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Table of Contents

Guidelines

Introduction

Welcome to the Division of Cultural Affairs General Program Support (GPS) Guidelines. We're glad that you are applying for a General Program Support grant from the Division. These guidelines are incorporated by reference into Rule 1T-1.001, Florida Administrative Code, and detail policies and requirements for the application and administration of General Program Support grants.

These guidelines do not apply to Specific Cultural Project, State Touring, Individual Artist Fellowship, Cultural Facilities, or Cultural Endowment grants. For more information about these grant programs, visit http://www.florida-arts.org/programs/.

Program Description

The General Program Support (GPS) grant is designed to fund the general program activities of an organization that is realizing its stated mission and furthering the state's cultural objectives.

The Division offers three types of General Program Support.

Basic Eligibility

All applicants must meet the following basic eligibility requirements at the time of application.

  1. Have submitted no other applications for the General Program Support or Specific Cultural Project programs in the current application cycle (see application restrictions);

  2. Have the required legal status;

  3. Agree to comply with all application requirements:

    1. Complete all proposal activities within the grant period;

    2. Make programming and activities open and accessible to all members of the public (see accessibility and non-discrimination);

    3. Match the grant amount requested, at least dollar for dollar (see request amount and match requirements); and

    4. Include only allowable expenses in the proposal budget (see allowable and non-allowable expenses);

  4. Agree to comply with all grant administration requirements (see noncompliance):

    1. Sign and return the grant award agreement within 30 days;

    2. Request approval for any changes to the awarded grant (see grant amendment request);

    3. Submit timely and accurate reports (see grant reporting);

    4. Maintain complete and accurate grant records (see maintaining grant records);

    5. Comply with the requirements of the Florida Single Audit Act;

    6. Credit the State of Florida and Division of Cultural Affairs for funding (see crediting the Division); and

    7. Give notification of international travel at least 30 days before travel begins.

In addition to these basic eligibility requirements, there are specific eligibility requirements for the Discipline-Based Museum, Discipline-Based Professional Theatre, Local Arts Agency, and State Service Organization application types.

Application Restrictions

"In order to equitably distribute limited state funding," the legislature mandated, in section 265.286(9), Florida Statutes, that each grant applicant may only submit one application each annual grant cycle. The legislature defined applicant or grantee as a "nonprofit, tax-exempt, Florida corporation" or a "local or state governmental entity, school district, community college, college, university, agency of state government, or artist engaged in or concerned with arts and cultural activities."

Based on this, an organization may only submit one (1) Specific Cultural Project or one (1) General Program Support application for each annual grant cycle (July 1 - June 30). The Division will use Federal Employer Identification Numbers (FEIN) to identify an applicant organization.

This restriction includes applicant organizations that formerly submitted multiple applications from different departments. Such organizations must coordinate to decide on a single application for each annual cycle. If the Division receives more than one application from any applicant, the Division will ask the applicant to identify a single application for review.

To meet the legal status requirement, an applicant organization must be either a public entity or a Florida nonprofit, tax exempt corporation as of the application deadline.

Public Entity
A Florida local government, entity of state government, school district, community college, college, or university. Private schools, private community colleges, private colleges, and private universities are not public entities and must be nonprofit and tax exempt to meet the legal status requirement.
Nonprofit, Tax Exempt
A Florida organization that is both:

  1. Nonprofit: incorporated as an active nonprofit Florida corporation, in accordance with Chapter 617 or Chapter 623, Florida Statutes; and

  2. Tax exempt: designated as tax exempt as defined in section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended.

The Division of Cultural Affairs will verify that the applicant is registered with the Division of Corporations as of the application deadline. If the applicant is not registered in Corporations by the application deadline, the application will be ineligible.

If the applicant is registered in Corporations but their status is not "active," the applicant must correct the status within 10 calendar days of notification or the application will be ineligible.

For more information on corporate status, visit http://www.sunbiz.org or call the Division of Corporations, profit and nonprofit information line at (850) 245-6052. To verify corporate status, you can review your corporate record online through the sunbiz.org document search tool.

For more information about tax exempt status, see Exemption Requirements - Section 501(c)(3) Organizations on the Internal Revenue Service website.(http://www.irs.gov).

