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These grants of up to $15,000 support "arts and..." projects developed by partners—one arts organization or artist, and one non-arts organization—harnessing the power of collaboration.
View Full GuidelinesAs our communities continue to change, the arts play an incomparable role in addressing many of our communal and individual challenges and strengths. The value of partnership—and working together across sectors—brings new opportunity, increased effectiveness, and greater depth to our collective work. We aim to facilitate partnerships between the art community and other sectors through this grant program.
NOTE: Unlike other South Arts grant programs, Cross-Sector Impact Grants utilize a two-step application process for new applicants. South Arts will accept an online Letter of Interest from any eligible and interested partnership of an artist or arts organization and a non-arts partner. Following a staff review, those projects that most closely align with the evaluation criteria and program goals will be invited to submit a full application.
The following is a top-level list of the main eligibility requirements necessary to be considered for a Cross-Sector Impact Grant. Please refer to the full list of eligibility requirements in the program's Guidelines.
Educational pre-school and K-12 schools or institutions are not eligible for this program.
A full list of eligibility criteria and other project requirements is provided in the guidelines below.
The following webinar was recorded on June 13, 2023, and discusses best practices when preparing a Letter of Interest for a Cross-Sector Impact Grant.
South Arts recognizes that as our communities continue to change, the arts play an incomparable role in addressing many of our communal and individual challenges and strengths. Further, the value of partnership and working together across sectors brings new opportunities, increased effectiveness, and greater depth to our collective work. Through this program, South Arts seeks to provide significant support to projects developed by partners that harness the power of “Arts & …”.
South Arts is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We have prioritized this commitment to ensure that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) led organizations, LGBTQIA+ led organizations, and organizations representing persons with disabilities are represented as both applicants and grantees. We encourage applications for projects that engage a broad spectrum of diversity. Priority will be given to projects taking place in rural, small, or isolated communities.
Cross-Sector Impact Grants are open to all art forms for partnership projects taking place in South Arts’ nine-state region. For FY24, eligible projects will continue to feature “Arts & …”, for example, arts and the military, arts and equity, arts and aging, arts and community revitalization. Applicants may be organizations, units of government, higher educational institutions, or artists.
For applicants new to this program or applicants that did not receive a Cross-Sector Impact Grant in the past, matching grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded. For these projects, South Arts encourages applications for new projects. However, projects that deepen and expand existing partnerships may also apply. For applicants/projects that previously received a Cross-Sector Impact Grant, matching grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded in order to continue or advance the project. South Arts anticipates that this grant program will be highly competitive and that successful applications will be fully funded. Applicants/projects that have received Cross-Sector Impact funding for three years are not eligible for FY24 funding.
South Arts’ mission is advancing Southern vitality through the arts. This program addresses two of South Arts’ strategic goals:
While preparing your Cross-Sector Impact Grant Letter of Interest and application, please refer to the following guidelines.
South Arts welcomes proposals from partnering entities working together on a project that addresses arts and community impact through cross-sector partnership. Projects must utilize the arts as a tool in creative approaches to address and advance an issue that is of importance in their community. Projects should also establish or advance relationships across at least two different sectors, one being in the arts.
Arts disciplines may include, but are not limited to:
Community impact areas may include, but are not limited to:
Want to know more about the arts and community impact areas? Americans for the Arts has a resource tool that we encourage you to use.
For the purposes of this program, partnering entities are defined as a total of two parties working together for purposes of the proposed project. One entity must represent one or more artistic disciplines listed above and may be an individual artist or organization. One entity must represent an area of community impact listed above and must be an organization. These must be the only two official project partners in the grant application, although additional individuals and/or organizations may be involved in the project’s implementation.
Examples of eligible partnerships include:
Ineligible partnerships include:
Partnerships who received Cross-Sector Impact funding for three years are not eligible for FY24 funding. Partnerships who received a Cross-Sector Impact Grant in the past may apply for a FY24 Cross-Sector Impact Grant to continue or further their funded project, as outlined in these guidelines. However, neither partner from a previously funded grant may apply for a new project in FY24, either in their existing partnership or in a new partnership. Previously funded projects must be completed prior to January 1, 2024.
All applicants/partners must:
A minimum of one of the two applicants/partners must:
Local, county, or state governmental organizations must provide proof of government status. If applicable, non-profit status and UEI numbers will be verified by an independent third-party entity.
Ineligible applicants include:
However, additional individuals and/or organizations may be involved in the project’s implementation, in addition to the two principal partners. These may include local departments of federal agencies or educational pre-school or K-12 schools/institutions as long as no funds are disbursed to additional partners.
Applicants may only be part of one LOI.
All projects must include a minimum of two public-facing activities. Activities, as described below, may be virtual or in-person.
Accessibility for constituents with disabilities must be provided at grant-funded activities. For the purpose of these guidelines, accessibility relates to your overall facility and project being accessible to all. In addition to physical access (ramps, accessible parking/box office/restrooms/seating, etc.), communications and programmatic accessibility is not only required but can help your organization build audiences and strengthen engagement. Grant applications should show evidence of thoughtful accessibility planning and implementation efforts. The National Endowment for the Arts has resources to assist arts organizations in making accommodations. Please visit their website for more information.
Applicants must commit to the Endowment’s Assurance of Compliance and Federal Suspension and Disbarment Policy.
Examples of eligible expenses for grant support include:
*For purposes of this grant program, South Arts defines temporary as designed to be exhibited or shown for not more than one year. Permanent public art creation and/or installation is not eligible for this grant program.
