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GRANT PERIOD: March 15, 2020 to December 30, 2020

View the list of Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grant awards.

Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grants are one-time grants made possible through a $3 million allocation of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to the state's arts and cultural sector by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt. The grants are available to assist organizations that provide arts and cultural programming and have incurred expenses as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, museums, historical societies, colleges and universities, tribal nations, and departments of city and county government may be eligible. Complete eligibility criteria is listed below. Guidelines for Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grants reflect the Oklahoma Arts Council’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations in the investment of funding throughout the state.

Oklahoma's arts and cultural sector has been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations have experienced significant losses in earned and contributed income, resulting in widespread furloughs, layoffs, and cancelation of artist contracts. The Oklahoma Arts Council is deeply appreciative of the support for the arts and cultural sector provided by Governor Stitt through this investment of CARES Act funding.

Questions related to Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grants may be directed to Thomas Tran, Grants Director, at thomas.tran@arts.ok.gov or (405) 521-2041.

Timeline

Application Opens
December 1

Login Request Deadline (last day for organizations new to Oklahoma Arts Council grants to request a login to the grant system)
December 4, 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. Exceptions will not be made due to federal CARES Act requirements.

Application Deadline
December 8, 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. Exceptions will not be made due to federal CARES Act requirements.

Notification of Awards
Mid-December. Awards will be determined by the Governor-appointed Oklahoma Arts Council board in mid-December. Notices will be sent immediately following award determinations. Organizations that are awarded a grant must log in to the Oklahoma Arts Council grant system and accept their award promptly upon receiving their award notification.

Contract Acceptance Deadline
December 20, 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. Exceptions will not be made due to federal CARES Act requirements.

Payment
December 30. Payments will be processed by the Oklahoma Arts Council and the State of Oklahoma promptly following an organization's acceptance of their grant award. In order to meet federal CARES Act requirements, grant payments must be made by December 30, 2020.

Award Requirements (Final Report, Letters of Appreciation, and Social Media Campaign)
Organizations that are awarded a grant must agree to fulfill all requirements of the award. Requirements include the submission of an online final report, submission of three letters of appreciation, and participation in a social media campaign related to the grant. Due to the strict timeline for the State of Oklahoma to issue payments on this grant, award requirements may be completed by grantees after they have received payment. The deadline by which all award requirements must be fulfilled will be announced soon.

Award Requirements

Organizations receiving Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grant awards must fulfill the three requirements outlined below.

Online Final Report

NOTE: Online final reports will be available soon. Grantees will receive an email notification when final reports are available.

Organizations receiving grant awards must agree to submit an online final report. The final report will be due after payment has been made. To access the final report, an organization's Grant Contact will need to log in to the Oklahoma Arts Council grant system (NOTE: Online final reports will be available soon. Grantees will receive an email notification when final reports are available).

Letters of Appreciation

Organizations receiving Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grants must send a letter of appreciation to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt. Copies of the letter should be sent to the organization's Oklahoma state senator and Oklahoma state representative. To fulfill the requirement, organizations should follow the below instructions:

1. Write a letter to Oklahoma Governor J. Kevin Stitt expressing appreciation on behalf of your organization for his investment of CARES Act funding in Oklahoma's arts and cultural industry. Download a template letter.

2. Mail the letter to:
   The Honorable J. Kevin Stitt
   Governor of Oklahoma
   Oklahoma State Capitol
   2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
   Oklahoma City, OK 73105

3. Mail carbon copies of the letter to your organization's state senator and state representative. Use Find My Legislator to identify your organization's state senator and state representative (please use your organization's physical address to identify them).

4. Email copies of the letters to grants@arts.ok.gov as part of the award requirements for the Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grant.

 

Social Media Campaign

Organizations receiving Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grants must participate in a social media campaign that will acknowledge the grant support provided by Governor Stitt through the Oklahoma Arts Council. To fulfill the requirement, organizations should follow the below instructions:

1. Print the Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grants flier. Download the flier.

2. Have someone from your organization pose for a photo with the flier. Consider including something arts-related in the background of your photo.

