Cultural and Aesthetic Guidelines

Cultural Trust Application Guidelines

About the Montana Arts Council

The Montana Arts Council (MAC) is the agency of state government established to develop the creative potential of all Montanans, advance education, spur economic vibrancy, and revitalize communities through involvement in the arts. MAC is governed by 15 council members appointed by the Governor, and is funded by both state and federal government.

Program Description

Cultural & Aesthetic Projects (C&A) boosts cultural vitality statewide by investing in programs, activities, and acquisitions. These investments include:

the visual, performing, literary and media arts
history, archaeology, and folklore
archives, libraries, and collections
historic preservation and the renovation of cultural facilities

C&A prioritizes applications from those serving rural communities, racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, institutionalized populations, youth, and the aging. Successful applicants will expand opportunities for all Montanans to create, participate in, and appreciate Montana’s wide range of cultural resources.

Funding for C&A is derived from the interest earnings of the Cultural Trust fund created in Montana Annotated Code (MCA) 15-35-108. C&A is established and defined in MCA 22-2-3 and guided by Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 10.111.7. The Montana Arts Council administers the program for the Legislature.

The Cultural and Aesthetic Projects Advisory Committee (C&A Advisory Committee) reviews applications and makes funding recommendations to the legislature. The goal is to spread C&A support statewide to reflect and strengthen the diverse cultures, skills, talents, and contributions of the people of Montana. The C&A Advisory Committee consists of 16 members, half appointed by the Montana Arts Council and half by the Montana Historical Society.

Successful applicants will include a variety of interests and disciplines. The funded proposals will expand opportunities and provide enrichment to the population at large.

Application Deadline is 5:00 pm on Thursday, August 1, 2024.

Staff Contact

Kristin Han Burgoyne - kburgoyne@mt.gov or 406-444-6449

Review Criteria

Unique programming or service provided
Community value
Feasibility
Exceptional Service to a priority area

In your application, please be specific and clear about your service, your audience, and your impact in the community or state. Support your claims with evidence, either in the narrative or in supplemental materials. Reviewers will have limited time to review your website, so provide direct links and clear instructions if you refer reviewers to your site.

Award Amounts

C&A grants are derived from interest earnings on the Cultural Trust. Awards will generally be

$2,000-$20,000 for the two-year grant period. The average award for the current cycle is approximately $10,000 ($5,000/year). Applicants may request amounts up to that which they can match and is necessary for the project or activity. When grant awards are lower than request amounts, activities and outcomes may be modified and must be approved by MAC.

Additional funds may sometimes be added to a base award to help support exceptional service.

Based on current interest earning predictions, MAC recommends you apply for $20,000. ($10,000/year)

Request Types

Applicants may apply for funds in only one of the following categories. When selecting a request category, applicants must consider the differences in match requirements and required information. MAC defines an in-kind match as necessary good or services, which, if not donated, would be a cash expense.

Special Project: for specific activities, services or events of limited duration. These requests can include the expansion of ongoing programs to meet defined needs and may generate new sources of revenue. These requests require a 1:1 cash or in-kind match. Applicants will be required to submit a project budget. Applicants in this category are not required to provide two previous fiscal years of financial information. Any costs above and beyond the continuation of the current programming (new or expanded staff, for example) must be in Special Projects. Section 22-2-309 states the operational support category as: “operational support for cultural institutions that have been in existence for at least two years and whose budgets reflect only the costs of continuing their current program."

Operational Support: for cultural institutions that have been in existence for at least two years. Funds are to be used for continuing These requests require a 1:1 cash or in-kind match. Applicants must submit financial statements that include profit and loss for the two most recently completed fiscal years.
Capital Expenditure: for additions to a collection or acquisition of works of art, artifacts, or historical documents. These requests can include historic preservation, construction or renovation of cultural facilities, and the purchase of equipment over $5,000. These requests require a 3:1 cash or in-kind match for each dollar of grant funds. An application that may affect prehistoric or historic properties must document cooperation with the State Historic Preservation Office in evaluating the possible impact and the appropriateness of plans. Requests for facility acquisition, construction, or renovation will need to identify the completion date, include a summary of the total costs, information about sources and amounts of additional funds, and prior fund- raising efforts.
Challenge Grant for Endowment Development is a grant category in the law and was last funded in 1997. MAC does not anticipate fund earnings at a level sufficient for these requests in this cycle.

Grant Period

Grants awarded through this cycle of C&A must be committed between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2027. C&A is a biennial grant paid over two years, based upon the cash flow needs of the projects and the Cultural Trust fund earnings available. If the grant activities do not occur, or if the grant and matching funds are not spent or accrued during the grant period, the grant award will revert to the Cultural Trust.

Eligible Applicants

All applicants must be one of the following:

A non-profit organization incorporated in Montana and registered and in good standing with the Montana Secretary of State. Applicants may be required to submit documentation of Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) ruling.
A governing unit, defined as a state, region, county, city, town, or Indian tribe. Applicants will be required to submit a letter on official letterhead, with the date the program seeking support was established and signed by the authorizing official. College and university requests must significantly extend services beyond the Proposed activities cannot meet school accreditation standards, mandated requirements, or supplant other funds for current or ongoing programs operated by schools, colleges, or universities.
Any person, association, or group may apply using an eligible fiscal partner. Applicant organizations serving as a fiscal partner are limited to one application and become the legal applicant of record. MAC will not serve as a fiscal partner.