Nonprofit, tax exempt applicants must provide a letter from the IRS stating that the applicant is tax exempt under 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4). Public entities are not required to provide an IRS determination letter.

The IRS determination letter should be included in the application package (postmarked by the application deadline). If the letter is not received, the Division will notify the applicant. The applicant must provide the IRS determination letter within 10 calendar days (postmarked) of notification or the application will be ineligible.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must also meet these additional eligibility requirements based on Proposal Type and Funding Category.

Proposal Type
Funding Category		 Specific Eligibility Requirements
Discipline-Based
Level 1
  • Total Operating Income of $250,000 or less
Discipline-Based
Level 2
  • Total Operating Income of $250,001 to $900,000
Discipline-Based
Level 3
  • Total Operating Income of $900,001 or more
Local Arts Agency
Level 1
  • Total Operating Income of $160,000 or less
  • have at least one paid staff member in a management position (full or part time)
Local Arts Agency
Level 2
  • Total Operating Income of $160,001 to $1,000,000
  • have at least one paid, full-time staff member in a management position
  • be incorporated for at least three years at the time of application
Local Arts Agency
Level 3
  • Total Operating Income of $1,000,001 or more
  • have more than one paid full-time staff member in a management position
  • be incorporated for at least five years at the time of application
State Service Organization
  • reach at least 50% of the state's population or at least 34 counties with services and activities

In addition to the requirements detailed above, all Discipline-Based applicants must also meet the following requirements.

To request more than $25,000
  • have at least one completed grant from the Division of Cultural Affairs. A grant is completed (closed) after all grant activities are done and the final report has been approved.
To request more than $50,000
  • have at least 3 years of completed programming; and
  • have at least one paid, full-time staff member in a management position
Museum discipline only
  • be open to the public for at least 180 days a year;
  • own or utilize works of art, historical artifacts, or other tangible objects (animate or inanimate); and
  • exhibit these works of art, historical artifacts, or other tangible objects to the public on a regular schedule
Professional Theatre discipline only
  • compensate artistic staff and actors

Proposal Types

Discipline-Based

Discipline-Based program support is intended to provide financial support for the programs of eligible organizations that conduct cultural programming, realize their stated mission, and further the state's cultural objectives.

The Discipline-Based proposal type has three funding categories based on Total Operating Income (TOI). To determine the correct category and request amount, use the Total Operating Income from the applicant's most recently completed fiscal year as reported in the application operating budget.

Funding Category Total Operating Income (TOI) Maximum Request
Level 1 $250,000 or less $25,000 or 10% of TOI whichever is less.
Level 2 $250,001 to $900,000 $90,000 or 10% of TOI whichever is less.
Level 3 $900,001 or more $150,000 or 10% of TOI whichever is less.

All applicants to the Discipline-Based proposal type are required to:

The Division encourages the use of Florida-based artists whenever possible.

Discipline Categories

Discipline-Based applicants must select one of eleven (11) discipline categories.

  1. Community Theatre;
  2. Dance;
  3. Folk Arts;
  4. Literature;
  5. Media Arts;
  6. Museum;
  7. Multidisciplinary;
  8. Music;
  9. Professional Theatre;
  10. Presenter; and
  11. Visual Arts.

The discipline category of the application will determine which review panel will evaluate and score the application. Applicants should select the discipline that best fits their proposal. Applicants should consider whether they are presenting or producing the activity when choosing a discipline category.

Applicants that produce festivals should select the discipline category for the festival activity. For example, an organization producing a film festival should apply to the Media Arts discipline while a cultural festival that is producing music, visual art, and dance activities should apply to the Multidisciplinary category. For more information, contact a program manager (see help).

Dance

The Dance discipline is for organizations that promote excellence in dance. This includes producing dance companies and other organizations with dance programming.

Folk Arts

The Folk Arts discipline is for organizations that preserve and present traditional arts. This includes performances, exhibitions, festivals, and other programming featuring traditional artists and their work.

Folk arts are traditional cultural expressions through which a community maintains and passes on a shared way of life. These communities can be job-related, ethnic, religious, age-related, or based on location. Folk art expresses a sense of the community's values and aesthetics. Folk art expressions are usually learned informally through a relative or the community and are maintained without formal teaching.

