The American Alliance of Museums is excited to announce the third annual, field-wide, “Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum Week,” August 9-16, 2014. “According to recent research, constituent visits have more impact than any other influence group or strategy,” Alliance President Ford W. Bell said. “An ‘Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum’ event is a great way to build relationships with your legislators. I urge every museum to participate this year.” A step-by-step How To Guide can be found here.
New National Core Arts Standards released: On June 4, 2014, the Coalition for Core Arts Standards held a virtual event celebrating the launch of new standards. Americans for the Arts' has posted a guide to understanding these changes here.
If your organization’s fiscal year ended in June, your annual filing to the IRS is due November 15th unless you file an extension. Almost all tax exempt organizations, even very small ones, must complete one of the 990 series filings, or risk jeopardizing their tax-exempt status. While you’re preparing for your 990 filing, be sure to look into whether you qualify for the Small Employer Health Care Tax Credit and should be filing Form 990-T.
Since its inception in 1978 many museum professionals have come to use Chenhall’s Nomenclature to categorize and organize our museum collections. Now in its third edition, the Nomenclature Task Force of AASLH is preparing to undertake a project to release Nomenclature 4.0. You are invited to recommend new terms, alternative categories for objects, and new definitions of objects. It’s easy to do, won’t take but a few minutes, and can all be done online. Visit http://community.aaslh.org/nomenclature-submissions/, click on the item you’d like to add or change, complete the form, and provide your contact information. All suggestions are welcome; be assured that every recommendation received is given consideration. For a full list of AASLH's Nomenclature Task Force click here.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation released the first-ever study on the catalytic impacts a federal historic tax credit project has on the surrounding neighborhood. Donovan Rypkema of PlaceEconomics studied the neighborhoods surrounding six projects in Georgia, Maryland and Utah. Using different measures, he found that these historic tax credit projects had increased the number of construction permits, business licenses, property values and in some cases, population. To read the full report, click here.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is now accepting nominations for the 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Museums and libraries that would like to be considered for the National Medal should complete the nomination form by October 15. The National Medal honors museums and libraries that demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service and exceed the expected levels of community outreach. Public or private nonprofit museums, including art, history, science and technology, children’s, and natural history museums; historic houses, nature centers, zoos, and botanical gardens; and all types of nonprofit libraries, including public, school, academic, research, and archival, are eligible to receive this honor. The winners are honored at a National Medal award ceremony held in Washington, D.C. For more information and to access the nomination form, click here.
The Biennial Budget passed by the 126th Maine Legislature late this past spring included a $27,500 cap on itemized deductions, including the charitable giving deduction. Conservative estimates found that this cap would cost Maine nonprofits $20 million annually in decreased charitable giving at a time when nonprofits can hardly afford it. Senator James Boyle (Gorham, Scarborough, Westbrook) introduced LD 1664: An Act To Encourage Charitable Contributions to Nonprofit Organizations, which carves the charitable giving deduction out of the overall cap, preserving a tax deduction that benefits the greater good much more than it benefits the tax-payer. LD 1664 faced an uphill battle, but is now the law of the land.
Maine cultural organizations will soon have the opportunity to have trained facilitators help manage the process of creating a disaster plan for their institutions, thanks to a recent grant awarded to the Maine State Museum from Jane's Trust. The project will include two rounds of facilitated planning, from September - December and again in February - May. A year ago, the Maine State Museum formed the Cultural Emergency Resource Coalition (CERC: Maine), a collaborative effort with the Maine Emergency Management Agency and several cultural agencies and conservators. Organizations interested in participating in the program may apply online through the CERC website,www.cercmaine.org (under the Write Your Own Disaster Plan tab). For more information about this project see the CERC website or contact the CERC office at CERC.Maine@gmail.com or (207) 287-6696.
The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant program helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting preventive conservation measures that mitigate deterioration and prolong the useful life of collections. The application deadline is December 3. For more information, click here.
