![](_page_0_Picture_0.jpeg) # **Arts in the Schools Grants: Guidelines for Fiscal Year 2026** **Effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026** ### **Program Intent** The Arts in the Schools grant program provides public schools with funding for activities such as artist residencies with a professional artist or organization working in-depth with students, juried student art exhibits, and field trips to art galleries, professional performances, etc. Arts in the Schools grant projects must be open to all students within a grade, subject discipline, or activity, rather than exclusive to a student organization or specific students selected by teachers. Projects may occur during the school year or during the summer. To broaden the total impact, the general community should be involved in some aspect. Examples: invite the community to an exhibit of students' residency work, host a Meet the Artist night, or sponsor a community education class. Detail the community component of your project. ### **Grant Award Amounts** Arts in the Schools grants are available for up to **\$4,000**. The Arts in the Schools grant program is dependent on funding from the voters of Minnesota, thanks to MN State legislative appropriations from the arts and cultural heritage fund and the State's general fund. ### **SW MN Arts Council Contact Info** Contact the SW MN Arts Council (SMAC) office with questions, for a draft review, or if you need accommodations while applying for this grant. Email: [info@swmnarts.org.](mailto:info@swmnarts.org) Phone: 507-537-1471 or 800-622-5284. [Website](http://www.swmnarts.org/) (www.swmnarts.org) # **Table of Contents** | Important Dates and Deadlines 2 | | |--------------------------------------------|--| | Who Can Apply 3 | | | Ineligible Activities 3 | | | How to Apply 4 | | | Grant Review Process 5 | | | Appeals Policy
7 | | | Grant Contract and Distribution of Funds 7 | | | Acknowledgement of Financial Assistance 7 | | | Reporting 8 | | ### **Important Dates and Deadlines** #### **Project Start and End Dates** The start date for a SMAC grant is defined as the point at which the project is set in motion (e.g. auditions, rehearsals, advertising and public notification, payment of fees, ordering and/or paying for supplies or printed material, etc.). No funds can be expended prior to the project start date. Funds spent before the project start date, such as a deposit on a contract, cannot be included in the grant project budget. No advertising by the applicant organization can take place before the start date, whether or not it will be paid for through the grant. However, posting basic information such as event dates is allowed. Projects must be concluded no later than June 30, 2027. #### **Application Deadlines** Applications must be submitted by 4:00 pm on the deadline date. #### *ARTS IN THE SCHOOLS DATES* - Request staff review of application at least one week before deadline - **Monthly Deadlines: 1st of the month August 2025 May 2026** - Board Action: 4th Tuesday of the month - Earliest Project Start Date: 1st of the following month *Monthly Deadline Example:* An application submitted August 20 would be in time for the September 1 deadline, which would have an earliest project start date of October 1. The SMAC board would make funding decisions on September 23, the fourth Tuesday. The applicant would be notified within a few days and could start their project October 1. # **Who Can Apply** #### **Geographic Area** Applicant schools must be located within the SW MN Arts Council service region, consisting of eighteen counties (Big Stone, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Swift, and Yellow Medicine counties) and two tribal nations (Pezihutazizi/Upper Sioux Community, Cansayapi/Lower Sioux Community). We acknowledge that the Southwest Minnesota region occupies the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of the Dakota people. Schools from districts that have some school buildings located outside the SMAC region may apply if the district serves students living in the SMAC region. #### **Types of Organizations** The Arts in the Schools grant program is open to public schools and community education. Both types of organizations may apply under the Arts in the Schools program for school-related projects and under Art Projects for community-related projects. ### **Ineligible Activities** The following activities are NOT eligible for these grants: - Applications that do not have an art focus - Requests from parochial schools - Activities of a for-profit project, organization, or business - Payment of school personnel, excluding substitute teachers while the regular teacher is participating in the project - Substitutions for regular school programs, including substitutions for cancelled arts programs that would normally have been part of the curriculum - Supplies outside of those needed for the project - Payment of costs for projects that will take place outside the geographic boundaries of the state of Minnesota or costs related to travel outside the state of Minnesota, including performer, artist, or consultant travel. - Requests for new building construction, purchase of real estate, or endowment funds. - Fundraising events. Grant funding should allow projects to break even, not make a profit. - Activities which are not open to the public. Projects must be inclusive and accessible in their process and/or final product, considering economic, geographic, and