Just the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
For additional important information, please see Iowa Arts Council Policies.
Grant Making Processes
- How does Iowa Arts Council funding work?
- How many grants can I or my organization get?
- Is my organization eligible for Iowa Arts Council funding?
- My organization is located just across the border from Iowa, and serves lots of Iowans. Can we apply for IAC funding?
- What is eGrant and when would I use it?
- Is there still Big Yellow School Bus or EZ 1-2-3 funding available?
- When will I know if my project is funded?
- When should grant recipients expect to receive their checks?
- Can we request an extension of our grant?
- Why are we required to contact our elected officials to let them know we’ve received IAC funding?
Application Basics
- Should I/we be applying as an organization, or as an individual?
- I’m not sure which grant program fits our project. Which one do I apply to?
- What is the DUNS number?
- How do I find out if my organization is an Iowa not-for-profit and is federally tax-exempt?
- What is a fiscal agent and how do I know if I should use one?
- What do we mean when we say “underserved/unserved?”
- Do I need to include support materials and work samples with my grant application?
- How do I find out about a particular artist on an Iowa Arts Council roster?
Budgets and Eligible Expenses
- Are there required percentages for cash and in-kind matches?
- Do IAC Mini and Major Grants fund staff salaries?
- Can grant expenses or match expenses be incurred before the official funding period?
- Will the Iowa Arts Council fund operational support through Major and Mini Grants?
- What does the IAC consider to be a fundraiser?
- What if we “pass the hat” for a cause during our event?
- Can money received through a fundraiser be used as match for IAC funded projects?
Grant Making Processes
How does Iowa Arts Council funding work?
The Iowa Arts Council distributes funds across Iowa in the form of grants. Most grant programs use a panel process to review and recommend a grant application for funding (exceptions are Big Yellow School Bus and EZ 1-2-3 programs, which are first-come, first-funded).
For all grants:
- Applicant must submit a complete application, according to guidelines specific to the funding program.
- Applicant must meet eligibility requirements specified in the program guidelines.
- Applications are reviewed according to the criteria and timeline specified for the funding program.
- Grant recipients are legally bound to meet the obligations specified in the Iowa Arts Council Service Contract, which is signed and submitted with the application.
How many grants can I or my organization get?
Both individual artists and organizations may RECEIVE up to 2 grants in a fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). You may APPLY for as many grants as you like. Exceptions to this restriction are: Big Yellow School Bus, EZ 1-2-3 Grants, and Partnership Grants as well as the Department of Cultural Affairs' Iowa Community Cultural Grant and State Historical Society of Iowa grants. Recipients of Cultural Leadership Partnership funding may receive one Major Grant per year.
Is my organization eligible for Iowa Arts Council funding?
Eligible organizations are Iowa nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations; schools; area education agencies; local, county, state and federal governmental agencies; and tribal councils. All 501(c) statuses acceptable except for organizations with 501(c)6 status. Organizations with 501(c)6 status are NOT permitted to use fiscal agents w/appropriate federal tax-exempt status to avoid this qualification. Check the eligibility requirements listed for each grant program. Do make sure to list your Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN) in the appropriate place on the application
My organization is located just across the border from Iowa, and serves lots of Iowans. Can we apply for IAC funding?
From IAC Official Policies: Applicants located in states bordering Iowa are eligible for project support if the project clearly demonstrates that a majority of the individuals/participants involved in the project are Iowans. Additionally, the applicant must be located in a bordering community immediately adjacent to Iowa. Nonprofit organization applicants in border states must still comply with other IAC rules for eligible organizations, including being incorporated under the Iowa nonprofit corporation Act and being federally tax-exempt.
What is eGRANT and when would I use it?
eGRANT is an online grant submission tool. The IAC requires applications to its Major grant rounds be submitted using eGRANT. To use eGRANT, click on the eGRANT logo on the left side of the Iowa Arts Council’s website, just under the menu of links. You will be required to register a new account before creating an application. Please note that supplemental materials need to be submitted by mail or in person to the IAC offices in addition to the eGRANT submission. For more information on eGRANT including a tutorial and sample application, see eGRANT Information.
Is there still Big Yellow School Bus or EZ 1-2-3 funding available?
This funding is first-come, first-served. Please check the Big Yellow School Bus page and EZ 1-2-3 pages for current information. A notice is posted immediately on these pages if funding is no longer available.
