Building Demand for the Arts Grants - Exploration Grant

All applicant organizations must meet the following criteria:

- Be a publicly supported, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (e.g., dance companies, theaters, presenting organizations, and select service organizations).

- Employ, contract, and/or serve professional artists and administrators.

- Have a minimum of 3 years existence as a professional producing, presenting, or service entity.

- Provide appropriate compensation to artists.

- Demonstrate the capacity to host an artist(s) on site, to provide substantial support services to artists and to sustain pilot program efforts after the grant period has ended.

- Present, produce and/or provide services to jazz, theater, and/or contemporary dance artists (i.e. be either presenting organizations, producing organizations and/or service organizations) as demonstrated through programming, services and/or activities in each of the last three years and the current year, totaling at least $300,000 of related expenses in each of those years.

Organizations with annual expenses related to professional jazz, contemporary dance, and/or theater of less than $300,000 in any of the prior three completed and audited fiscal years and current year are not eligible to apply.

Organizations may apply for Exploration or for Implementation Grants, but may not apply for both programs in the same year. Similarly, artists may be part of only one application in total and may not be part of both an Exploration application and an Implementation application. Any organization submitting more than one application or any artist identified in more than one application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration and the application(s) rejected.

Artist Eligibility Requirements:

Both United States-based and international artists are eligible for consideration: however, proof that a non-USA artist has received all necessary approvals for visas or work permits, where applicable, will be required before any grant funds will be disbursed.

All applicant artists must have worked a minimum of three years as a professional artist, and may but are not required to come from the jazz, contemporary dance, and/or theater field.

The program will certainly support artists at an organization of the same discipline, but recognizing the benefit of new perspectives, will also support partnerships between organizations and artists not of the same discipline, e.g. a film artist at a jazz organization or a dance artist at a theater, etc. In all cases, however, the purpose of the grant is to build demand for jazz, dance, or theater, even if the artist comes from another field.

Projects may also pair an organization with multiple artists or ensembles, although the issue of significant compensation for each artist will be a strong review consideration. Organizations engaging ensembles or multiple artists will likely need to provide funds above and beyond the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation grant. In addition, careful attention will be given to the amount of time each specific artist spends at the host organization.

Grant funds will be apportioned in the following way:

1. Artist Support. At least half of the grant amount must be designated for compensation, benefits and per diem costs for the participating artist(s). Organizations may choose to allocate even more than half of the grant to artist support.

2. Organization Support. Up to half of the grant amount is available to support the costs of the demand-building project and specific costs associated with the artist’s work at the host organization. Eligible organization costs include:
- Additional consultants/ retreats to help create new programs
- Market research
- Marketing and project costs incurred
- Costs related to production/expansion of technology but only when it can be viewed as directly connected to and primarily targeted for this project and its outgrowth
- Administrative overhead not to exceed 12% of the total grant award

Funds may not be used for:
- Production royalties.
- Rehearsals, productions or running costs from productions or projects that are part of the usual season of activities.
- Salaries of personnel already on staff or for paid positions already in existence (except as coming under the administrative overhead allowance of 12% or less).

An educational webinar for Exploration Grant applicants will be offered at 1:00 PM EDT on May 5, 2015.

All organizations wishing to apply must submit an Intent to Apply Form before submitting a full proposal. The deadline to submit the Intent to Apply form is Friday, April 24, 2015 at 3:00 PM EDT, and the form must be submitted online.

On April 27, 2015, a link to the online Full Proposal form will be sent to all organizations that have submitted the Intent to Apply form.

These forms will be made available only to those who submitted the Intent to Apply form. If your organization files an Intent to Apply form but does not receive a link to the online application, please contact the Arts Program staff immediately.

Full Proposals for Exploration Grants are due no later than 3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time on May 29, 2015 (Friday). Applicants must submit all materials electronically (unless otherwise noted on the application form). Online forms include clear instructions about space, formatting, etc., which must be followed. Hard copy and fax applications will not be accepted.

Please use the following instructions and links for submitting your Intent to Apply form online:
-Tutorial of Online Submission Process: http://www.ddcf.org/PageFiles/248/IGAM%20Tutorial%20-%20Arts.pdf.
-Start a New Exploration Grant Intent to Apply Form: https://www.grantrequest.com/SID_1149?SA=SNA&FID=35140.
-Return to a Pending Intent to Apply Form: https://www.grantrequest.com/SID_1149/?SA=AM.

Please Note the Following:
- Both Exploration and Implemenation grants will be offered in 2015, but organizations may only apply for one of the grant types.
- Not all Exploration grantees will be awarded Implementation grants; additionally, receipt of an Exploration grant will not be a prerequisite for applying for an Implementation grant.