Deadline: 6-Oct-21
LA (Los Angeles) County Department of Arts and Culture has announced the 2022-23 Organizational Grant Program (OGP) to assist and strengthen nonprofit arts organizations providing quality arts services to Los Angeles County residents.
These diverse cultural services positively impact residents, neighborhoods and communities by providing direct access and increased opportunities for arts activities and programming.
Categories
- Sustainability: Sustainability requests support existing artistic and/or administrative projects that help to sustain the mission and goals of arts organizations. Competitive applicants clearly define the organization’s mission and goals and articulate how the requested project will help to sustain them. Sustainability Category Project Examples:
- Continued compensation and benefits for administrative or artistic staff.
- Support for ongoing costs of production, supplies, equipment, or rent.
- Continuing support for marketing, governance, fund development, or cultural equity and inclusion activities.
- Continuation of artistic programming, including payments for artists or production staff.
- Support for continuing information technology needs, such as computer upgrades, software, and website improvements.
- Organizational Capacity: Organizational Capacity projects request support for new projects that increase the organizational capacity and infrastructure of arts organizations. Competitive applicants have assessed the challenges facing their organization and determined a sustainable plan of action to address one or more of these challenges. Competitive projects will directly relate to increased organizational capacity. Organizational Capacity Project Examples:
- Establishment of new administrative staff positions.
- Significant information technology improvements, such as implementation of accounting, box office, or fund development software.
- Development and implementation of new plans or strategies, such as marketing and public relations strategies, cultural equity and inclusion, research, strategic planning, or board development activities.
- New development activities, such as the creation of an individual giving program.
- Development of new earned income strategies, including the development of revenue through concessions or rental activities.
- Artistic Capacity: Artistic Capacity projects request support for new projects that increase the artistic capacity of arts organizations. Competitive applicants have assessed the artistic needs of their organization and determined a sustainable plan of action for achieving the organization’s aesthetic aspirations. Artistic Capacity Project Examples:
- Additional salaries, benefits, or fees for artistic positions.
- Commissioning new work(s).
- Increased rehearsal time for performing artists.
- Exhibition costs.
- New or additional artistic training opportunities for teaching artists.
- New or increased employment for one or more positions that impacts the artistic product, i.e. technical director, lighting or costume designer.
- Accessibility: Accessibility requests support existing or new projects that provide public access to arts activities and programs. This category enables organizations to make productions, exhibitions, workshops, performances, residencies or other arts activities easily accessible to the public. Accessibility Project Examples:
- Audience development targeted for a specific segment of the population, including those that represent communities of color, low-income communities, LGBTQ, disabled communities, and other communities experiencing barriers to participation in the arts.
- Cultural equity and inclsion and/or other activities that broaden, deepen, or diversify arts participation.
- Arts education activities and programs for youth aged 5-18, including in-school, after school, or summer programs. Please Note: Arts education projects will be reviewed by an arts education panel.
Funding Information
- Sustainability: Up to $199,999
- Organizational Capacity: $200,000 – $999,999
- Artistic Capacity: $1,000,000 – $14,999,999
- Accessibility: $15,000,000+
Eligibility Criteria
Organizations may apply if they meet all of the following eligibility requirements at the time of application:
- Tax exempt status, as defined by the IRS.
- Principal offices in Los Angeles County, with an exception for arts service organizations with offices in Los Angeles County and primary headquarters in California.
- A primary mission to provide arts programming, as demonstrated by more than 50% of the applicant organization’s budget devoted to arts programming.
- A functioning board of directors that meets regularly at minimum once per year, with at least 51% of members residing in California.
- At least two full and consecutive years of producing and programming history in Los Angeles County. During the two year period the organization is required to have produced at least four public performances and/or created and maintained an exhibition that was open to the public for 30 or more days each fiscal year. Fundraising events and programs do not qualify. Exceptions are made for organizations established for the sole purpose of mounting biennial or triennial festivals though these types of organizations are required to have mounted two or more festivals prior to application.
- A submitted Federal Form 990 for a tax year ending on or after December 31, 2019. A submitted Federal Form 990, 990-EZ or 990-N is required of all applicants. Applicants with budgets under $50,000 should submit a copy of their most recently submitted 990-N.
- For organizations with operating budgets of $2,000,000 and above, a financial audit for the applicant organization’s most recently completed fiscal year for a tax year ending on or after June 30, 2019.
- A complete OGP Funder Report downloaded from the SMU DataArts website, showing at least three consecutive recently completed fiscal years. The most recently completed year of the OGP Funder Report must match the end-year of the applicant’s most recently submitted Federal Form 990. For applicants with budgets of $2,000,000 and greater, the most recent year of the OGP Funder Report must also match the applicant’s most recent financial audit. NOTE: For organizations with only two full and consecutive years of producing and programming history, submitting an OGP Funder Report for two recently completed fiscal years is acceptable.
- If reapplying, organizations must have met all Department of Arts and Culture grant conditions during the most recent grant period. Any organization that has not met previous OGP grant contract conditions will be disqualified from reapplying for three years.
- No previous commitment to receive OGP funds during FY2021-2023. Any organization that executed a two-year OGP grant contract in 2021-23 cannot reapply for the 2022-24 program for the purpose of obtaining a higher score or award. An organization may apply to participate in other Department of Arts and Culture initiatives and programs such as the Arts Internship Program.
- New applicants and applicants that did not receive funding the last time they applied to the Organizational Grant Program are required to are required to attend or review an OGP workshop or webinar. No exceptions will be made.
For more information, visit https://www.lacountyarts.org/funding/organizational-grant-program/ogp-grantseekers/ogp-grant-calendar-categories