ALASKA STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS ONLINE GRANT SYSTEM
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September 6th, 2010
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ARTISTS IN SCHOOLS Grant Guidelines and Deadlines

Artist in Schools Program Guidelines (formerly Structured and Independent Grant Guidelines)

PRINT GUIDELINES FOR REFERENCE.

ARTIST IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM GUIDELINES

ALL GRANTEES SHOULD USE THE FOLLOWING APPLICATION. For successful applications, districts/schools new to the AIS program, or a school that has applied under the Structured Program, may want to either contact the AIE program staff prior to completing the application or make sure to ask staff to review an application draft.

For more information, contact the Alaska State Council on the Arts, 1.888.278.7424 or 907.269.6610.

| Purpose | Application Deadline | Eligibility | ASCA will not fund | Requirements | Residency Coordinators | Artist Selection | Classroom Schedule | Staff Involvement | Artist Studio Time | Teacher/Community Workshop | Special Populations | Artist Meals, Housing & Transportation | Review Criteria | To Apply | Draft Review | Submission Instructions | Review Process | If You Receive an Artists in Schools Grant | Reporting | Publicity/Advocacy | Contact Us |

ATTENTION
Before proceeding with this grant application, please be sure you have carefully read and understand the responsibilities for both the school/district and in-school coordinator as outlined in these guidelines. Guides for Schools or Districts can be found on the ASCA web site for more detailed descriptions of residency activities and duties.

Purpose
The Alaska Artists in the Schools (AIS) Grant Program is designed for schools and/or districts that wish to augment their regular Visual, Literary and Performing Arts Curriculum with visiting Teaching Artists. The typical length of a Teaching Artist residency is two to four weeks for a single school, however other lengths of time are possible for multiple school sites. Examples: A district/school applies for a four week residency with an artist who visits four schools during the four week period or visits two schools for two weeks each, or one school for full period of time. Artists provide classroom art experiences, teacher training, community workshops and opportunities for students to observe an artist at work. Involvement of school staff is critical to the continuity of the program as well as the follow-up activities provided by the artist. Schools may sponsor artists’ residencies in visual arts, performing arts, dance, traditional and contemporary Native arts and literary arts.

Application Deadline
There are two deadlines for the AIS grant, March 1 for the following school year and November 1 for the current school year. Support material must be post marked by these dates or delivered to the ASCA office by 5pm. Any technical assistance required should be requested prior to the deadlines. Draft reviews are available until one month prior to the grant deadline. Online applications may be submitted until 9:59pm Alaska time (the time on the receipt email will be 2 hours prior) on the deadline day. Late applications will not be accepted or forwarded to panels for review.

Eligibility
Public school districts/schools or private nonprofit schools in Alaska may apply to the Alaska State Council on the Arts for an AIS grant. Nonprofit organizations and/or parent groups can provide assistance to schools in the application process. If a nonprofit is the applicant, a letter on district/school letterhead detailing how the nonprofit organization's plan augments and/or supports the district approved arts curriculum, must accompany the application. All applications must be complete or they will not be considered for funding. If a district/school has received funding in the past year and has not fulfilled the grant requirements a clearly articulated explanation must be submitted or the application may not be funded.

The Alaska State Council on the Arts will not fund

  • Residencies lasting less than two weeks per application. Shared residencies lasting less than two weeks in each school shoulc be applied for jointly with one school as the lead applicant.
  • Residencies that are designed to be an isolated arts experience and have no connection to the district's approved arts curriculum (no outcomes or follow through of skills).
  • Incomplete applications or late applications.
  • Funding for organizations or schools that received funding in FY10 (2009-2010), but failed to file a final report.

Requirements
AIS Grants are available up to 65% of total project expenses (excluding housing and per diem) with a maximum of $5000 for individual schools and $15,000 for school districts hosting multiple site residencies. Typical residencies that include multiple schools in a single district are generally at least one week in length per school. Residency applications from one school must be at least two weeks in length. If the residency is not structured in the manners above, make sure there is a clearly articulated reason in the narrative as to why.

  • Residency Coordinators: Districts/schools receiving AIS funding serve as the chief sponsors, designers and coordinators of the residency(ies), including: Artist selection & contracts, travel arrangements, on-site scheduling, supply purchases, housing & per diem arrangements, program evaluation and reporting. Grantees should ask for technical assistance from the Arts in Education Program staff at the Alaska State Council on the Arts if they have any questions, especially about how to fill out the budget.

