Mini Grants
Notice: State budget reductions have impacted Mini Grants for the rest of the current fiscal year (FY10). The following changes are effective immediately:
- Maximum Mini Grant request is $1,000
- Remaining Mini Grant deadlines for this fiscal year are March 1, and May 3, 2010. No applications will be accepted on February 1 or April 1, 2010.
Attention! As of January 2010, several changes have been made to the Mini Grants application and review criteria. If you have applied before, please review a summary of those changes here before beginning a new application.
IAC Mini Grants support arts projects. 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. Mini Grants can support a wide variety of arts projects, including but not limited to: community festivals, artist residencies in schools, artist performances or exhibitions, professional development opportunities for artists or arts educators, temporary public art projects, etc. Contact IAC staff to discuss your idea if you are unsure whether it would be eligible for a Mini Grant.
Mini Grants DO NOT support operating costs. These are the expenses needed for normal operation of a nonprofit organization. These generally include employee salaries, utility costs, annual rental/lease agreements, building maintenance, equipment and supplies required for ongoing activities, etc.
Grant Amounts
You may request up to $1,000 for a Mini 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
IMPORTANT: Do NOT click the “Submit Form” button at the top right of the application form – it will not work! This is a standard part of the Adobe Acrobat form, and we are not able to block it from the form. You must mail or deliver the Mini Grant application!
Application Deadline: 1st business day of each month. If the first of the month falls on a state holiday or on a Saturday or Sunday, the deadline will be the next business day.
Submit your application NO LATER than the first business day of the month BEFORE the month in which the activity occurs. Early applications are encouraged!
Example: if the activity occurs in April, submit the application by March 1, at the very latest. IAC staff recommends always submitting Mini Grant applications at least 2-3 months prior to the activity’s beginning, if at all possible.
Exception: for Mini Grant projects that will begin in the next fiscal year (after July 1), please submit no earlier than May 1st
The Iowa Arts Council must receive applications in the IAC office no later than 4:30 p.m. the day of the deadline listed below. This is NOT a postmark deadline.
Project Begin/End Dates:
Grant activities may not start prior to the first day of the month FOLLOWING the month in which you submit the application.
Example: if you submit an application for the March 1 Mini Grant deadline, your project may not start prior to April 1.
All projects must end by the following June 30 (the last day of IAC's fiscal year). IAC's fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30 of the following year. In no circumstances can grants run past the state’s fiscal year.
Eligibility and Funding Limitations
Individual Applicants: Iowa residents 18 years of age or older.
Organizations:
- 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. Border community organizations must still be incorporated in Iowa and have federal tax-exempt status. (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.)
Not Eligible to Apply:
- Students or other individuals requesting support for projects in which they will receive course credit, a degree, certification, etc.
- 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 or EZ 1-2-3 grants).
- 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.)
- Cultural Leadership Partner organizations.
The IAC Does Not Fund:
- Projects without a clear and strong arts component
- Expenses that occur prior to or after the project’s start and end 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 receives course credit, a degree, teacher certification, etc.
- 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 separate phase of a multi-phase 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, including salaries. Exceptions:
- project staff salaries may be used as matchfor organization applicants
- the artist's salary may be part of the request for individual artist applicants
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, but please be cautious about using this option, as reviewers generally prefer to see artists being paid for their time
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
Review Time Frame and Grantee Requirements
Mini Grant applications are reviewed within two weeks after the application deadline.A panel consisting of two IAC staff and one qualified non-staff panelist scores each application on the degree to which it meets Mini Grant Review Criteria, described below. 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. You will receive a notification letter regarding your application approximately two weeks after the application deadline.
NOTE: If the IAC has reason to believe that an application was clearly submitted in the wrong category, we reserve the right to change the category in order to offer a more appropriate review of the application.
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.
Mini Grant Review Criteria
Artistic Excellence of the Project |
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Primary artists/artistic staff involved in the project are clearly identified, roles are clear, and artistic abilities are excellent. |
10 pts |
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The project’s goals and artistic merit are excellent. |
10 pts |
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Who Benefits |
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The project will benefit the applicant and any identified Iowa audience/s. |
5 pts |
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The project is inclusive and engages appropriate participants. |
5 pts |
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Planning, Management, & Evaluation |
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The plan to implement and evaluate the project is well thought out and achievable by the people involved. |
5 pts |
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The budget is appropriate for the scale and scope of the project. |
5 pts |
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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.