3. Post the photo to your organization's Facebook or Twitter page.

4. Tag Governor Stitt and the Oklahoma Arts Council in your post.
   Facebook: @GovStitt @OklahomaArtsCouncil
   Twitter: @GovStitt @OKArtsCouncil
   

5. In your post, describe the impact of the grant for your organization and community. (Example: "Our revenues are down 50% this year because of the pandemic. This relief grant from @GovStitt and @OKArtsCouncil will help us continue serving our community through our arts programs.")

6. Email a copy of the photo to grants@arts.ok.gov as part of the award requirements for the Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grant.

What if my organization is not on Facebook or Twitter?

Organizations that are not on Facebook or Twitter can fulfill the social media campaign requirement by including in their final report support materials a digital photo of someone from the organization holding the completed flier. The Oklahoma Arts Council reserves the right to use the photo in social media posts.

Questions about the letters of appreciation or social media campaign should be directed to Oklahoma Arts Council Director of Marketing and Communications at joel.gavin@arts.ok.gov or (405) 521-2037.

Who Can Apply?

Applicant organizations must offer arts programming and have a minimum annual operating budget of $10,000.

Applications will be accepted from the following Oklahoma-based entities:

• 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations incorporated in the State of Oklahoma as a Domestic Not for Profit Corporation (nonprofits registered only as charitable organizations in Oklahoma are not eligible)

  • Must have been in existence as a fully functioning Oklahoma-based nonprofit as of February 15, 2020

  • Must have a DUNS number

  • Must be in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and State of Oklahoma

• Historical societies

• City and county government departments

• Tribal nations

• Colleges and universities

• Public libraries

Funding Priorities

Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grants are competitive, and funding will be prioritized for organizations with arts-based missions that serve geographically isolated areas, under-resourced communities, culturally diverse populations, and underrepresented groups.

Grant Funding

Arts-based organizations are eligible for funding based on their full operating budget (not counting capital expenditures and grants or other financial assistance to organizations or individuals). Non-arts organizations are eligible for funding based on the portion of their budget dedicated to arts programming (including arts-related operations and administration). Grant amounts will be awarded based on an applicant's current-year operating budget, capped at the amounts shown below.

Budget range with maximum award
$5 million and above = up to $100,000
$3 million to $5 million = up to $75,000
$1 million to $2,999,999 = up to $50,000
$300,000 to $999,999 = up to $25,000
$100,000 to $299,999 = up to $20,000
$75,000 to $99,999 = up to $10,000
$50,000 to $74,999 = up to $7,500
$25,000 to $49,999 = up to $5,000
$10,000 to $24,999 = up to $2,500

There is no match requirement for an Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grant. Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grants are competitive, and funding may be prioritized for organizations that serve geographically isolated areas, under-resourced communities, culturally diverse populations, and underrepresented groups.

Important Considerations about CARES Act Funding

State and federal funds cannot be used by grant recipients to support more than 100 percent of a single expenditure. If an organization received funding through the Oklahoma Business Relief Program (from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce), that amount will be deducted from their Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grant total. Organizations that received pandemic-related funding through other state and federal programs (such as U.S. Small Business Administration disaster/pandemic loans, Paycheck Protection Program, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), municipal level CARES Act funding, Oklahoma Humanities H.O.P.E. grants, or others) should make sure that funds from different sources do not support more than 100 percent of a single expenditure.

What Expenses are Eligible?

Grant funding can assist with reimbursement of pandemic-related expenses incurred between March 15, 2020 to December 30, 2020. The following expenses are eligible:

• Payroll expenses: Salary and benefit costs for staff member(s) who officially serve as COVID coordinators and are responsible for the organization’s pandemic response are eligible. The COVID coordinator should be responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of organizational policies and plans for employees, volunteers, and/or audiences/public. Payroll expenses for these staff member(s) cannot be covered by other federal COVID-19 pandemic funding for these position(s) for the same period of time.
  