The Folk Arts discipline includes many forms and processes of expression including, but not limited to:

Note: The Folk Arts discipline is not intended for programming that focuses primarily on the following activities:

Applicants with such programming should consider applying to one of the other disciplines. Contact the Folk Arts program manager (see help) with any questions.

Literature

The Literature discipline is for organizations that promote excellence in the literary arts. This includes small presses, noncommercial publishing houses, professional literary groups, and other organizations with literary programming.

Media Arts

The Media Arts discipline is for organizations that promote excellence in film, video, radio, and television. This includes film and video festivals, and media art exhibitions, conferences, and seminars.

Multidisciplinary

The Multidisciplinary discipline is for organizations with programming that presents two (2) or more separate artistic or cultural disciplines.

Artistic and cultural disciplines include, but are not limited to:

Museum

The Museum discipline is for organizations that are primarily educational and aesthetic with proposals focused on the applicant's collections and/or exhibits. This includes zoos, botanical gardens, arboretums, nature centers and aquariums.

To be eligible to apply to this discipline, a museum must:

Museums are encouraged but not required to participate in the American Association of Museums' Museum Assessment Program (MAP) and to pursue or maintain national accreditation through American Association of Museums (AAM), American Zoological Association (AZA), or Zoological Association of America (ZAA).

Museums may include but are not limited to the following:

Non-museum organizations conducting visual art exhibitions should apply to the Visual Art discipline. Multidisciplinary museums may also apply to the Multidisciplinary discipline.

Music

The Music discipline includes both vocal and instrumental music and is for organizations that promote excellence in music performance and creation.

The Music discipline includes but is not limited to chamber or jazz ensembles, choral groups, community bands, orchestras, opera, and world music ensembles.

Producers of musical theatre should submit their application to the appropriate Theatre discipline (professional or community). Presenting organizations should apply to the Presenter discipline.

Presenter

The Presenter discipline supports the presentation of performing arts groups, individual artists, or other cultural providers.

A Presenter is an organization that enters into agreements to provide performances or other cultural activities. The organization generally does not create, rehearse, cast, or have artistic control over the performance or activity.

Applicants producing, rather than presenting, should apply to the appropriate discipline for their activities, such as Music, Theatre, or Dance.

Theatre (Community and Professional)

The Theatre disciplines support producing theatres and other organizations that promote excellence in theatre performance. Musical theatre can be included in this discipline. Organizations producing opera should apply to the Music discipline.

Community Theatre

The Community Theatre discipline is for producing community theatres.

Most of the artistic staff of a community theatre are not compensated. However personnel may be hired as needed to perform administrative, artistic, or production duties.

Community theatres should be very specific when describing how artists are compensated. Although it is assumed that most community theatres will not be compensating most actors, applicants should address whether or not technical staff (directors, designers) are compensated and if any actors receive financial compensation.

If a community theatre is in the process of becoming a professional house, the application should describe where the applicant is in the transition and when the applicant expects to be offering full compensation to artistic staff.

Professional Theatre

The Professional Theatre discipline is for producing professional theatres.

Organizations applying to the Professional Theatre discipline must compensate their artistic staff and actors. Professional Theatre panelists strongly emphasize the importance of payment to actors.

Companies should be very specific when describing the financial compensation and/or benefits that are offered to artistic staff and actors. For information on minimum pay rates for actors and staff contact a theatrical union such as Actors Equity (http://www.actorsequity.org).

Visual Arts

The Visual Arts discipline is for organizations that promote excellence in the visual arts through activities such as:

Local Arts Agency

The purpose of the Local Arts Agency (LAA) proposal type is to assist in the development of local arts agencies. A local arts agency is a public or private nonprofit organization located in Florida and operating on a permanent basis for the primary purpose of strengthening, supporting, and stabilizing the activities of arts and cultural constituencies that operate in the county or counties designated to the LAA.

Applicants to this proposal type must be a local arts agency (LAA) designated by at least one county commission as the official LAA for that county. Only one designated local arts agency per county may apply.

To be eligible for funding in this proposal type all applicants must provide documentation (letter, proclamation or official meeting minutes) of official designation by one or more county commissions. This includes county arts councils established in accordance with section 265.32, Florida Statutes.

Funding Categories

The Local Arts Agency proposal type has three funding categories based on Total Operating Income (TOI). To determine the correct category and request amount, use the Total Operating Income from the applicant's most recently completed fiscal year as reported in the application operating budget.

