Major Grant Support Guidelines

Purpose of Major Grant Support Program
The Oklahoma Arts Council awards grants for Major Grant Support to maintain or strengthen arts programs provided to the public including outreach to underserved populations. The Major Grant Support category provides matching funds for an organization's arts related projects for the year.

First time applicants are ineligible to apply in this category and should contact the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Grants Office at (405) 521-2931 or okarts@arts.ok.gov

Deadline

February 1 is the deadline for e-grant applications. The required support material must be postmarked on or before February 1
Late applications and/or late support material will not be reviewed – no exceptions.

Who is Eligible for funding?
Only applicants that have an established (within the last two fiscal years) funding history with the Oklahoma Arts Council are eligible and are limited to the following:

Organizations that are non-profit, non-religious, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt and incorporated in the State of Oklahoma
Public School Districts School Districts are required to contact the Arts Education Director at 405-521-2023 prior to applying.
Public Libraries
Public Universities or Colleges
Entities of Local Government (cities or counties)
Tribal Governments

Who is Not Eligible?

Religious institutions as defined by their by-laws
Individuals
State agencies
Individual school sites
First time applicants, please contact the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Grants Office at 405-521-2931 or okarts@arts.ok.gov

What are the Funding Limitations?

Each applicant is eligible to apply for one Major Grant Support Grant per year. Each grant application may include up to 5 separate projects
Requested Amount per project cannot exceed 50% of the total cost of the project and must have at least 1:1 cash match.
The total requested amounts for all projects cannot exceed 50% of the current year’s operating budget.
Applicants are ineligible to apply in any other grant category.

What is the Grant Period?

This is a single application submitted annually, which may include up to 5 separate projects that must take place between July 1 – June 30.

How does the Review Process work?

Applications are reviewed and rated by advisory panels with expertise in their arts discipline or field.
Applications will be rated in response to:
- The completeness of the application
- How well each project within the application meets the established criteria
Organizations should take into consideration that panelist have little or no knowledge of the applicant other than what is presented in the application and that Council staff will not provide any additional information to panelists.

How is Funding Determined?

The Council will only consider funding for projects that show a deficit. The project budget must indicate that the grant amount requested from the Oklahoma Arts Council is needed to assist in meeting the expenses of the project.
The Council will determine the final funding amount each year based on the panel ratings, and the Oklahoma Arts Council’s available funds.
Match Requirements – Organizations are required to match OAC funding with actual cash at least 1:1, although most funding levels are matched by the applicant at a significantly higher ratio.
Limitations – Organizations that apply in Major Grant Support are ineligible to apply in any other OAC grant category.

Budget Definitions - This is not an inclusive list please see the application preview for more information on budget items.
EXPENSES-

Organization’s Personnel-costs associated with the project for services provided by full time or part time employees of your organization. Note: Only 501(c)(3) Arts Organizations are eligible to include these costs.
Outside Personnel - costs associated with the project or services provided by personnel that are contracted and are NOT employees of your organizations.
Space Rental- costs associated with renting a facility other than your organization's to be used specifically for the project. Do not include what it would cost if you rented out your own facility to an outside event, that is not an expense for this project.
Travel - fees associated with travel expenses to bring an artist to your community. OAC will not fund travel outside of the state of Oklahoma. (Note: it is acceptable to include round trip costs for Artists that live outside of Oklahoma.)

INCOME-

Earned Income- any income that is earned through the collection of a fee from a service or sale.
Unearned/Contributed Income- funds provided with no goods or services provided to the funder.
Government Support - Direct funding from government entities NOT including the request from the Oklahoma Arts Council.
Mid-America Arts Alliance Support - Funding received through a grant from Mid- America please see their website for more information.

Deficit Funding: When developing your budget remember that the total of all expenses must equal the total of all income, which includes the requested amount to OAC. Your request is the deficit between what you anticipate in your income and what your expenses for the project will be. Your final report will determine the actual deficit and grant amount that is paid to you, not to exceed the original grant award.

In-kind Contributions are counted both as INCOME and EXPENSE. These are goods and services that are donated and as such have an income value. They are also counted as an expense because if they had not been donated your organization would "pay for" these items.

Scholarships: Scholarships are not an expense item. The goods and services to cover the cost of project are the expense. Example: !0 students with a tuition of $100 with three students receiving full scholarships. The income will show $700, but the costs to provide the class are still for 10 students, so there will be a deficit between the costs for 10 students and the income collected from only 7.

Final Reporting Requirements and Payment

Applicants must submit a separate e-grant Final Report for each funded project within 30 days of the end date of the project to initiate payment process.
Applicants are also required to mail hard copy Final Report Support Materials which must be postmarked on the date of e-grant Final Report submission.
Late Final Reports and/or Support material greatly effect review of future applications.
Extensions for filing a Final Report and Final Report Support Material must be requested at least 5 working days prior to the final report due date to avoid “late “ status. Extensions will not be granted after July 30.
Payments are generally made within 2-6 weeks upon receipt of the Final Report and Support Material for each project.

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