Regional Initiative Grant Program - Region 7 Arts Organization Support I (AOS I)

This program is open to:
- Current (FY21) grantees of the AOS I and II program, and
- New applicants to the AOS I program

Applicant must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:

1. Be an organization whose primary purpose is arts producing, promoting, presenting service or teaching organization as demonstrated by:
a. Significant evidence that it is viewed as an arts organization by its community;
b. Arts as core purpose, mission, and focus. The organization’s Articles of Incorporation and/or Bylaws must reflect this core purpose;
c. The majority of public programs are arts programs and occur with regular, scheduled frequency throughout the (non-pandemic) year;
d. Facility space (indoor and/or outdoor) is utilized predominantly as arts production or arts activity space (as applicable);
e. A proportionate amount of operating budget is allocated to direct arts programs and services;
f. Provide significant, verifiable arts education-focused programming.
2. Be an active private, nonprofit tax-exempt organization with either 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) OR be an Indiana public entity (part of city or county);
3. Organizations whose primary purpose is educational or instructional e.g., schools, universities, colleges, etc. are ineligible;
4. Any organization whose sole or primary purpose is to fundraise (e.g., “friends of” groups, foundations, etc.) is ineligible;
5. Entities that receive state-level operating support or non-project support directly from the Indiana General Assembly are ineligible. This includes any line items/support or contributions from the state within the organization’s operating, facility, or other budgets or the organization being part of a larger state.
6. Must be physically located in Indiana, have an address in the region to which the organization is applying, with the majority of its arts programming, services, or activities taking place in Indiana, and must primarily serve and engage Indiana audiences and participants;
7. Before applying to the Arts Organization Support, Level I grant program for the first time:
a. must have at least three consecutive years of 501c3 operating history (including documented financial history for past three fiscal years) as an Indiana-based arts organization; and,
b. be formally approved to apply by the IAC through the Letter of Intent (LOI) process.
8. Must have a governing body that is representative of the organization’s service area;
9. Must annually implement program planning and evaluation processes with input from the community to be served;
10. Must have an annual cash operating income of $50,000 or more over a two-year average, as
supported by the most recent Financial Statements prior to March 1, 2020;

For information about ineligible expenses, see:
https://www.in.gov/arts/files/IAC_FY22-AOS-Guidelines-7.pdf#page=5

Letter of Intent – AOS I Only

Organizations that have not been funded in this program before or were funded prior to FY2016 (July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016), must complete a Letter of Intent (LOI) in the online system by January 19, 2021, 4:30PM EST to be eligible for AOS I funding. Applicants must receive a Notice of Eligibility via email, to apply to this program. New applicants will not be considered for the AOS II program in FY22.

Grant Process Timeline - All times Eastern Standard Time:

- Applications Open January 4, 2021
- Letter of Intent to Apply Due (AOS I Only) January 19, 2021, 4:30 p.m. eastern time
- Eligibility Notifications Sent to LOI Applicants Week of January 27, 2021
- Deadline to request draft application review February 22, 2021
- Application Due March 4, 2021, 4:30 p.m. eastern time
- Award Notification Early July 2021
- First Payment (75%) September - October 2021
- Final Grant Report Due July 13, 2022, 4:30 p.m. eastern time
- Second Payment (25%) July - August 2022

Draft reviews by Regional Arts Partners are only available to first-time applicants and organizations who are not currently receiving funds from the IAC. Reviews are only for general feedback and suggestions around application completeness and clarity and does not guarantee funding. A review may be requested by emailing the Regional Arts Partner at any time the applicant feels their application is complete. Reviews will be done in the order requests are received, and the deadline to request a draft review is February 22, 2021.

All grant recipients must provide a match for every dollar provided by the Indiana Arts Commission with one dollar of the organization’s own funds. The match can include in-kind, but at least 50% of the match must be cash.