Funding Category Total Operating Income (TOI) Maximum Request Applicants must
Level 1 $160,000 or less $40,000 or 25% of TOI
whichever is less
  • have at least one paid staff member (full-time or part-time) in a management position
Level 2 $160,001 to $1,000,000 $90,000 or 15% of TOI
whichever is less
  • have at least one paid full-time staff member in a management position
  • be incorporated for at least three years at the time of application
Level 3 $1,000,001 or more $150,000 or 10% of TOI
whichever is less
  • have more than one paid full-time staff member in a management position
  • be incorporated for at least five years at the time of application

State Service Organization

A State Service Organization (SSO) is a public or private nonprofit organization located in Florida operating on a permanent basis for the primary purpose of implementing statewide programs that:

SSOs are typically dedicated to specific disciplines or subject areas (for example: music, dance, museums, theatre, leadership, arts administration, etc.). SSOs work to strengthen and support cultural organizations and individuals working in the cultural community.

The purpose of SSO program support is to support state service organizations and to encourage collaborative work between the Division and these organizations to achieve state goals and objectives.

To be eligible to apply as a State Service Organization, the organization's services and activities must reach at least 50% of the state's population, or at least 34 Florida counties.

The maximum request amount for SSOs is 20% of the Total Operating Income from the applicant's most recently completed fiscal year or $150,000 whichever is less.

Our Strategic Plan Culture Builds Florida's Future

The Division's Strategic Plan, Culture Builds Florida's Future, is a statewide cultural plan designed to redefine the role of the arts and culture in Florida. It has four vision areas:

  1. Strengthening the Economy;
  2. Promoting Learning and Wellness;
  3. Building Leadership; and
  4. Advancing Design and Development.

All General Program Support proposals must incorporate at least one (1) of the four (4) vision areas. With this information, the Division can demonstrate to the legislature and the public how our grantees are implementing a unified message and strategy for arts and culture.

For more information about Culture Builds Florida's Future visit http://www.florida-arts.org/about/strategicplan/.

Application Requirements

Grant Period

All proposed activity must take place within the grant period.

Accessibility and Non-Discrimination

The Division of Cultural Affairs is committed to making the arts and culture accessible to everyone, including:

Applicants may receive up to 10 points during panel review through the accessibility review criterion.

Organizations seeking support for activities that will not be open and accessible to all members of the public, regardless of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, or marital status are not eligible for this publicly funded grant.

Request Amount

General Program Support grants have a maximum possible request of up to $150,000 based on proposal type and funding category. The proposal types and funding categories are described in detail in the Proposal Types section of the guidelines.Use the following table to determine the maximum request amount.

  1. Select the proposal type and funding category (column 1 and 2) that fits your organization;

  2. Calculate the appropriate percentage (column 3) of your Total Operating Income. Use the Total Operating Income from your most recently completed fiscal year as reported in the application operating budget; and

    Note: Public entities that are applying for funding for a specific department, center, gallery, or other unit with a distinct budget, must use only the budget of that unit when determining request amount, not the budget of the entire entity.

  3. Compare the number from step 2 to the maximum request in (column 4). The number that is less is the maximum request amount for your organization.

Proposal Type Funding Category % of Income * Maximum Request
Discipline-Based Level 1 10% $25,000
Level 2 10% $90,000 *
Level 3 10% $150,000 *
Local Arts Agency Level 1 25% $40,000
Level 2 15% $90,000
Level 3 10% $150,000
State Service Organization N/A 20% $150,000

*Discipline-Based program support applicants must also meet these additional requirements.

To request more than $25,000
  • have at least one completed grant from the Division of Cultural Affairs. A grant is completed (closed) after all grant activities are done and the final report has been approved.
To request more than $50,000
  • have at least 3 years of completed programming; and
  • have at least one paid, full-time staff member in a management position.

Match Requirements

Applicants must provide at least one dollar in cash or in-kind (donated goods or services) for every dollar requested from the division. This is called match. Some expenses can only be included in the Proposal Budget as match (see Match Only Expenses).

Total Proposal Expenses are defined as match (cash and in-kind) + request amount. No more than 25% of the Total Proposal Expenses may be in-kind. See the in-kind section of the guidelines for more details.