physical accessibility, as well as the cultural, racial, ethnic, age, and gender make-up of the community. - Activities essentially for the religious socialization of the participants or audience. - Activities that attempt to influence any state or federal legislation or appropriation. - Applications submitted for the purpose of regranting, lobbying, or scholarships. - Projects that don't provide timely promotion of the project throughout the SMAC region with use of the proper funding credit line and logo. - Requests for funds to account for deficits in projects or programs begun prior to the project earliest start date. In other words, payment of debts incurred before the grant activities begin or outside of the grant project scope of activity. - Applications in which funds are to be used to match other SMAC grant projects. - Budgets exceeding 90% of the total project's cash expenses in combined support from the Minnesota State Arts Board and SW MN Arts Council. - Applicants with past due SMAC final (or other) reports. Any state agency, public entity, or nonprofit organization that receives a legislative appropriation or legislatively mandated grant from the State of Minnesota's arts and cultural heritage fund for FY 2026 is NOT eligible to receive a FY 2026 Arts in the Schools grant. # **How to Apply** ### **Application Assistance** Before beginning an application, applicants are encouraged to contact SW MN Arts Council to determine if this grant program is right for their project and that their activities and expenses are eligible. Other forms of assistance include grant support open office hours, info sessions and webinars, and conversations with staff. Visit the SMAC website for more details. To request a review of your application prior to submission, contact staff at least two weeks prior to the deadline. A staff member will review the application, as time permits, for eligibility and completed requirements. Staff review does not imply that a grant request will be funded. Project quality, content, budget, and accuracy of an application are solely the responsibility of the applicant. ### **Accommodations** Applicants may fill out and submit their application in several ways: - through our online grant system, accessed on our [website](https://swmnarts.org/) (www.swmnarts.org) - in a Word document, submitted by email along with required attachments to [info@swmnarts.org.](mailto:info@swmnarts.org) The document can be found on the webpage for this grant program. - on paper with required attachments, submitted by mail (PO Box 55, Marshall, MN 56258) or contact us to arrange drop-off. Print out a questions document from our website or contact us to request a paper copy. Contact the SW MN Arts Council office if other accommodations such as audio or video responses are needed. ### **Application Questions** In the application, you will describe your proposed project and answer questions related to the following criteria: - the project's artistic quality and merit - the impact on the participants - the feasibility of the project You will also be asked to provide some demographic data and contacts for your school/project. #### **Materials Needed** You will need to provide the following materials: - Project budget - Artist resumes or bios - Sample artist lesson plan, if applicable - Samples of artist's or organization's work (attachments or links) - Evaluation tool (optional) ### **Grant Review Process** #### **Eligibility Check** SMAC staff reviews submitted applications for eligibility and completeness. If there are missing requirements or eligibility concerns, the applicant will have 48 hours to make corrections or provide additional information. Only eligible, complete applications will be forwarded to the grant review panel. #### **Grant Review Panel** A grant panel reviews all eligible applications based on the criteria for the grant program, outlined below. Panelists are chosen for their knowledge and expertise in the arts and nonprofit management and their ability to interpret the guidelines and review criteria equitably and fairly for each application. Geographic representation, ethnicity, and gender are also considered to ensure the panel reflects the diversity of the region. Board and panel members with a conflict of interest in regard to a specific applicant or project declare such and abstain from comment and scoring of that application. #### **Scoring Criteria** The review panel will use the following criteria to score each application: - *Feasibility* (15% of total score) - o The application illustrates a clear plan with reasonable timelines. - o The budget is clearly itemized, responsible, and meets the needs of the project. - *Artistic Quality and Merit* (53% of total score) - o The project's activities have high artistic merit, with the potential for participants to develop knowledge, skills, and understanding of the arts. - o The quality and professionalism of selected artists or arts institutions are at a high level, as shown through the provided artist resumes, work samples, or information on arts institutions. - *Impact on Participants and Audience* (32% of total score) - o The project shows a high degree of depth in engaged student learning and the scope is ageappropriate. - o The project supplements or enhances (not substitutes for) regular school arts programming. - o The project's activities are open and accessible to all who might wish to participate. - o