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SMALL GRANTS IN THE ARTS
Application Guidelines
Funding Priorities
Eligibility
Disciplines Eligible
Review Criteria
Fiscal Sponsorships
Application Process
SMALL GRANTS IN THE ARTS
Application Guidelines
The majority of the Foundation’s arts grantmaking takes place through this program. The particular emphasis of the Small Grants Program is to support the development and presentation of the work of living Bay Area artists. New work is the first priority, however retrospectives and classical repertory of non-living artists will be considered.
Grants may be awarded for: artists’ fees for creative time; post-production costs for performances or film/video projects; exhibition/installation costs for visual, media, or interdisciplinary arts projects; activities that contribute to overall artistic development; and efforts to strengthen an organization’s artistic impact within the community.
The Foundation seeks to fund a broad range of arts groups during the course of each year. It strives to make grants that represent a diversity of arts disciplines, aesthetic sensibilities, and forms of cultural expression. The Foundation generally priorities the proposals that best support working artists. Only nonprofit arts organizations may apply for funding; individual artists are not eligible for grants through this program.
Applicants must be:
- arts and cultural organizations incorporated as not-for-profit [501©(3)];
- organizations residing and offering programming in the greater San Francisco Bay Area;
- able to demonstrate a consistent artistic presence in the Bay Area for at least 3 years;
- of budget size between $100,000 and $750,000.
Not eligible are:
- programs/projects whose fundamental purpose or benefit falls within the social services, health, youth, or community development fields;
- individuals (unless conducting a project under the sponsorship of an eligible nonprofit organization – see next page);
- organizations based outside the greater San Francisco Bay Area;
- deficit financing, endowment campaigns, major capital campaign requests (campaigns over $10 million).
- Dance
- Music
- Theater
- Visual Arts
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Film& Video/Media Arts
The most important factors considered in making a grant through this category are:
- How would our grant help advance the body of work being developed by the principal artist(s)?
- Is there an audience for this work?
- What is the contribution to the community at large?
- What is the potential impact on the arts discipline involved?
- How viable is the applying organization?
- Does the applicant use its resources efficiently and well, seeking to collaborate and pool resources when appropriate?
- Is there evidence of a strong Board of Directors and community support for the organization?
When using a fiscal sponsor, the applicant must have entered into a written agreement with that sponsor which delineates responsibilities for accounting procedures, fiscal oversight, and grant reporting. To be eligible for a grant, the sponsoring nonprofit organization’s mission and ongoing programming must correlate with those of the sponsored project.
A letter of sponsorship summarizing the specific nature of this agreement must accompany the application. The budget figures of the sponsor organization go on the application form. Applicants should also attach a simple financial summary of the activities of the last completed year, if they are available. Also attached should be the sponsor’s organizational budget, financial report, and board list as noted in the attachments section of Page 3.
Grants are between $1,000 and $10,000. Normally, they are in the $2,500 - $5,000 range. The grant period is one year from the date of Board of Directors approval. The Small Grants in the Arts program is designed to support a variety of organizations over time, rather than to provide annual funding for a specific group of organizations.
In order to review an application, the Foundation needs the following.
- Completed application form.
- Current year’s organizational budget with income and expenses, separating grants, board, and other contributions, and itemizing expenses.
- Financial statement for the last completed fiscal year, with balance sheet. (If unaudited, note who prepared it.)
- A project budget detailing income and expenses (if request is project specific).
- Evidence of tax-exempt status.
- Copy of Letter of Agreement with fiscal sponsor (if applicable).
- Sample film or video clip required for film/video proposals, must have postage-paid return envelope and written notation of tape’s contents.
- A filmography is required for film/video directors; brief artistic biographies are helpful for other project-related applications.
- Board of Directors list with affiliations.
Note: do not bind or staple application materials, use paper clips, only 12 point type.
The Foundation cannot review extensive proposal packets. Additional materials must be limited, and may include: a brochure or newsletter; performance reviews; letters of support; or video clip of performances. These materials are not required to complete the application. Supporting materials can be helpful if the applicant is being reviewed by the Foundation for the first time. Videos and work samples will be returned if a stamped mailing envelope is provided. (Note that the Foundation keeps a copy of films/videos it funds.)
All applicants will receive written confirmation of receipt of their proposal, and of the action taken on the request. Please allow up to four weeks for each notification, due to the high volume of requests. When an applicant is using a fiscal sponsor, all communication is sent to the sponsor organization which in turn communicates with the sponsored project.
There are two grant cycles each year, Spring & Fall. Deadlines for grant proposals are January 15 deadline for May decisions, and July 15 for November decisions. Note: these are postmark deadlines; please mail applications via regular mail.
Christine Elbel
Executive Director
Fleishhacker Foundation
P.O. Box 29918
San Francisco, CA 94129-0918As of the July 15, 2009 application deadline, the Fleishhacker Foundation will require applicants to submit financial information through the California Cultural Data Project. Organizations should contact the CCDP at www.caculturaldata.org to register and complete their informational profiles, or call 866 9-CAL-CDP.
Fleishhacker Foundation 2010