Matching funds may be anticipated at the time of application, but must be received by the end of the grant period. All expenses (both state grant and match) must be paid out (not merely encumbered) by the grant end date.

Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) match waivers are not available for General Program Support grants.

In-kind (Donated Goods and Services)

In-kind can appear in both the proposal budget and the operating budget. Use the following formulas to calculate maximum allowable in-kind.

Total Proposal Expenses (as reported in the proposal budget) may not contain more than 25% in-kind.

  • Maximum allowable in-kind = Total Cash Expenses (cash match plus request) divided by 3

The amount of in-kind allowed in the Operating Budget depends on the applicant's Total Cash Income as defined in the application.

If Total Cash Income is $150,000 or less, Total Operating Income may not include more than 25% in-kind.

  • Maximum allowable in-kind = Total Cash Income divided by 3.

If Total Cash Income is over $150,000, Total Operating Income may not include more than 10% in-kind.

  • Maximum allowable in-kind = Total Cash Income divided by 9.

Applicants may include a list of additional in-kind as a support material to demonstrate community support.

To calculate the value of volunteer services, use the federal minimum wage (see the Wage and Hour Division of the US Department of Labor http://www.wagehour.dol.gov). If the volunteer is professionally skilled in the service provided (such as a photographer donating photography services or a Certified Public Accountant providing a pro bono audit), use the wage rate the individual is normally paid for the service.

The value of all professionally skilled services used as in-kind must be documented in writing by the volunteer. The value of donated goods must also be documented. Records of such documentation must be available upon request.

Allowable Expenses

Allowable expenses must be:

Only allowable expenses may be included in the proposal budget. The grantee may be asked to provide documentation such as canceled checks, paid invoices, or other financial documents verifying grant related expenses.

Spending state grant funds on expenses that have not been approved by the Division, even if directly related to the program or project, will be disallowed and could result in a legal demand for the return of grant funds.

Match Only Expenses

No state funds may be used towards operational or indirect/overhead costs which include, but are not limited to:

In addition, no state funds may be used on expenses incurred or obligated before the grant start date, however expenses incurred before the start date and after July 1 may be included as match.

Non-Allowable Expenses

The following are non-allowable expenses for grant and matching funds. Non-allowable expenses may not be included anywhere in the Grant Proposal Budget.

Review Criteria

All applications will be evaluated and scored using the following four criteria.

Excellence and Innovation

Applicants must demonstrate excellence and innovation in all aspects of the proposal. Panelists will consider the following application responses:

(Up to 40 points)

Impact

Applicants must demonstrate the expected impact of the proposal. Panelists will consider the following application responses:

(Up to 30 points)

Management

This criterion covers administration, planning, and evaluation. Panelists will consider the following application responses:

Panelists will also consider applicant's reporting history and compliance status as of the panel meeting (see noncompliance).

(Up to 20 points)

Accessibility

Panelists will award points based on demonstration of accessibility in the applicant's facility and programming. Panelists will consider responses to the Accessibility questions in the application.

(Up to 10 points)

Scoring

Applications must earn a minimum average score of 80 to be recommended for funding.

The maximum number of points an application can earn is 100. Panel members will individually score each application. The average of the individual panelist scores will be rounded to three decimal places. When the fourth decimal is a 5 or greater, the score will be rounded up in favor of the applicant. For example, 79.9995 will be rounded to 80 but 79.9993 would remain 79.999.

Review Process

The application review process includes the following:

  1. Staff Review for eligibility;
  2. Panel Review and scoring;
  3. Florida Council on Arts and Culture recommendations; and
  4. Secretary of State approval.

Staff Review

Division staff will review all applications that meet the deadline for eligibility (see basic eligibility and specific eligibility). Staff review does not include subjective evaluations or comments on the content or quality of any grant application. Only applications that meet eligibility requirements will move forward to the grant review panel.

Staff will contact the applicant during the staff review to address issues with eligibility including:

Staff will also contact the applicant if the application indicates support materials are included but no materials are received.

After the application deadline, applications may only be amended at the request of Division staff. Only changes that are approved by the Division will be provided to the review panel.