The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Museums, Libraries, and Cultural Organizations grants provide support for organizations that produce public programs in the humanities, including exhibitions, interpretations of historic places, sites or regions, book/film discussion programs, living history presentations, and other face-to-face programs at public venues. Planning grants support the early stages of project development, and implementation grants support final scholarly research and consultation, design development, production, and installation of a project for presentation to the public. Next deadline is August 13. More information available at http://www.neh.gov/grants/public.
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the National Archives supports projects that promote access to America’s historical records to encourage understanding of our democracy, history, and culture. Numerous grant opportunities are available to support preservation, access, digitization, and engagement with historical records. Application deadlines are August 27 and December 4. Complete details at http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/announcement/.
Grants from National Trust Preservation Funds (NTPF) are intended to encourage preservation at the local level by providing seed money for preservation projects. These grants help stimulate public discussion, enable local groups to gain the technical expertise needed for particular projects, introduce the public to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage financial participation by the private sector. The National Trust is particularly interested in projects related to building sustainable communities, reimagining historic sites, promoting diversity and place, and protecting historic places on public lands. Grants generally start at $2,500 and range up to $5,000. Application deadlines are quarterly; the next deadline is October 1.
The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC) offers grants of up to $1,000 toward the development and implementation of Angels Projects not associated with AIC’s Annual Meeting. Funds are to help defray organizational costs, necessary materials and supplies and other expenses such as marketing and publicity. Angels Projects pair conservators with collections that need care. A successful Angels Project includes local and regional publicity on the need for collections care and preservation. The next deadline for the receipt of applications is September 15. Click here for more information.
The GRAMMY Foundation® Grant Program, generously funded by The Recording Academy®, awards grants annually to organizations and individuals to support efforts that advance the archiving and preservation of the recorded sound heritage of North America for future generations, and research projects related to the impact of music on the human condition. The Grant Program funds scientific research projects, ($20,000 maximum award)and archiving and preservation projects ($20,000 maximum award for preservation implementation, $5,000 maximum award for assistance, assessment and/or consultation); A letter of inquiry is required before submission of a full application. The deadline each year for submitting letters of inquiry is October 1. For more information on the GRAMMY Foundation, please visit http://www.grammy.org/grammy-foundation/grants.
Google Ad Grants offers eligible non-profit organizations up to $10,000 per month in in-kind AdWords™ advertising to promote their missions and initiatives on Google.com. The program is available to 501(c)(3) organizations that have a functioning website with substantial content, excluding hospitals, healthcare organizations, schools, childcare centers, academic institutions, and universities. You create advertisement and key word searches that relate your nonprofit, services, and organization as a whole, and when people use Google to search for related offerings online, your ad may appear next to the search results. When people click the ad, they will be directed to your website. For full program details, click here.
Through the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP), professional conservators identify conservation priorities by spending two days at your location and three days writing a report about your museum’s collection, environmental conditions, and site. The report can help museums develop strategies for improving collections care and provide a tool for long-range planning and fund-raising. CAP is supported through a cooperative agreement between IMLS and Heritage Preservation. The 2015 application will be available October 1 and the application deadline is December 1. Visit http://www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP/ for more information.
The James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation provides mid-career grants of up to $15,000 to professionals working in the fields of historic preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, environmental planning, architectural history and the decorative arts. The foundation will consider proposals for the research and/or the execution of the preservation-related projects in any of these fields. Projects will be evaluated based on a range of criteria, including the potential for the project to make a meaningful contribution to the academic and/or professional field of historic preservation in the United States, and that it demonstrates innovative thinking, original research and creative problem solving. Applications must be submitted by October 15. Click here for details.
The Edwin S. Webster Foundation will consider requests for capital programs, special projects or operating income. They support organizations with an emphasis on hospitals, medical research, education, youth agencies, cultural activities, and programs addressing the needs of minorities. Before submitting a request, please contact foundation administrator Michelle Jenney at: mjenney@gmafoundations.com. The deadlines are May 1 and November 1.