When will I know if my project is funded?
For Major Grants, 4-6 weeks after the deadline. For Mini Grants, 3 weeks after the deadline. More information is available in each grant program's guidelines.
When should grant recipients expect to receive their checks?
If you receive a grant, you can expect to receive the check on or about the beginning date of the grant activity (as specified in your application, and included in the Grant Notification Letter).
Exceptions:
- Applicant information necessary for issuing a check is not consistent with information in the Department of Revenue and Finance's database.
- For activities that begin during the first two months of the IAC's fiscal year (July and August), checks are often delayed 4-8 weeks. Please plan accordingly.
- Mini Grants: For activities that begin within 4-8 weeks after the date of the application deadline, checks often arrive after the beginning date. This is due to the time it takes the state to process the check. Please plan accordingly.
Can we request an extension of our grant?
From IAC Official Policies: Grant extensions may only occur within the fiscal year of the original grant; the IAC will not extend any grants beyond June 30 of the applicable fiscal year. Extensions to a contracted grant period must be requested in advance, in writing or via email from the IAC Grants Office. Requests will be approved at the discretion of staff.
Why are we required to contact our elected officials to let them know we’ve received IAC funding?
The Legislature authorizes the Iowa Arts Council budget. Your representatives need to know how tax dollars are spent and that these dollars are being spent in their districts.
Application Basics
Should I/we be applying as an organization, or as an individual?
Whose project is it? If it’s a project managed by and benefiting an organization, then that organization should apply. If you are an individual artist, and you initiated and will manage the project, you should apply as an individual.
To locate funding programs for individuals and organizations:
- If you think you should apply as an individual artist, click on “Funding” and then on “Grants for Individuals” on the left-hand menu.
- If you think you should apply as an organization, click on “Funding” and then on “Grants for Organizations” or “Grants for PreK-12 Schools” on the left-hand menu.
I’m not sure which grant program fits our project. Which one do I apply to?
What’s the focus of your project or activity? Does it have to do with education in the arts, either for school children or community members? Is it about bringing a traditional art form to new audiences? Is it about creating a new public art work, or planning an arts festival in your community? Look carefully through the programs listed in the Funding Overview page to find the program that fits best. Remember that the IAC only funds arts-related projects and activities.
What is the DUNS number?
Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) provides a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) Number, a unique nine digit identification number, for each physical location of your business. The DUNS number is used in credit ratings and tracking the volume and types of businesses in any given location. There is no cost involved for assignment of a basic DUNS Number. We are unaware of this number being used by the IRS for any purpose, including tracking activity or monies. However, the National Endowment for the Arts is now requiring that all organizations receiving federal funds indicate a DUNS Number, and the Iowa Arts Council is requiring this of organizational grant applicants as well.
The number is used to track trends such as how many arts workers and arts organizations exist in Iowa. Click here to find out if your organization already has a DUNS Number, and to apply for one if not. Click here to request your DUNS Number by phone.
Note: It can take up to 30 days to receive your DUNS Number. If you need to submit your IAC grant application sooner, leave the field blank for now. Once you receive your DUNS Number, please call the Iowa Arts Council and ask that this number be added to your application. (Be sure to refer to the exact applicant name as listed on your grant application, and indicate to which grant program you applied).
How do I find out if my organization is an Iowa not-for-profit and is federally tax-exempt?
Follow the instructions on the following web sites. The Iowa Secretary of State’s site will show if your organization is a registered nonprofit in the state of Iowa, and the IRS and Guidestar sites will show if your organization is federally tax-exempt.
Iowa Secretary of State Web site
What is a fiscal agent and how do I know if I should use one?
From IAC Official Policies: If your nonprofit organization does not have federal tax exempt status, you may apply through an eligible nonprofit and federal tax-exempt organization, which agrees to be the legal Applicant/Fiscal Agent for the grant activity. The eligible organization becomes the legal applicant of record, redistributes the funds to the intended receiver and is responsible for all requirements of the granting program. This includes contracts, fiscal records and final reports. Both the Fiscal Agent and the Nonprofit Organization must sign the application.
The Iowa Arts Council recommends that the fiscal agent enter into a formal agreement with the group implementing the project, outlining the working relationship between the two parties.
Individuals should not apply for IAC grants using fiscal agents. Please contact IAC staff with any questions about this policy.
For more information about fiscal agents/fiscal sponsors, see the Foundation Center’s description.