Panel Review

After Division staff review, the Division will release eligible applications to the grant panel for review and scoring. Panelists must be practicing artists or other professionals. Panelists will be appointed by the Secretary of State each year based on the following considerations (in no particular order):

The Division is always seeking panelist nominations. Anyone may nominate a panelist (themselves or someone else) at any time by contacting a program manager (see help). Panelists may serve on a specific panel for up to 3 consecutive years. Panelists serve on a volunteer basis.

All panel members must comply with the Standards of Conduct for Public Officers and Employees of Agencies as set forth in section 112.313. Florida Statutes, and voting conflict of interest laws as set forth in sections 112.3143 and 286.012 Florida Statutes.

Panelists independently evaluate each application based on the review criteria detailed in these guidelines. After each panel member has evaluated the applications, there will be a public panel meeting to review, discuss, and score the applications. Panelists must voice their scores in the panel meeting. Only scores voiced during the panel meeting count towards the final average score for an application.

Panel Meetings

Panel meetings are a public process (usually conducted by teleconference) and anyone can participate by attending in person or by calling in via a toll-free number. Participation instructions will be emailed to applicants and posted on the Division's web site. The Division strongly encourages applicants to participate in the grant panel meeting, however it is not required. Participating in the panel process can be very helpful for those that intend to apply for future grants.

Panel meetings are chaired by a member of the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. If a member of the Council is not available a Division staff member will serve as the panel Chair. Chairs do not vote on applications being reviewed.

A typical panel meeting will include the following:

  1. Call to Order;

  2. Introduction of Panelists, Staff, and Call-In Participants/Audience;

  3. Panel Instructions from the Chair;

  4. Preliminary scoring of applications. For each application:

    • the Chair will announce the application number and applicant name;
    • applicants may provide a brief update on the application. Updates may only include new proposal information;
    • applicants will be permitted to respond to panelist questions;
    • each panelist will voice his or her score; and
    • Division staff will calculate and voice the total points and the average panel score.

  5. Public comment prior to panel consensus on scores:

    During public comment, anyone (including applicants) may speak about the applications under consideration. After public comment, panelists may adjust their scores before the final vote to accept all scores.

  6. Panel Recommendations;

  7. General discussion from the panel (policies, procedures);

  8. General comments from the public;

  9. Closing remarks from the Chair; and

  10. Adjournment;

Florida Council on Arts and Culture Review

After the panel meeting, the Division will report the panel recommendations to the Florida Council on Arts and Culture in the form of a ranked list. The Council may amend panel recommendations based on new or existing information about the applicant or panel proceedings.

Information that will allow recalculation of the average score by the Council includes, but is not limited to:

Information that may result in the Council recommending zero funding includes:

The Council may also amend typographical errors in the panel recommendations.

Council Recommendations

All General Program Support applications recommended by the Council will be merged into one ranked list in accordance with section 265.286(3), Florida Statutes, using the following system.

  1. Applications will be ranked by average score (highest to lowest);
  2. Applications with a tied average score will be ranked using the average points scored on each criterion in the following order:
    1. Excellence and Innovation;
    2. Impact;
    3. Management; and
    4. Accessibility.
  3. If there is still a tie after the score for each criterion has been compared, the applications will be ordered by a sequence number assigned at application submission (lowest to highest).

This ranked list will be submitted to the Secretary of State for review and approval.

Secretary of State Review and Approval

The Secretary of State may approve, amend, or recalculate scores or amend the recommendations of the Council as described under the Council Review section above.

Funding

Subject to legislative appropriation, all applications approved by the Secretary of State will be funded according to the following method:

  1. If the eligible request is $999 or less, the organization will be funded at 100% of the request, regardless of the Total Point Score.

  2. If the eligible request is $1,000 or greater and the application of the funding formula results in a recommendation that is less than $1,000, the award will be increased to $1,000.

  3. If the eligible request is $1,000 or greater and the application of the funding formula results in a recommendation that is greater than $1,000, the award will be the amount that is determined by the formula.

The Formula

  1. Step 1:

    Initial award amounts will be determined by a score-based formula that proportionally distributes the appropriation.

    1. request amount
    2. score as a percentage (average score of application / 100)
    3. adjusted request = request amount (A) x score as a percentage (B)
    4. total appropriation
    5. proportional ratio = appropriation (D) / total of all adjusted requests (C)

    initial award amount = adjusted request (C) x proportional ratio (E)

  2. Step 2:

    If the initial award amount from step 1 is $999 or less, the award amount will be increased to $1000. The total amount of all $1,000 awards will be subtracted from the original appropriation and the score-based formula will be re-run. Step 2 will be repeated if necessary, until all grant awards equal $1,000 or greater.