The New England Foundation for the Arts NEST (New England States Touring) funds presentations of New England-based performing artists from outside of a presenter’s state. To be eligible for NEST funding, applicants must: be a nonprofit organization, school, or government entity (Nonprofit organizations do not have to be arts organizations.); be based in New England; have a DUNS number. Applicants must be able to provide, if requested, documentation of their compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Applications must be submitted a minimum of three months in advance of the proposed project. Next deadline is September 2.
Connecticut Humanities Capacity Building Grants strengthen organizations through focused work that helps them better understand their audiences, assets and operations. To qualify, applicant organizations must regularly provide humanities programming to the public. Capacity Grants fund: board assessment, board training, strategic planning, marketing planning, audience assessment, collections assessment in the service of public programming, and technology assessment and/or planning. Applications are due on a quarterly basis. The next deadline is October 1.
The Connecticut Arts Endowment Fund was established by the State of Connecticut to stimulate the development of private sector funding and help stabilize arts institutions. Interest earned on the Fund’s principal is distributed annually to Connecticut non-profit arts organizations which have received a minimum of $25,000 in contributions in each of the last two years from non-governmental sources. Grant awards are calculated based on a formula that rewards those organizations reporting a substantial increase in the amount of private sector contributions received during the prior year. Organizations may use funds for capital projects, operations, programming or to build their own endowments. Application deadline is December 15.
The Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) offers matching, reimbursement Historic Restoration Fund Grants to Connecticut municipalities and 501(c)3 and 501(c)13 nonprofits to be used for the restoration, rehabilitation, stabilization, archaeological investigation or acquisition of Connecticut’s historic resources which are listed in the State or National Registers of Historic Places. The deadline for this year's Historic Restoration Fund grant application is October 31. More information at http://www.cultureandtourism.org/cct/cwp/view.asp?a=3933&q=317350.
The Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Humanities Council collaborate to provide Arts and Humanities grants that assist organizations in Maine to investigate and present stories and cultural expressions of the state, its communities and its people. These grants support projects and public programs that include or combine both arts and humanities disciplines. The arts help build communities by helping them discover their cultural assets, building audiences and promoting the excellence of the creative sector. The humanities explore the nature and value of human experience through literature, history, theology, philosophy and the disciplines of social and political science. Grants of up to $1,000 are awarded with a required 1:1 in-kind and/or cash match. Next deadline is November 14. More information at http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Grants/Arts-And-Humanities.
The Maine State Archives offers grants for projects that preserve Maine’s significant historical records (archives) and make them available to the public. Projects dealing with agricultural collections and Civil War collections are especially encouraged. Grants for basic projects (up to $1,000) and major projects (up to $2,500) are available. Next deadline is October 1.
Maine Humanities Council offers Community Outreach grants (up to $1,000; next deadline August 1), which support a wide variety of public humanities projects, such as exhibits, lecture and film series, reading and discussion programs, symposia, cultural celebrations, etc. They also offer major grants (up to $7,500; draft application due September 1) to support a variety of larger humanities projects such as exhibits, conferences, films, and other initiatives. More information at http://www.mainehumanities.org/grants/available.html.
Mass Humanities Project Grants support public programming in the humanities including: humanities based civic conversations; oral history projects; public lecture, conference and panel discussion; walking tours; reading and discussion programs; audio projects; film and discussion programs; film pre-production and distribution; museum exhibitions and related programming, web sites, theatrical productions with post- or pre-performance discussion; and content-based professional development workshops for teachers. The standard Project Grant award is up to $5,000. The next Inquiry Form deadline is September 22. For complete information see http://www.masshumanities.org/grants.
The NH Charitable Foundation’s Community Grants program is a broad, competitive program that responds to community needs within New Hampshire and its border communities. It is designed to strategically advance an organization by providing operating support, funding for innovation to increase impact, reduce costs, and/or increase efficiency and support for capacity-building activities or moment-in-time projects. The next application deadline for Express Grants ($5,000 or less) is October 10. Concept papers for Project Grants or Operating Support Grants (more than $5,000) are due August 22. Click here for details.
