-funded grant. If you are awarded a grant from the NEA, the IAC must be notified by July 15, 2009 as to whether your organization will accept or decline the NEA grant.
Yes, the application should be for the same position. You may, however, receive ARRA funding from only one source.
Yes. If you receive an IAJP grant you will be required to submit a letter stating that no other IAC or NEA grant funds will be used to support the salary or fees funded through the IAJP grant. There can be no commingling of funds and grantees are required to maintain records that track these separate costs. If these positions are already included in your FY10 Program Grant or Partners-in Excellence application, you will be required to submit a separate budget breakout showing those expenses before IAJP funds are released.
The National Endowment for the Arts stipulates that salaries, wages, fringe benefits, and fees that are incurred in connection with fund raising are not allowable project expenses -- for this program or any other federal grant program.
Each application will be considered in connection with the review criteria detailed in the IAJP guidelines. Applications that are recommended for funding will be awarded the amount requested. Your organization should present a compelling argument for your proposed project and demonstrate how it results in making the arts widely available. The IAJP Grant funding is limited and not sufficient to support all worthwhile projects.
No. The position must be critical to your organization's mission and core work, and it must be in jeopardy because of the current economic situation. While there is no limit on the salary or fees your organization pays, salary requests to this program may be either $10,000 or $20,000 and fee requests for artists or contractual personnel may be either $5,000 or $10,000. IAC funds may be used for full or partial support. The IAJP grants are non-matching. If, however, the IAC provides only partial support for a salary, your organization must cover the balance from other sources, as appropriate.
Yes. Funds under this Act are intended to preserve jobs. We realize that an organization may have a critical position that is currently unfilled due to numerous reasons including but not limited to finances.
Yes, but one of the questions on the application asks about plans for sustaining the position(s). If the organization has no plans to continue the position(s), even when the economy improves, other applications are likely to be a higher priority for funding.
Artists/contractual personnel is broadly defined as an individual or identified group of individuals under contract by the organization to perform duties that are critical to carrying out the core work of an arts organization or arts program. Examples of artistic/contractual personnel include: guest conductor, guest soloist, dance ensemble, lighting technician, set designer, carpenter, teaching artist, curriculum designer, strategic planning consultant, program evaluator, web designer, etc.
The intention here is not to support the engagement of personnel for new projects. Rather, funding is intended to provide fee support for artists and/or contractual personnel already involved in activities that: 1) are underway, but threatened; 2) could benefit by being extended beyond the period that present finances allow; or 3) have received serious planning, but have been put on hold or have been cancelled due to economics (in which case contracts would not yet have been signed).
Each application will be considered in connection with the review criteria of artistic excellence and artistic merit as detailed in the guidelines. You should present a compelling argument for your proposed project in the context of your own organization. Be realistic in your request. The IAJP Grant funds are limited and will not be able to support all worthwhile projects.
No. Congress has prohibited making direct grants to individuals with funds from the ARRA legislation. The Illinois Arts Council recognizes and offers support to the many extraordinary artists in the state through a variety of direct funding programs including the Artists Fellowship Program, the Special Assistance Program, and the Governor’s International Arts Exchange Program. For more information on these and other IAC programs, visit the IAC website – www.state.il.us/agency/iac . At the NEA, Individuals are supported through the Literature Fellowships, NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, NEA National Heritage Fellowships in the Folk & Traditional Arts, and National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors. For more info on NEA programs, go to http://www.arts.gov.
The remainder of the grant must be returned to the IAC or Arts Midwest.
Yes, all organizations receiving ARRA dollars will be required to complete extensive quarterly or monthly reporting requirements as determined by the Federal Office of Management & Budget. The reporting requirements have not yet been fully defined. Quarterly reports will contain specific data about the jobs preserved. Grantees are strongly advised to maintain financial records, supporting documents (such as cancelled checks, contracts and personnel activity reports) and all other records pertinent to this grant award. The Obama Administration has assured the American people that all ARRA funds will be administered with a new and higher level of bureaucratic transparency. The arts funding component will be held to the same transparency standards as other ARRA funds and the reporting, once defined, will follow the reporting guidelines for other stimulus grants. Comprehensive information about ARRA can be found at http://www.recovery.gov/. All arts stimulus funders will determine their own reporting requirements while complying with federal ARRA reporting requirements.
All applicants to the IAJP will be required to obtain a DUNS number and register with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR).
The DUNS number is a unique nine-digit sequence, provided by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), which is recognized as the universal standard for identifying and keeping track of over 100 million businesses worldwide and is required for any organization receiving federal funds.
Your organization can obtain a DUNS Number through the Web or by phone.
The process is free for all businesses required to register with the federal government for grants. You will receive your number within one to five business days.
You will need to provide the following information:
Organizations that do not have a DUNS # may apply for funding, but must complete the DUNS and CCR registration process by July 15, 2009. Applicants not in compliance after July 15 will be ruled ineligible.
In order to apply for federal funds, applicants must register with Central Contractor Registration (CCR). CCR is the primary registrant database for the U.S. Federal Government. CCR collects, validates, stores and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions. Once you have received your DUNS number you can register with CCR by going to the CCR website – www.ccr.gov . The website has a comprehensive FAQ page as well as step by step instructions for creating an User Account.
If, after reading the IAJP guidelines and FAQs you have additional questions, contact the IAC program staff based on the discipline area of your FY10 Program Grant or Partners-in-Excellence application.