The Department of State's Legislative Budget Request will include the Secretary of State's approved ranked list of General Program Support applications. The Legislature may use this list to appropriate an amount in accordance with section 265.286(3), Florida Statutes.

Grant Administration

Noncompliance

The Division of Cultural Affairs shares grant compliance information with the Division of Historical Resources and the Division of Library and Information Services. Together these three Divisions make up the Office of Cultural, Historical, and Information Programs (OCHIP). Any applicant that has not submitted required reports or satisfied other administrative requirements for grants from any division in OCHIP will be in noncompliance.

Grant compliance issues must be resolved before grantees can:

Panels will be advised of each applicant's reporting history (up to 5 years) for consideration in the Management review criterion. In the past, otherwise competitive applications have received lower scores due to noncompliance.

The Council may decline to recommend funding for an otherwise eligible application if the applicant is in noncompliance.

Grant Forms

The following forms must be used in the administration of all grants in these guidelines and are hereby incorporated by reference and available from the Division at http://www.florida-arts.org:

  1. Grant Application (Form CA2E145), effective 4/2012 online;
  2. Grant Award Agreement (Form CA2E142), effective 4/2012;
  3. Grant Amendment Request (Form CA2E002), effective 4/2012 online; and
  4. Grant Report (Form CA2E004), effective 4/2012 online.

Grant Award Agreement

The Grant Award Agreement is the contract between the grantee and the Division. It includes the requirements for the administration of the grant. The grantee's authorized official must sign and return this agreement to the Division within 30 days of the date on the award letter. Applicants that fail to return the agreement within 30 days of the date on the award letter will have their grant rescinded by the Division unless a program manager has approved an award agreement extension (see extensions).

Payments will not be released and grantees cannot spend state funds until the Grant Award Agreement has been executed. The Division will send grantees a fully executed copy of the agreement for their files.

Grant Payments

Grant funds will be available in quarterly installments. Grantees do not have to submit a request for payment. No payments will be released until the Grant Award Agreement has been executed. Payments will not be issued to grantees in noncompliance.

Grant Amendment Requests

An approved grant application becomes part of the Grant Award Agreement between the grantee and the Division. Therefore the grantee must use the Grant Amendment Request form (see grant forms) to request permission (in advance) for any changes to the grant.

This includes changes that result from a lower award amount than requested.

Changes include any substantial deviation from the proposal as outlined in the grant application, such as:

The Division will approve or deny a change request based on whether the change is directly related to the goals of the funded application.

If changes are implemented without the Division’s written approval, the grantee is subject to noncompliance, and the grant award is subject to reduction or complete refund to the State of Florida, in accordance with the Grant Award Agreement.

Grant period extensions must also be requested using the Grant Amendment request form. See extensions for more detail.

Extensions

An award agreement extension extends the 30 days grantees have to return the signed Grant Award Agreement. Applicants should request an award agreement extension by contacting a program manager (see help).

A grant period extension changes the grant end date. This gives the grantee extra time to complete grant activities and receive matching funds. Grantees must submit an interim report by the original report deadline of July 30 (see reporting). Grant period extensions must be requested before the grant end date using the Grant Amendment Request form.

A final report extension only changes the final report due date. This gives the grantee more time to complete the report that would normally be due 30 days after the grant end date. This does not extend the grant period and all activities must still be completed by the grant end date. Final report extensions must be requested before July 30 by contacting a Program Manager (see help).

Extensions will only be approved if the grantee can demonstrate extenuating circumstances. An extenuating circumstance is one that is beyond the control of the grantee, and prevents timely completion of the grant or report. Examples include natural disaster, death, or serious illness. Failure to read or understand administrative requirements or failure to raise sufficient matching funds do not count as extenuating circumstances.

Grant Reporting

Grantees must submit a grant report to the Division. The grant report includes information and documentation that the proposed programming was completed in compliance with the Grant Award Agreement and these guidelines. Grantees must also submit support materials showing the required division credit and demonstrating that the funded activities took place. These materials must be postmarked by the final report deadline.

