Deadline: 18-Nov-20
The Arts Services Inc. (ASI), funded by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is seeking applications for its Decentralization (DEC) Grant 2021 to support arts and culture programming and the creation of new artworks in Erie and Niagara counties.
NYSCA established the Decentralization Grant Program (DEC) in 1977 to ensure that New York State’s cultural funding reaches every part of the state. The program forms the cornerstone of the Council’s partnership with local arts agencies throughout the state (like ASI), providing a link between the Council and portions of the community that might not otherwise be able to access funding from NYSCA.
Funding Information
- Community Arts DEC Grant: Requests can be made between $500 and $5,000.
- Arts Education DEC Grant: Requests can be made between $500 and $5,000.
- Individual Artist DEC Grant: Requests can be made between $1,000 and $2,500.
Funding Categories
- Community Arts DEC Grant: It provides financial and technical assistance for community-based arts activities that are presented by eligible nonprofit organizations and/or individual artists with community partners in Erie and Niagara counties.
- The goals of the Community Arts DEC grants:
- Provide quality arts/cultural programming in Erie or Niagara County.
- Assist emerging artists, arts/cultural organizations, and arts/cultural programming.
- Support cultural expression of our diverse ethnic groups.
- Make arts and cultural programming accessible to underserved or minority audiences, and economically disadvantaged communities.
- Arts Education DEC Grant: It provides financial and technical assistance to eligible organizations and/or individual artists to support arts education projects in K-12 public schools, publicly funded charter schools, and after-school programs within Erie and Niagara counties.
- The goals of the Arts Education DEC grants:
- Expand the rich artistic learning experiences of K-12 students.
- Develop arts integration and inter-curricular collaboration.
- Provide quality arts education in Erie or Niagara County.
- Assist emerging artists, arts/cultural organizations, and arts/cultural programming.
- Make arts education accessible to under-served or minority audiences, and economically disadvantaged communities.
- Individual Artist DEC Grant: It is intended to support the creation of a new work that engages the community through an artist’s creative process. Artists of all disciplines residing in Erie and Niagara counties are eligible to apply for this grant for community-based projects. The goal of this grant is to support the creative work of individual artists, encourage interaction between artists and county residents, and highlight the role of the artist as a community resource.
- The goals of the Individual Artist DEC program include:
- Arts activities MUST be the primary driving force of project requests.
- Providing quality arts/cultural projects to Erie or Niagara County.
- Increasing the support for local artist-initiated activity.
- Highlighting the role of artists as important members of the community, through involvement of the community in the creation process.
- Supporting cultural expression of our diverse ethnic groups.
- Making arts/cultural programming accessible to underserved or minority audiences, and economically disadvantaged communities.
Eligibility Criteria
- Community Arts DEC applicants are required to make their projects accessible to all individuals and hold their events at accessible sites. Eligible applications must meet the following requirements:
- Projects have, as their core, an arts based or cultural activity that takes place between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.
- All programs must take place in Erie or Niagara County.
- Program must take place in the same county in which you reside/are physically located.
- Applicants must be an established nonprofit or 501c3 organization, a local government municipality, tribal organization, an individual representing a collective group, or an individual artist legally located in Erie or Niagara County.
- An individual artist or collective may apply if working in partnership with a community-based nonprofit organization that meets the above eligibility.
- In addition:
- Applicants must attach a letter of commitment from the partner organization that confirms the partnership with the applicant and outlines the scope of the partnership, including each partner’s investment or contribution (in-kind and/or cash) toward the proposed project.
- The applicant and the partner organization must both be based in the same county the event is taking place – either Erie or Niagara County.
- Projects must be open and accessible to the public.
- Arts Education (AE) DEC applicants must meet the above requirements, as well as the following requirements:
- Project must provide sequential, skills-based study that incorporates one or more art forms and includes a minimum of 3 sequential hands-on learning sessions.
- In-depth, age and skills appropriate learning opportunities.
- Hands-on participatory creation and/or learning opportunities in one or more art forms that may culminate in exhibitions, productions, or demonstrations.
- Stated learning goals, methodologies, and outcomes as well as an established means for evaluation.
- It is recommended that support materials include lesson plans, evaluation plans, video/photo of work samples from past arts education work, participant evaluation, and letters of recommendation.
- In-School Projects:
- These projects must take place during the school day and in partnership with a public school. In addition, please note the following:
- Private and parochial schools are ineligible for partnerships.
- AE funds must not replace, or appear to replace, the role of certified teachers in schools.
- Inter-curricular collaboration for in-school projects is encouraged but not required.
- A letter of commitment from the partner organization to the arts organization or artist must be included with the application to be eligible for funding.
- These projects must take place during the school day and in partnership with a public school. In addition, please note the following:
- After School:
- AE projects may take place in a school or community-based setting, such as a library, school, community center, or arts organization.
- Proposed projects must be provided to a close group of youth learners, meaning they are not open to the general public.
- Individual Artist (IA) DEC funding is designed to increase support for local artist-initiated activity and to highlight the role of artists as important members of the community. Eligible applications must meet the following requirements:
- Projects must take place between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.
- Applicants must be an individual artist residing in Erie or Niagara County. NOTE: All project activities must take place in the same county in which you are an applicant.
- Applicants must be at least eighteen (18) years of age or older.
- Projects must include new works in any artistic discipline that serve communities and provide ways for communities to connect with it.
- Projects must reflect the life and/or culture of the artist or the artist’s community.
- Projects must engage a segment of the community through some form of feedback, response, interaction, and/or social practice.
- Fiscal sponsorship by a 501c3 organization is not needed. Applicants will apply for this grant as an individual.
For more information, visit https://www.asiwny.org/dec-grants/