  • Artist Selection: The Artist in Schools Program has a roster of juried artists available in almost every art form. Use of these rostered artists is recommended as they have been adjudicated and are known professionals in their art form. If a non-rostered artist or a particular art form not represented in the Teaching Artist Roster, is selected, a resume of that artist, along with two letters of recommendation and a work sample must be submitted with the grant application. The Teaching Artist Roster is available as a PDF at: www.eed.state.ak.us/aksca under Arts Education.

  • Classroom Schedule:Residencies must be in a K-12 school during school hours. Hours of classroom instruction and numbers of students present in each class should be part of the planning of the residency so that the school and artist expectations are clearly understood prior to the beginning of the residency.

  • Staff Involvement: A teacher or other authorized school personnel must be present at all times while the artist is working with the students. The artist should not be considered a substitute teacher. Staff should be prepared to learn how to integrate the art form of the residency into their teaching. All school staff should be made aware of the residency and be encouraged to participate in pre and post activities.

  • Artist Studio Time: Time for the artist to work on their own work may be scheduled into each day, at the artist's discretion. This time should be in a place that is open for observation by the school community. Artwork created by the artist during this studio time is the property of the artist.

  • Teacher Training and Community Workshop: At least one Teacher Training must be scheduled to assist all the teachers in post residency activities. A community workshop/performance/exhibition may also be scheduled. This may be a hands on workshop, a performance or exhibit by the artist or students or both and is separate from the teaching training.

  • Special Populations: Residencies should include as many of the following groups as possible, both within the school and the community: elderly, special needs, military populations, mentally and physically challenged, etc.

  • Artist Meals, Housing & Transportation: Applicants must provide food, housing and local transportation for non-local artists during the residency. Discussions with the artist as to appropriate accommodation in housing, food and transportation should be done prior to submitting the application so that all costs can be reflected in the budget.

    SPECIAL NOTE:

    Applications for ROUND II, with a deadline of November 1 are reviewed by the full Council at its mid December meeting. Because of the scheduled winter break, notification of awards and the necessary grant paperwork to be processed, will not go out until late December or early January. If aresidency is schedule to begin in January receipt of payment may not occur until after the residency has begun.

    Review Criteria
    Residency applications will be reviewed using the following criteria on a 100-point scale:

    • Part I A: Goals, Objectives and Planning - 75 points
      • Relevance of the residency to the district's written arts curriculum and the plan to integrate this residency into that curricula. (40 pts)
      • Relevance to the State Arts Cuncil's AIE goals as stated in the Strategic Plan (5pts)(http://www.eed.state.ak.us/aksca/about.htm)
      • Level of commitment to ensure success of residency. Include evidence of joint planning among all parties (teachers, administrators, parents, artist, etc.) and the pre and post residency activities (15pts)
      • Quality of activities planned for teachers, students, and community and evidence of efforts to involve special populations and community members. (5pts)
      • Clarity of the written application and adherence to application format requirements. (10pts)

    • Part I B: Advocacy activities for arts education and the AIS Program - 10 points
      • What material will be sent to various government policy makers?
      • How will the word about the residency(ies) be communicated.
      • Who will be invited to the teacher training, community workshop/performance/exhibitions?
      • If there is no approved arts curriculum in the district what will be done to begin the process?

    • Part II: Community Information and Residency Facilities - 5 points
      • Succinct and accurate written description of the community(ies) that includes: population, job sources, language spoken, ethnic populations, local arts access/opportunities and any unique community characteristics.
      • Evidence of adequate equipment and facilities required for the residency as well as suitable housing, food and transportation plans for artist, if applicable.

    • Part III: Budget - 10 points
      • Accuracy and completeness of proposed budget, including in-kind. Please ask for help from the AIE staff if you have any questions on how to fill out this section.
      • Economic and viable use of funds. Evidence of adequate supplies for artist and students, transportation costs, housing & food provisions, etc.

    Other factors considered in the funding of all applications will be:
  • Balance of art forms statewide and the geographic distribution of available funding.
  • Availability of grant funds.
  • Prior compliance with grant requirements.

