For Schools and Organizations
Artists in Schools & Communities Residencies
Sponsor Guidelines part 2
CONTENTS
- Get the Application
- MAC Strategic Blueprint Eduation Goal
- Deadlines
- Program Components
- Who Can Apply
- Artist Residency Program Descriptions
- How to Choose an Artist, Company, Folklorist or Arts Organization
- Residency Pre-planning Required
- Sample Week-Long Residency Schedule
- Required for All Applications
- Recommended for Applications
- How To Build Your Residency Budget
- What the Arts Council Can Fund
- What We Do Not Fund
- Application Procedure
- Tips For Preparing Your Application
- Application Checklist
Required for All Applications
- A clearly defined work plan that includes:
- The planning process
- The artist's involvement in the process
- Goals agreed upon with the artist/arts organization
- Any community involvement in the planning and implementation
- Activities must include hands-on, participatory experiences that increase or strengthen participants' knowledge and skills in the arts, with an emphasis on the process — not polished products
- Core Group Sessions or Workshops consisting of small group(s) (maximum 30) of interested students or adults who work with the artist each day of the residency
- A maximum of four hours per day of direct contact with residency participants (and no more than four classes/workshops per day)
- If the residency takes place during weekdays, this translates into roughly 20 hours per week. (Fewer hours may be used for Visiting Artists.)
- Hours may also be spread over more days (for example, 2 hours per day over 2 days or 1 hour for each of 4 days)
- The budget must itemize projected expenses and projected revenue
- A plan for effective assessment with measurable learning objectives. Possible formats might include a checklist, a rubric, or a portfolio of the participants work
You can download a document to help you with measureable objectives and assessment at the link below:
"Learning Objectives and Assessment" as a Word document © 2003 Eric Johnson
- Evidence of the quality and creativity of the proposed program and the Sponsor's ability to carry it out within the time allotted
- Evidence of efforts to identify and minimize barriers so that a diverse group of people can access this opportunity. Barriers might be: physical, intellectual, emotional, geographic, cultural, and/or economic
- At least one activity hosted by the Sponsor that is open to the public if they wish to attend, such as a community workshop, open house, exhibition, or performance. (Not required for Artist Visits.) The Arts Council believes that allowing the public to take part in these activities promotes and nurtures community support for the arts in Montana schools.
- Any publication or press release must include the following wording in at least 12 point type: "This residency is funded in part by the Montana Arts Council's Artists in Schools and Communities program and the National Endowment for the Arts." Also, logos for both agencies are provided in the packet of materials supplied with your grant contract from the Montana Arts Council. You can download digital versions of the logos here.
If you have trouble saving the logos to your computer try right clicking the link above and for Internet Explorer choose "Save Target As . . ." and for Netscape choose "Save Link As . . .."
Recommended for Applications
- If the residency takes place in a school, a Teacher Session conducted by the artist(s) before, during or after the residency is strongly recommended. This session should improve the teacher's ability to teach the arts — a very important component that ensures a more lasting impact of an artist's residency.
- Documentation of the residency in the form of a student exhibit, publication, video, slides, web-site, and/or photos. If sending digital photos, a minimum of 200 dpi is preferred so that MAC can reproduce them in the State of the Arts newspaper
How to Build Your Residency Budget
Sponsors must develop a budget that itemizes the following:
Expenses:
- Artist Fee (as published in the Artist Registry on our web site at http://art.mt.gov/schools/artedmenu.asp)
- Per Diem: (Note: Travel and lodging reimbursements cannot be paid to artists or companies based in the same town or city as the Sponsor. Also, the final decision on any proposed reduction of per diem rests with the residency artists.)
For current travel, meals and lodging rates click here.
- Special arts materials (see Supplies in What the Arts Council Can Fund, below)
Revenue:
- Projected revenue generated by admissions to public events and/or exhibitions, publications or other sources (Please indicate revenue sources)
- Other funds received or anticipated — for example, from business sponsorships, PTA, school district, etc. (Please indicate funding sources)
What the Arts Council Can Fund
The Montana Arts Council may fund up to 1/2 of cash residency expenses.
The Montana Arts Council may fund up to 2/3 of cash residency costs for:
- Class C schools
- Title One schools
- Community organizations and schools applying for the first time
- Small rural schools supervised by county superintendents
This table explains the maximum the Arts Council will reimburse Sponsors for individual artists or company residencies.
| Type | Individual 1/2 |
Individual 2/3 |
Company 1/2 |
Company 2/3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artist Visit | $180/4 hours | $240/4 hours | $900/4 hours | $1,200/4 hours |
| Short-Term Residency |
$900/20 hours | $1,200/20 hours | $1,800/20 hours | $3,600/20 hours |
Special Projects funding will rarely exceed $2,000.