What do we mean when we say “underserved/unserved”?
For the IAC, this term is used in either of two ways:
1) particular people who are underserved in the arts, or
2) particular art forms that are underserved in Iowa.
In its reporting to the National Endowment for the Arts, the IAC has identified the following to be generally underserved in Iowa:
Underserved in the arts:
Small towns/rural areas (“small towns” are generally communities with populations under 8,000)
New Iowans, especially immigrant groups
People with disabilities
Underserved art forms:
Dance
Media Arts (i.e., computer graphics, digital animation, digital art, film & video, etc.)
Folk and Traditional Arts
Do I need to include support materials and work samples with my grant application?
All Mini and Major grant applications using artists or arts groups must include work samples. Your application is scored in part on artistic quality, which cannot be determined without examples of your art or project. Unless you are a rostered artist or you are using rostered artists, do not assume that panelists have any prior knowledge of the scope and quality of your art form or your project. Work samples and support materials provide this information, so please make sure that they are of good quality, relevant to your project, and labeled appropriately. Note that support materials will not be returned.
How do I find out about a particular artist on an Iowa Arts Council roster?
The "Publications and Resources" section of this Web site contains links to the online rosters.
Budgets and Eligible Expenses
Are there required percentages for cash and in-kind matches?
No, the IAC leaves that up to the applicant, but both kinds of match are important. In-kind lets the panelists and Iowa Arts Council board know that you have community support for your project. Cash lets them know that you have other resources for your project besides IAC funding and donated services.
Do IAC Mini and Major Grants fund staff salaries?
No, but you may use the percentage of time your staff/you spend on the grant activity as a cash match. For artists, this time may be valued at $25/hour, unless you have evidence that your time has been valued at a higher level. You may also want to review the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs' Iowa Community Cultural Grant program. Its primary purpose is to fund salary support for cultural organizations.
Can grant expenses or match expenses be incurred before the official funding period?
All expenses must be incurred and paid during the funding period. In other words, none of the expenses for which funds are requested nor any cash or in-kind match may be incurred or spent prior to (or after) the grant’s official funding period. Example: If you are applying for a Mini Grant that is due October 1, then no expenditures being claimed for the project – whether paid by grant funds or cash and/or in-kind match – may be incurred prior to November 1, or after the following June 30.
Will the Iowa Arts Council fund operational support through Major and Mini Grants?
No, operational support funding is available only through the Cultural Leadership Partnership Program for organizations with annual budgets above $150,000.
IAC Major and Mini Grants support arts projects, not operating costs. What’s the difference?
Arts projects have a beginning, middle, and end. Expenses for projects are used up during the course of the project, whether they are payments to artists, or costs for marketing, supplies, etc.
Operating costs are the expenses needed for normal operation of a nonprofit organization. These generally include employee salaries, utility costs, office/space rental and leasing, building maintenance, equipment and supplies required for ongoing activities, etc.
What does the IAC consider to be a fundraiser?
IAC grants cannot support fundraisers/fundraising events. A fundraiser is a project that has the primary purpose of raising funds for a project or an organization. These projects might include arts performances or exhibitions, but their primary goal is to raise funds, rather than to provide artistic excellence or service to Iowans through the arts.
Your project is probably a fundraiser if:
- The ticket price is far greater than the benefit received or greater than the fair market value for the benefit received.
- Funds raised by the event or products go to a third party. (i.e. benefit concerts)
- Primary goal of the project is to raise money.
Events that charge for admission or have items available for sale are not automatically considered fundraisers. It is also expected that artists will make their work available for sale, whether through CDs and DVDs or live performance/exhibition. If reviewers understand the primary focus of the activity to be the arts experience itself, the IAC will generally not consider it a fundraiser.
What if we “pass the hat” for a cause during our event?
As long as the primary focus of the event is the arts experience being offered, and participants of your event are not required to donate to the cause, an activity that includes a “pass the hat” opportunity would generally be fundable.
Can money received through a fundraiser be used as match for IAC funded projects?
Yes, it is legitimate for matching funds to be obtained through all types of fundraising, including grants, fundraising events, individual gifts, etc. The money from a fundraiser would be considered applicant cash match, and should be noted as such in the application budget.
However, if attendance at the fundraiser is required order to also participate in the activity for which grant funds are being sought, the project would not be eligible because access to the grant project is limited by participation in the fundraiser.