Ineligible expenses include:
These grants are not intended for the creation of new work as a central element of the project. However, work that is created as a secondary outcome or in which community participants are integrally involved in the creative process is allowable.
For applicants/projects that are new to this program, the minimum grant request for this program is $5,000 and the maximum request is $15,000. For applicants/projects that received funding in the past, the minimum grant request for this program is $5,000 and the maximum request is $10,000.
A match of at least 1:2 is required; meaning for each grant-funded dollar, the grantee must provide $.50 towards the project.
Up to half of the match may be comprised of in-kind contributions such as donated materials, donated services, or other contributed non-cash assets or staff time diverted to this project. At least half of the match must be cash and cannot include salaried staff time allocated to this project. However, contracted services specifically for this project may be included in the cash match.
All applications will be evaluated using these review criteria.
Project Design (25%)
Artistic Quality (25%)
Community Impact (25%)
Capacity (25%)
In addition to the above criteria, priority will be given to projects:
New applicants or applicants whose projects were not previously funded through Cross-Sector Impact Grants must first submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) through our online grants system. LOIs are due Tuesday, August 1, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. ET. By Monday, August 28, 2023, a limited number of LOI applicants and previous grantees will then be invited to submit a full application. Applications are due Monday, October 2, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. ET. Preceding this deadline, all invited applicants will be required to schedule a virtual meeting with South Arts to discuss their project.
South Arts anticipates supporting 7-10 new projects, up to $15,000 and 4-5 continuing projects, up to $10,000 through this competitive process.
Before beginning a Letter of Interest for a new Cross-Sector Impact Grant, potential partners are encouraged to think about the following factors:
Before beginning an application for a continuing project, returning grantees are encouraged to think about the following factors:
All grantees will be required to complete and submit the Final Report Form at the end of their project period in our grants management system. South Arts will provide the report form and instructions for completing the report, which will include information about the funded activities, results/outcomes, participants, and actual expenses. Grantees are required to document all activities and maintain appropriate records for expenses and must agree to share requested information to enable South Arts to evaluate this program.
Payment will be made to one of the two partners as designated in the grant application. Payment must be made to a non-profit organization or unit of government with a UEI number.
Final payments are processed after the completion of the project and receipt of the Final Report Form. You are allowed to request an advance payment, up to 75% of your total grant amount. To do so, you must submit a written request at least 30 days prior to the project start date. The request should be on your organization’s letterhead with a signature and state the reason an advance payment is needed. Please allow 30 – 60 days for all grant payments.
You can request a review of the method for South Arts’ decisions concerning grant applications through the Appeals Process. If you did not receive funding or if your grant award was rescinded or reduced, you may submit an appeal. Incomplete applications are not eligible for the appeals process. Dissatisfaction with the denial or amount of an award is not sufficient reason for an appeal.
An applicant not funded may appeal South Arts’ decision if the applicant can demonstrate that the application was rejected for any of the following reasons:
If an applicant's funds were rescinded or reduced, the applicant may appeal South Arts' decision if the applicant can demonstrate:
To appeal a funding decision, first contact the Program Director, Nikki Estes, to request a review of the considerations affecting South Arts' decision. Subsequently, if you believe there are grounds for an appeal, you must submit your appeal, in writing, to South Arts' President & CEO no later than 15 calendar days following the receipt of the written notice from South Arts. The submission should contain evidence to support one or more of the allowable grounds for appeal. The President & CEO will make and render a final decision within 30 days of the appeal.
Mail your appeal to:
South Arts
ATTN: President & CEO
1800 Peachtree Street, NW
Suite 808
Atlanta, GA 30309
Please be aware of the following major updates to the 2023-24 Cross-Sector Impact Grants cycle:
Please plan plenty of time to organize your LOI and application in our grants management system (Salesforce).
South Arts encourages applicants to contact us with questions more than 48 hours before the application deadline; due to the volume of requests, South Arts team members may not be able to respond to inquiries submitted after that time.
Applicants must complete and submit an online LOI form that describes their proposed project and a draft budget, along with basic information about each of the partners. These materials must be submitted online using our grants management system no later than Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Late or incomplete LOIs will not be accepted. Applicants should contact Nikki Estes at nestes@southarts.org or 404-874-7244 ext. 816 with any questions.
In addition to general partner and project information and a draft budget that outlines expected expenses and sources of income, LOI applicants will need to provide responses addressing the following:
The format for this information is provided in our grants management system and applicants must use our budget template.
It is understood that the information provided in the LOI is preliminary in nature and will be further refined for those applicants invited to submit a full application.
All LOIs will be evaluated for their potential to most closely meet the evaluation criteria listed in these guidelines and the overall goals of this program. Applicants who are invited to submit a full application will be notified on or by Monday, August 28, 2023 and will be provided with complete instructions for how to submit the full application. Applications will be due Monday, October 2, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. ET. Preceding this deadline, all invited applicants will be required to schedule a virtual meeting with South Arts to discuss their project.
Have a question about the guidelines or priorities above? It may be addressed in our Cross-Sector Impact Grant FAQ.
Read the FAQAfter reviewing program guidelines, log in to our grants management system to submit your Letter of Interest, edit an application in process, and submit any required reports.
Log in to SalesforceReview recipient terms and conditions, download the appropriate logos, access final reporting requirements, and more.
Manage Your GrantFor questions about Cross-Sector Impact Grants, contact program director Nikki Estes.
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