There is some level of community involvement in the project plans. - o The applicant has identified specific proposed changes to take place as a result of their project and a plan to measure or prove whether those changes have taken place. #### **Observation** The date and time of the panel meeting will be posted on the [SMAC calendar](https://swmnarts.org/calendar/) (www.swmnarts.org/calendar/). SMAC operates in the spirit of the State of Minnesota open meeting guidelines, so applicants are allowed to observe grant review panel proceedings. They must notify SMAC staff at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting time if they plan to observe. Applicants will then receive a link if the meeting is virtual. Applicants cannot interact with the panel. If attending virtually, applicants must turn off their microphones and cameras. Grant applicants may not discuss their application with SMAC panelists or board members following the grant deadline, until after the board has acted on the application. Communication regarding an application with SMAC board or panelists during this time will result in the application being ineligible for funding consideration. #### **Priority Points** After panel scoring, applicants will be awarded one additional percentage point for each of the following conditions they meet, to address SMAC's funding priorities: - First time SMAC applicant - Applicant organization led by or primarily serving people from an underserved/underrepresented community - o People who are Black, Indigenous, or other people of color (BIPOC). In the SW MN region, this could include those who are Black, Dakota/Lakota, Hispanic/Latinx, Hmong, Karen, Micronesian, Somali, etc. - o People who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, or two-spirit (LBGTQIA2S+). - o People with disabilities - Applicant from a county that has received three or fewer SMAC grants in the last fiscal year #### **SMAC Board** The recommendations of the panel are submitted to the SMAC Board of Directors for final approval. Grants are awarded in ranked order to applications meeting the criteria, to the extent of funds available. ### **Notification** All applicants will receive email notification of acceptance or denial after the SMAC Board's final funding decisions. If an application receives partial funding, a revised project description and budget must be submitted within 30 days of notification. # **Appeals Policy** Any applicant who can show cause that established grant review procedures were not followed, or can show that the policies of the program are not equitable to all applicants, may file an appeal in writing within ten (10) days of notification of the Board's decision on that application. There is no right of appeal to dispute decisions in regard to each program's respective criteria. Contact SMAC at 800-622-5284 or [info@swmnarts.org](mailto:info@swmnarts.org) for more details about the appeal process. # **Grant Contract and Distribution of Funds** All awarded grantees must sign an electronic contractual agreement within 30 days of notification. Grantees who are individuals must provide a completed W-9 form before a grant check can be issued. Failure to provide any required documents within the prescribed time can result in the cancellation of a grant commitment. A check for 100% of the grant award will be sent to the grantee upon receipt of the signed contract and within thirty days of the project start date. ### **Acknowledgement of Financial Assistance** Funding for this grant program comes from the voters of Minnesota, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund and an appropriation from the MN State Legislature with money from the State's general fund. SMAC's financial assistance must be acknowledged on all publicity and promotional materials through the credit line included in your grant contract. The grant contract will direct you to the specific credit line to use and if the Legacy Logo (shown here) should be used in promotion of the project. ![](_page_6_Picture_9.jpeg) A complete listing of all funding credit lines, logos, and posters is located on the SMAC website[. Grant Credit](https://swmnarts.org/grant-credit-lines/) [Lines and Logos](https://swmnarts.org/grant-credit-lines/) (https://swmnarts.org/grant-credit-lines/) # **Reporting** ### **Interim Report** You may be asked for an interim report if you have multiple outstanding grants from the SW MN Arts Council. ### **Final Report** A final report must be completed within 60 days after the project end date. The report form can be accessed within SMAC's online grant system. The report requires information on the actual costs of the project, participants and audiences, and project outcomes. Grant awards may be reduced if actual expenses are significantly less than projected expenses. Failure to submit a final report within 60 days of the end of the project without a prior request for an extension will result in a 20% penalty on the applicant's next application. If a final report is not submitted within a period of six months after the report deadline, SMAC's [Misuse of](https://swmnarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SMAC-Misuse-of-Funds-Policy-Grantees.pdf) [Funds policy and procedures](https://swmnarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SMAC-Misuse-of-Funds-Policy-Grantees.pdf) will be followed.

Arts in the Schools Grants

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