Requirements

Applicants must:

Obtain a UEI-SAM (Unique Entity Identifier-System for Award Management) number (prior to June 30, 2025) sam.gov
Comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ada.gov

Review Process

If additional information is required, MAC will contact the email address Do not submit information unless requested.
Applications may be reviewed in subsets based on category, the number of paid staff, facility operation or ownership, budget size, geography.
The C&A Advisory Committee reviews proposals against the review criteria before they are submitted to the The Committee’s recommendations to the Legislature are advisory only. MAC has no decision-making authority and only provides administrative services for the C&A Advisory Committee and the Legislature.
Applicants will be identified by name, and all information submitted is public information. Applicants will be notified of the review meeting dates, times, and options for participating.
Applicants must refrain from contacting the review committee, individually or as a group, before or during the review Applicants attending the review meeting as observers will not be allowed to discuss their application.
A summary of comments is available to applicants upon request. Applicants are encouraged to contact MAC staff after the review to receive feedback, regardless of the outcome of the process. Committee discussions and comments provide insights about effective grant writing and how applications are perceived and understood.
Recommendations will be presented to the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Long- Range Planning during the legislative session via HB9. Applicants will be notified and may provide public testimony for this legislative committee.

Notification

Applicants will be notified of funding decisions electronically in May 2025.

General Information

Is this your first Cultural Trust grant application submitted?*

Applicant Designation*

501 (c) 3 non-profit

Unit of Government

University or College

Individual Using Fiscal Partner

Other

Has your organization been incorporated for at least two years?*

Organizations incorporated for less than two years may only apply in the Special Project Category.

Grant Category*

Special Project

Operational Support

Capital Expenditure

Start Date (mm/dd/yyyy)*

Must be on or after July 1, 2025.

End Date (mm/dd/yyyy)*

Must be on or before June 30, 2027.

Application Title*

A descriptive title of the application or program. This is the reference title for your application.

Character Limit: 100

One Sentence Description of the Program or Project*

Character Limit: 250

Mission Statement*

The mission statement will be provided to the Long-Range Planning Committee. Do not duplicate information between the mission statement and executive summary.

Character Limit: 1000

Executive Summary*

This description of the work you propose will be provided to the Long-Range Planning Committee, and will be the only written description they receive. Make sure it is clear, to the point, and that it completely describes the application request.

(2000 characters is approximately 350-400 words or 2/3 of a page)

Character Limit: 2000

Number of Volunteers Involved*

The total number of volunteers participating in the application or program.

Paid Staff*

Provide the number of paid Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) staff, based on a 40 hour work-week. For example: if three paid staff work part-time, they are equivalent to 1.5 FTE.

Provide the number of FTE for the organization (or department), not the project.

Is application being made by or on behalf of an organization which owns a cultural facility?*

A cultural facility is a building or number of buildings operated significantly for the purpose of presenting public programs and activities in one or more eligible projects.

No facility

Operate a facility

Own & Operate a facility

When a cultural facility is involved, disclose the facility owner and operator.

County or municipality owned facility support

Please tell us specifically the level of local support by the facility owner. Facilities owned and operated by a county or municipality must receive financial support for the facility from the county or municipality. (Examples: general funds, revenue sharing, other cash, mill levy (include the number of mills), block grants and in-kind.

Facilities owned by a county or municipality but operated by a nonprofit organization are expected to have financial support from the county or municipality, but must have, at a minimum, in-kind support for the facility from the county or municipality. If it's only in-kind support, specify the goods and services.

State Historic Preservation Office letter of agreement*

Projects affecting prehistoric or historic properties, or on properties covered by historic preservation covenants, will contact the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to evaluate the possible impact on these properties and appropriateness of plans and provide SHPO with all relevant information about the property & application plans and submit a letter from SHPO outlining how the project can proceed in a way that preserves significant historic or prehistoric properties. The C&A Advisory Committee may determine that a project recommended for funding requires a SHPO letter, which must be received before grant funds can be released.

Have you contacted the State Historic Preservation Office to obtain a letter of agreement?

SHPO Letter

SHPO letter upload, if applicable.

Financial Information

What will the grant funds be used for?*

Provide a brief description of what grant funds will be used for. (For example: "Costs associated with visiting artists" or "General operating support")

Character Limit: 100

Total Grant Amount Requested*

The total amount requested for the entire two-year grant period. A 1:1 match is required for Special Projects & Operating Support. A 3:1 match is required for Capital Expenditures.

Financial Statements

Acceptable financial statements include an audit report, statement of financial activities, or board-approved year-end statements. Departments that are a sub-set of a larger organization should provide information for that unit. Organizations with budgets of more than $50,000 must submit a 990 or document with similar information. Please submit only the first 5 pages of lengthy 990's.

Special Projects and Capital Expenditures will upload the most recently completed one year of financial statements. Operating Support will upload the most recently completed two years of financial statements.