Long-Term Residency funding will rarely exceed $5,000.
Match: All grants must be matched in cash, dollar-for-dollar, except those eligible for 2/3 funding as mentioned above, which require a 1/3 cash match. Montana Arts Council Artists in Schools and Communities grants cannot be matched by federal funds.
Supplies: Basic and common supplies used during the residency are the responsibility of the Sponsor (e.g., paper, crayons, glue, and paint.) The Montana Arts Council may partially fund the cost of special art supplies or other extraordinary materials unique to your residency or special project, but please note that funding is provided only for student grade papers, brushes and paints, etc. Reimbursement for special supplies will require receipts. Please provide a detailed list if supplies are included in your budget.
Administration: In some cases, administrative expenses of up to 15% may be included in the total project budget for long-term community or organizational residencies. For guidance, call Beck McLaughlin at the Arts Education Hotline: 1-800-282-3092
What We Do Not Fund
Funding may not be requested for:
- Performances or assembly programs without accompanying participatory educational activities
- Traveling expenses for staff
- Marketing expenses
- Receptions and related food expense
- Scholarships
- Contests for teachers or students
- Projects that have already been completed
- Purchase of curriculum materials
- Equipment
- Reference manuals
- Universities, colleges or departments thereof, unless the primary emphasis is community outreach
- Grant requests under $100
For school performances and assembly programs in Western Montana, please contact Alayne Dolson at Young Audiences: 406-549-2984.
Application Procedure
(Please call for assistance if you are a first-time or previously unsuccessful applicant – Education Hotline: 1-800-282-3092)
Signatures:
Each grant application must be signed by an individual with the authority to act on behalf of the applicant organization. The artist, folklorist or arts organization must also sign the completed application. A signed application form is the applicant's agreement to do what is described in the application and to comply with the Terms and Conditions. Applicants must keep a complete signed copy of the application on file.
Deadlines:
Deadlines are ongoing. The Montana Arts Council or its designees will review applications on an ongoing basis. Completed applications must be submitted at least six weeks before the beginning of a visit/short-term residency or special project. You must apply three months before the beginning of a long-term residency or for requests of $2,000 or more. Funding is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Letters of Agreement:
The Arts Council requires that you use a Letter of Agreement between the Sponsor applicant and the artist or arts organization. A sample Letter of Agreement will be included in the information packet sent to you if your grant is approved.
Notification:
When a grant is awarded, the Sponsor will receive:
- An award letter
- An information packet
- Final report forms
Once approved, no changes may be made to the grant for its duration or scope unless requested by the Sponsor in advance, and approved in writing by the Arts Council. The application is a legal document. Sponsors that do not follow the terms of the application may be required to return Arts Council funding, jeopardizing future funding.
Payment:
For Artist Visits or a Short Term Residency: The Sponsor must pay the artist the full amount, including travel and per diem on the last day of the residency. Payment to the Sponsor will then be made within 30 days of the Montana Arts Council's receipt of final reports from the Artist and Sponsor. All final reports are due within one month of project completion.
Special Projects and Long Term Residencies: Once the contract is signed and returned to the Arts Council, payment will be processed within 30 days.
Tips for Preparing Your Application
- Review guidelines carefully. Call our Education Director, Beck McLaughlin, with any questions – Arts in Education Hotline: 1-800-282-3092
- Consult the Artists Registry, and then use How to Choose an Artist … to help you choose a residency candidate
- Talk with the artist about what he or she does and your goals and expectations – agree on a schedule
- Draft your application narrative: Be concise and specific in the narrative, address all the questions, and be sure to consider the Required… components
- Present a realistic budget – make sure it supports the goals of your project, provide sources where asked on the Budget Form, and check your math
- Have someone who knows nothing about the project read your application for clarity – they may help you understand where your narrative can be strengthened
- Have the application signed by both the artist and the person legally authorized to bind your organization to a contractual obligation
- Grant writing for this program does not require specialized training or expertise, however, the Montana Arts Council gladly offers assistance
- You can download an example of a model application for a short-term residency here.
- Important: Keep a copy of the completed application for your records
- Inform the Montana Arts Council as soon as possible with any changes in your contact person, address, phone number, email, or other pertinent application information.
Application Checklist
- Completed Application form signed by both artist and sponsor
- Complete project Budget, including itemized expenses and revenues
- Schedule that includes planning meeting(s) as well as all residency activities, teacher workshops, if applicable, and public event(s)
- Clear and concise answers to all Narrative questions describing visit, residency or special project
- If the artist, folklorist or arts organization for whom you are requesting funding is not listed in the Artists Registry, his/her resume or biography and work samples must be included (audio/ videotape/ dvd, 10-20 pages of a play or other work of literature, slides or photographs)
