Major Grants
Application Deadline: annually
Grant Amount: Up to $10,000
IAC Major Grants support arts projects, not operating costs.
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 activites, etc.
Grant Categories
Major Grants are available in the following five categories. Click on each category name to see program goals and eligible types of projects.
Artist Major Grants
Artist-initiated projects that advance artists' artistic work and career
Arts in Education Major Grants
Education projects that create new programs, new partnerships, and expand and/or enhance existing programs in Iowa schools and communities
Folk & Traditional Arts Major Grants
Projects that promote the living cultural traditions of Iowans.
Organization Major Grants
A wide variety of arts-related projects and programs that engage communities and/or audiences
Public Art Major Grants
High quality public art projects that benefit Iowans
For an overview of review criteria in all categories, see the Criteria Grid.
Grant Amounts
You may request up to $10,000 for a Major Grant, but no more than 50 percent of the total expenses of the project. All requests must show matching cash or in-kind funds. See Matching Requirements below for specific information.
Application Deadlines and Submission Information
Application Deadline: March 26, 2012
The Iowa Arts Council must receive applications in the IAC office no later than 4:30 p.m. the day of the deadline listed above. This is NOT a postmark deadline. If the deadline falls on a state holiday or on a Saturday or Sunday, it will be extended to the next working day.
All Major Grant applications must be submitted in two parts:
online using the eGRANT system and on CD or DVD following the Supplemental Material Guidelines.
Eligibility and Funding Limitations
Individual Applicants: Iowa residents 18 years of age or older. Individuals may apply only in these categories:
- Artists
- Arts in Education
- Folk & Traditional Arts
Organizations: Organizations may apply in all categories EXCEPT Artists.
- Nonprofit organizations incorporated in Iowa that have federal tax-exempt status (see FAQs for more information)
- Schools
- Area education agencies
- Local, county, state and federal governmental agencies
- Tribal councils
Organizations in communities bordering Iowa may be eligible if the project substantially benefits Iowans. Refer to Border State Policy.
Fiscal Agents: 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. Refer to Fiscal Agents Policy.
Project Begin/End Dates:
All project must occur between July 1 and the following June 30, the Iowa Arts Council's fiscal year.
Not Eligible to Apply:
- Students or other individuals requesting support for a project that fulfills an academic course requirement or for which they will receive course credit, a degree, or certification. (Eligible student projects must consist of work performed out of class only.)
- Applicants who have received two Iowa Arts Council project grants within the same fiscal year of this proposed grant activity. This does NOT include Big Yellow School Bus.
- Applicants who have an outstanding late Final Report for a previously funded grant. The Iowa Arts Council's fiscal year is July 1 through June 30 of the following year.
Note: Cultural Leadership Partner organizations are eligible to apply for Major Grants only, not Mini Grants.
The IAC Does Not Fund:
- Projects without a clear and strong arts component
- Expenses that occur prior to or after the project dates
- Fund raisers, benefits, prizes, and projects for which resulting earned income will be donated to a cause or organization
- Lobbying activities
- Deficit and debt reduction
- Projects or activities presented in the context of a religious service or event
- Any activities in which the participant fulfills an academic course requirement or for which they receive course credit, a degree, certification. (Eligible student projects must consist of work performed out of class only.)
- Activities that already receive financial support from other Iowa Arts Council, Department of Cultural Affairs or State Historical Society of Iowa granting programs (unless this is a distinct and successive phase of a multiphase project)
- Projects/exhibitions/events proposed by individual artists that are actually initiated and/or managed by organizations, or for which an organization has invited or selected the artist to participate. Organizations should seek funding for these activities, not individual artists.
- General operating expenses. This includes but is not limited to university overhead costs, ongoing utility or space rental costs, normal ongoing or annual classroom supply costs, annual school expenditures, and most salaries. Exceptions:
- project staff salaries may be used as match for organization applicants (including schools)
- the artist's salary may be part of the request for individual artist applications
Matching Requirements
You must match dollar for dollar the amount requested. For every grant dollar requested, there must be at least one dollar of match identified. Applicant match for the grant may include cash provided by the applicant, sponsors, ticket revenue, etc. and in-kind donations of time, materials and supplies. Reviewers generally regard both kinds of match as important.
All cash and in-kind match must be legitimately part of the proposed project, and must be obligated and expended within the grant period time frame.
Cash match refers to the actual cash provided by the applicant or donors listed in the "cash income" section of the budget. If you also provide items or services, those may also be counted as part of the cash match.
- Organizations may include paid staff time dedicated to the specific project within the funding period as cash match.
In-kind Match refers to donated goods and services that have been contributed to the project. You must calculate the dollar amount of in-kind donations at fair-market value. In-kind match may include such things as:
- Volunteer time dedicated to the project
- Space donated for the project by someone other than the applicant
- Expenses incurred by project participants for which no payment will be made
- Artists may use their time as in-kind match.
NOT allowed as match
- Funds from other Iowa Arts Council, Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, or State Historical Society of Iowa grant programs
- Funds used to match other Iowa Arts Council grants
- Funds used to pay for expenses noted above under The IAC Does Not Fund
Supplemental Materials: Work Samples and Support Materials
All applications must include work samples and support materials in order for reviewers to judge the artistic quality of their work. All supplemental materials must be submitted on a CD or DVD (if they are not online). See the Supplemental Material Guidelines for requirements. Work samples and support material that are determined by staff to exceed the limits and formats stated in the supplemental material guidelines will not be reviewed by the panel.
Each of the 5 grant categories requires specific kinds of supplemental materials. Choose the appropriate category for a list of required materials: Artist, Arts in Education, Organization, Folk and Traditional Art, Public Art.
Review Time Frame and Grantee Requirements
Major Grants are reviewed by peer-group panels of in-state individuals knowledgeable in each category. Applications are sent to the panel for review and a panel review meeting occurs 4 weeks after the deadline.
The panel scores each application on the degree to which it meets the specific review criteria for its grant category. After final panel scores are recorded, applications clearly connected to approved Iowa Great Places projects will receive a 10% increase in their composite score. A confirmation letter from the Iowa Great Places office must be included with the application in order to receive this increase.
The IAC director makes final award decisions.
Applicants will receive a notification letter regarding the decision approximately 8 weeks after the application deadline.
Final Report Deadline
Final Reports for all grants must be received at the IAC office no later than 30 days after the end of the fiscal year in which the grant was issued (July 31). You may not apply for any additional IAC grants if you have an outstanding late Final Report.
Download Final Report Forms on this page.
The Iowa Arts Council aims to enrich the quality of life and learning in Iowa communities by encouraging excellence in the arts. Funding for the Iowa Arts Council and its programs is provided by the State of Iowa and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