The Division uses the information provided in the grant report to:

A final grant report (including postmarked support materials) is due on July 30 after the grant period unless an extension has been granted (see extensions).

If a grant period extension has been approved by the Division, an interim grant report is due on July 30. Grantees that fail to submit a report on the due date will be placed into noncompliance. Support materials are not required with the interim report.

When the final report has been approved by the Division, the grant is considered closed.

Maintaining Grant Records

Grantees must maintain complete and accurate financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records related to this grant for at least five (5) years after the grant is closed (the final report is approved). These records must be readily available on request for the entire period. If there is an audit or litigation regarding the grant, then all records should be maintained for five years from the end of the audit or litigation.

Grantees must maintain an accounting system that provides complete documentation of the use of all of the grant funds, including:

Florida Single Audit Act

Each nonstate entity that expends $500,000 or more in state awards during the grant recipient's fiscal year is required to have a state single audit or project specific audit for that fiscal year. A state award is defined as state financial assistance from any source provided to the recipient to carry out a state project. The audit shall include a schedule of receipts and expenditures for the entire award expended. The audit should be submitted within nine (9) calendar months following the end of the organization’s fiscal year. Additional information will be made available through the Grant Award Agreement.

For additional details on the Florida Single Audit Act, visit http://www.myflorida.com/audgen/pages/flsaa.htm.

Crediting the Division

Grantees are required to credit the Division for funding using the following sponsorship statement.

“Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.”
The logo for the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs The statement must appear when publicizing, advertising or describing sponsorship in accordance with section 286.25, Florida Statutes.

The statement must be used on at least one promotional material even if there are no materials that publicize, advertise, or describe sponsorship.

Promotional materials for programming funded with money from the Division of Cultural Affairs should either include the sponsorship statement, or the Division logo, or both. The sponsorship statement (with or without the Division logo) should also be included on posters, brochures, catalogs, press releases, web sites, fliers, and other materials.

The Division's logo can be used alone on items where the complete credit statement will not fit, such as postcards, magnets, etc.

The DCA logo can be downloaded from the Division's web site at http://www.florida-arts.org/about/logo/.

International Travel

Cultural organizations that receive state funding and will be traveling internationally must notify the Department of Economic Opportunity with their intention to travel and include date, time and location of each appearance. These same organizations must also notify the Department of State at least 30 days prior to the date the international travel is to commence, or as soon as feasible (section 15.182 Florida Statutes).

How to Apply

All application information submitted to the Division is open for public inspection and subject to the Public Records Law (Chapter 119, Florida Statutes).

Grant applications to the Division will have two parts: an application form and an application package.

Application Form

The application form must be completed using the Division's online grant application and submitted online by 11:59 pm ET on the application deadline. Deadlines and a link to the application form will be posted on the Division's web site.

Applicants may request that a submitted application be electronically un-submitted at any point before the application deadline. The application must be re-submitted by the application deadline to be considered.

Application Package

The application package must contain the following:

The application package may also contain support materials which are optional but strongly encouraged. If support materials are included applicants must provide 8 sets with cover sheets. See support materials for more information.

Do not include printed copies of your electronic application form in the application package.

The application package must be mailed to the Division and postmarked by the application deadline. If the application deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the application package must be postmarked by the following day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.

The Division recommends that applicants purchase a certificate of mailing or similar receipt as evidence of the date mailed. The use of express package delivery services is not necessary since the deadline is a "postmark deadline."

Support Materials

Support materials can provide panelists with a more complete picture of the proposal and are optional but strongly encouraged. If support materials are included, they must meet the following guidelines.

The Department of State, Florida Council on Arts and Culture, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the grant review panels assume no responsibility for the care, safety, and security of support materials.

Support materials may include, but are not limited to:

Each set of support materials should include a cover sheet with the following information:

Help

For general information about the Division of Cultural Affairs and to access grant information, panel details and resources, visit our web site at: http://www.florida-arts.org.

For information about the General Program Support program, contact the program manager responsible for your proposal type and discipline.

Discipline-Based (All Disciplines)

Sarah T. Stage
(850) 245-6459
sarah.stage@dos.myflorida.com

Local Arts Agency and State Service Organization

Jennifer Hoesing
(850) 245-6462
jennifer.hoesing@dos.myflorida.com

 

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