Fiscal Year End Date*

Most Recently Completed Fiscal Year*

Choices FY23 FY24 CY23 Other

Most Recently Completed Fiscal Year Upload*

Most Recently Completed FY Total Expenses*

Most Recently Completed FY Total Revenues*

Prior Completed Fiscal Year

Choices FY21 FY22 FY23 CY22 CY23 Other

Prior Completed Fiscal Year Upload

Prior Completed FY Total Expenses

Prior Completed FY Total Revenues

Financial Explanation

Explain any features of your financials that would benefit from more information. (IE outside accounts or funds, sale of assets, deficits, profits, rainy day funds, capital or endowment campaigns, operating budget increases of over 10% per year etc.)

Character Limit: 1500

In-Kind Donations

Provide a summary of in-kind donations that identifies the donor and the cash value, when available. In-kind donations are necessary goods and services that, if not being donated, would otherwise be cash expenses. Documentation of in-kind donations is not required but may be included if it strengthens the application.

Character Limit: 1000

Special Projects & Capital Expenditures Detailed Project Budget

Provide a detailed project budget. Capital Expenditures applications must include a summary of the total cost of the capital expenditure from beginning to end; information about sources and amounts of funds already committed and anticipated to be received; and plans for obtaining the balance of funds based on prior fund raising efforts.

File Size Limit: 3 MB

Capital Expenditure Operating Costs

Capital Expenditures Only. Explain future operating costs if the project will significantly impact these costs. (For example: Operating costs for a building addition or energy savings from an upgraded furnace project.)

Character Limit: 1000

Capital Expenditure Overall Completion Date

Narrative

Character count includes spaces and punctuation. It is recommended to draft responses in a separate document, save, and paste into the fields below.

Criteria #1: Unique programming or service provided includes the:

Professionalism and quality of the services that the project/program will involve
The unique culture This might include a description of a specific artform or the particular situation that brought about the need for this project or application.

Criteria #2: Community value includes the:

Connection of the project/program to the community
The community is engaged with the project/program and supports the
The proposal supports the mission of the

Criteria #3: Feasibility includes:

A well-thought-out and cohesive application
Ability to carry out the project/programming based on the appropriateness of the budget/financials, the proposed timeline, the quality and clarity of the activities and goals, the resources and partners involved, and the qualifications of the personnel.

Criteria #4: Exceptional Service to a Priority Area includes:

Projects or programs that serve the state as a whole or focus on communities or populations with limited access to cultural & aesthetic activities.

Value of Service*

Describe the programs and services provided and how they fill a cultural Special Project requests should focus on the proposed program.

Character Limit: 3500

Audience and Geographic Area*

Define the target audience for the services Who is the community served?

Character Limit: 3500

Proof of Value*

Provide an example of an outcome that demonstrates the value of the service

Character Limit: 3500

Exceptional Service to a Priority Area*

Taken as a whole, Cultural & Aesthetic grants should encourage the expansion of opportunities for all Montanans to create, participate in, and appreciate a wide range of all cultural and aesthetic activities regardless of age, sex, race, ethnic origin, income, physical and mental ability, or place of residence.

Provide an example of how the proposed program or project expands access to cultural and aesthetic Especially important are examples of statewide programs, or opportunities for communities whose access is limited by geography, income, age, or other factors.

Character Limit: 3000

Current Board List*

Attach a list of the current board members with name, affiliations, city, phone, and email. For units of government, provide oversight committee or advisory council.

Character Limit: 6000 | File Size Limit: 3 MB

Special Projects. Job Description for expanding or adding staff.

Special project application expanding current staff or adding new staff, include a job description. The description should include job title, qualifications, responsibilities and activities.

How will this expansion/addition be funded after the grant period is over?

Character Limit: 1500 | File Size Limit: 5 MB

Uploads

Support

Explain how the materials uploaded and linked below support the application.

Character Limit: 3000

Optional Supplemental Material Upload

Character Limit: 1100 | File Size Limit: 10 MB

Optional Supplemental Material Upload 2

Character Limit: 1100 | File Size Limit: 10 MB

Optional Letter of Support or Other Supplemental Material

File Size Limit: 8 MB

Optional Letter of Support or Other Supplemental Material

File Size Limit: 8 MB

Optional Letter of Support or Other Supplemental Material

File Size Limit: 8 MB

Link Instructions

Reviewers will have limited time to review websites. Therefore please provide direct links and clear instructions to any website evidence to be reviewed.

Example: Evidence of program serving veterans.

Character Limit: 500

Links to Additional Information

Character Limit: 2000

Assurances

How did you learn about the Cultural Trust program?

Character Limit: 1500

Assurances*

Click here to read the assurances, including required Coal Language Acknowledgement text.

Review of Application*

I have reviewed the guidelines and understand that my application will be measured against the criteria by the evaluation committee and recommended to the Long-Range Planning Committee. I understand that it is my responsibility to provide a complete and accurate application. I have reviewed the PDF file of my application and understand that this is how it will appear to the evaluation committee.

Applicant Signature

Type your name and title in the field below