New Hampshire Humanities Council is awarding two types of Community Project Grants in 2014. Quick Grants offer up to $1000 to support simple, single-event or short-series projects, and are available in as little as six weeks from submission deadline. The next Quick Grant application deadline is September 10. Quarterly Grants of up to $10,000 enable organizations to design and carry out larger projects that attract diverse audiences, engage minds, and stimulate meaningful community dialogue. The next mandatory letter of interest for a Quarterly Grant is due October 1.
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities funds non-profit organizations and individual researchers to deliver meaningful humanities programs to the Rhode Island public. The goals of the grant program are to stimulate new research in the humanities, spark thoughtful community exchange, build new audiences for the humanities, innovate new methods in the humanities, and advocate for the importance of the humanities for a lively and engaged democratic public. The Major Grant Program, for requests over $2,000, invites nonprofit organizations to apply for funding in support of Rhode Island-based public humanities projects beginning after April 1, 2015. You must register your intent to apply by November 1. The Mini Grant Program invites individual researchers, nonprofit organizations, and schools to apply for support up to $2,000. Upcoming mini grant application due dates are September 1 and November 1. Click here for details.
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts’ Investments in Arts and Culture (IAC) operating support grants are designed to support those organizations that produce or present annual programs in the arts and have developed a funding relationship with RISCA over time. The IAC category looks at what you have done over the past year, not what you propose to do in the year to come. Arts Access Grants (AAG) provide small grants (maximum of $2,500) to new ventures, occasional arts programs, or arts and cultural organizations that do not meet the new IAC eligibility requirements. The Arts Access Grant provides program support to organizations across Rhode Island. Organizations must demonstrate excellent artistic, educational, and cultural value, as well as engagement with their community. As a rule, programs should be geared to a broad and diverse audience. Click here for details.
The Roger Williams University Community Partnerships Center (CPC) is now accepting applications for project support for Spring and Fall 2015 semesters. The CPC provides project-based assistance to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, government agencies and low and moderate income communities in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. Their focus is on projects that will benefit the local community, while providing RWU students with experience in real-world projects that deepen their academic experiences. The deadline for applications is August 4. Learn more and download application.
The Vermont Humanities Council’s Grant Program supports other non-profit organizations that are conducting various projects related to the humanities. Council awards are re-grants of federal funds from the NEH, and as such grantees must comply with all applicable NEH and federal policies. The Council will reject any project that does not involve at least one humanities discipline. Applications are considered twice a year; the next deadline to submit a letter of intent is September 5. The maximum award is $5,000, and grantees must provide, at minimum, a one-to-one cost share. Proposals for new, as well as already-established, programs will be considered.
In June, ArtsBoston released a new report titled “The Arts Factor 2014 Report” which quantifies the impact of arts, culture, and creativity on the Greater Boston region. Using information from the Massachusetts Cultural Data Project, which collects data about the arts and cultural sector, ArtsBoston found that arts and cultural organizations in the Greater Boston region support 26,000 jobs and account for $1 billion of economic activity. More than 18 million people attend arts events annually, which is more than four times the total combined attendance for the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics. Click here to download the report.
ArtWeek Boston is a collection of curated events and experiences throughout the city that highlights the quality and diversity of arts, culture, and creative community in Boston. ArtWeek strives to give a taste of the arts in Boston to arts amateurs and connoisseurs alike. Successful ArtWeek events are offerings that are NOT typically available to the general public (i.e. a performance ticket, museum admission, or gallery opening); however, they can easily link and leverage current arts offerings or they can be “creative teasers” for future shows/exhibits. They can also be unique to ArtWeek or they may be special VIP access events (limited to board members, donors, and/or other affiliates) that are temporarily made available to the general public during ArtWeek. All events should be experiential, creative, and compelling. Submissions are open to nonprofit 501(c) 3 organizations, artists, and businesses, but all events will require some type of partnership between an arts/cultural/entertainment entity and a neighborhood organization or business. This can be a creative link or connection to area businesses, neighborhood associations, restaurants, lodging partners, or other local organizations. The final deadline to be included is August 15 at 5 pm.