• Distance learning: expenses related to facilitate distance learning, including technological improvements and virtual programming delivery, to ensure arts education and arts access for all Oklahomans
  

• COVID business interruption: Expenditures related to reimburse expenditures for the cost(s) of business interruption, cleaning expenditures and other COVID related costs to pivot to digital programming and/or reopening costs
  

• PPE and other medical supplies: Expenses for the acquisition and distribution of medical and protective supplies for their employees, volunteers, and/or audiences/public
  

• Disinfectant and sanitization costs: Expenses related to safely sanitizing spaces for employees, volunteers, and/or the public
  

• Public safety measures: Any directly related expenditures to ensure public safety undertaken in response to COVID-19
  

• Other COVID-19 related expenses: Expenses required to safely open their facilities to the public, both partially or at full capacity, in compliance with state and CDC guidelines
  

• Not eligible: Any expenses not related to COVID-19 pandemic response or business interruption/impact, debt payment, capital expenditures not directly tied to the COVID pandemic, fundraising, or lobbying expenditures

How to Apply

NOTE: Applications were accepted through December 8, 2020, at 11:59 p.m.

Step 1: If your organization has not applied for an Oklahoma Arts Council grant within the past three years, please complete our Grant System Login Request Form no later than December 4. The form provides us with information needed to determine your organization’s eligibility for grant funding. Once you have access, you can log in and apply for a grant. If you have questions about logging in, please contact our grants office at (405) 521-2040 or grants@arts.ok.gov.

Step 2: Log in to our grant system and complete an Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grant application. Submit the application no later than the December 8 deadline.

FAQs

Q. Do I have a Grant System Login? How do I obtain one?
A. Please complete our Grant System Login Request Form no later than December 4. If you have questions about logging in, please contact our grants office at (405) 521-2040 or grants@arts.ok.gov.

Q. If my organization received an Oklahoma CARES Grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council, are we eligible for an Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grant?
A. Yes, but be sure to review the Important Considerations About CARES Act Funding section above.

Q. Why will our organization receive the grant payment before our final report is due?
A. To ensure the $3 million in funding to the state arts and cultural sector through the Oklahoma Arts Council is expended by the federal and state deadlines, organizations must accept their grant contract by December 20 by 11:59 PM Central Standard Time in order for payment to be processed. Terms requiring organizations to complete a final report can be found in the grant contract.

Q. My organization provides arts programs, but we are not an arts organization. Can we apply for funding?
A. If your organization does not have a clearly defined focus on the arts (as outlined in its IRS Form 990 and/or in its most recent board-approved strategic plan), but can demonstrate a strong and consistent record of having provided arts programming, it may be eligible for funding through this grant program. Please note that the amount of funding for which you would be eligible will be based on your current-year budget directly related to arts programming.

Q. We have pandemic-related expenses dating back to the start of the pandemic. Can this grant be used for expenses we incurred in the spring of 2020?
A. Funds from the grant can cover eligible expenses between March 15, 2020 – December 30, 2020. Your grant funds must be used towards eligible expenses by the end of the grant period on December 30, 2020.

Q. Can this grant be used toward our capital campaign?
A. No, this grant is designed specifically to assist with expenses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as outlined under “What Expenses are Eligible?”

Q. Do I need to tell the Oklahoma Arts Council what we purchase?
A. For the grant application and the grant final report, be prepared to describe in general how you utilized the grant funds. As with all Oklahoma Arts Council grants, we require that you keep receipts and records from your expenses (please reference your grant contract for more information).

Q. When will we receive the funds?
A. Your grant payment will process as soon as your Authorizing Official accepts the online grant contract. Your payment will be processed no later than December 30.

Q. How will I know when the funds have been paid?
A. We recommend you stay in contact with your organization’s financial officer about the arrival of the payment. Please ensure that the funds are allocated in accordance with the grant guidelines and submitted application.

Who to Contact for Help

Questions related to Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry Relief Grants may be directed to Thomas Tran, Grants Director, at thomas.tran@arts.ok.gov or (405) 521-2041.