    TO APPLY
    Online applications are only available at ASCA Grants Online at http://alaska.cgweb.org. Carefully read both Tech Tips and READ ME (FAQ's). Both documents contain important information on how to apply and navigate the CGO system.
    In order to access any grant application on the CGO website, grantees must complete a profile, which will include a user name and password. After this profile is established, grantees should go to "Current Programs and Applications." This screen will show each grant accepted by the Alaska State Council on the Arts. The grant which is appropriate for your use is called Artist in Schools Grant FY11. Grantees who have already completed a profile do not need to make a new one, and should be able to access "Current Program and Applications" easily. If grantee information has changed, the profile should be updated with current information.

    NOTE: Throughout the Artist in Schools grant application are "HELP" buttons. These offer clarification and specific information to help grantees better answer the questions.

    Draft Review
    Grantees may request a draft application review from the AIE staff up to 30 days prior to the deadline. Please contact Ruth Glenn at ruth.glenn@alaska.gov or 907-269-6682, or toll-free in Alaska: 1-888-278-7424. Make sure you hit the “draft review” button on the application for review. Staff will review the application within 5 working days of submission. After staff review, the grantee has the opportunity to make changes to the grant application but must complete the submission process by hitting the SUBMIT BUTTON.

    Submission Instructions
    YOU MUST HIT THE SUBMIT BUTTON in order to officially submit the grant application. After doing so, grantees will receive an automatic email reply confirming the grant has been received. The time stamp on this email will be two hours ahead of AK time; if you submit the application at 8pm the time stamp will say 10pm. These messages will be sent to the email address contained in the applicant profile. If you do not receive an email please contact the above email/phone immediately.

    Grant submission deadline is up to 9:59pm Alaska time on the deadline date, either March 1 or November 1. ASCA Grants Online applications: Upload any support materials within the application as instructed, OR mail separately to Artist in Schools Program, 161 S Klevin St. Suite 102, Anchorage, AK 99508, OR physically deliver to the ASCA offices at 161 S Klevin St. Suite 102, Anchorage, AK, 99508 before close of business at 5:00 pm At this time uploading slides or digital images is not possible.

    All support materials, mailed or delivered, must include a cover sheet with:

    • Name of school/organization and contact information. You may print the Profile page of your ASCA Grants Online application and submit it with the support material.
    • Your automatically assigned ASCA Grants Online application number, i.e., FY11AIS0010
    NOTE: Mailed materials must be postmarked or received in the Artists in Schools office:
    • Round I: postmarked March 1 or delivered in person by 5pm March 1
    • Round II: postmarked November 1 or delivered in person by 5pm.
    Faxed or emailed applications will not be accepted.

    Review Process
    All applications will be reviewed in:

    • Round I: Late April
    • Round II: Early December
    Reviews are done by an Artist in Schools/Alaska State Council on the Arts grants panel. Their recommendations are forwarded to the members of the Alaska State Council on the Arts for approval. The full Council reviews the recommended list of successful applicants at its next regularly scheduled meeting. Applicants will be notified by email of the Council decision. Both panel and Council meetings are open to the public, however, no public comment is allowed. Please contact the AIS office for dates and times of meetings.

    If you Receive an Artist in Schools Grant
    The Alaska State Council on the Arts gives final endorsement at the full Council meeting in June for ROUND I grants and in December for ROUND II grants. Following Council approval, grants letters are sent to recipients. The grants letter serves as a contract between the school and the Alaska State Council on the Arts. It must be signed by an authorized official and returned to the AIS office by the stated deadline date before any residency may proceed. All residencies funded must be completed by May 31 of the year funded.

    NOTE: Districts/schools receiving less grant funds than requested must return a Revised Budget to the Council indicating that the proposed plan can still be undertaken.

    Reporting
    Grantees are required to complete any Interim Reports and Final Report & Evaluation on forms provided by ASCA. The completed Final Report & Evaluation is due 30 days following the end of the residency, or no later than May 31. Failure to submit interim or final reports may have a negative effect on future funding requests. Interim Reports are due from Artist in Schools grant recipients as follows:

    • Round I: December 15
    • Round II: March 15

    Publicity/Advocacy
    It is important to let our community, local and state government officials know what is happening in our schools. Publicizing the residency programs, with the ASCA & Rasmuson Foundation credit line, through the local media, will provide maximize exposure for this program and will involve as many individuals as possible. Invitations to school board members, local & statewide lawmakers, school officials, parent groups and other interested members of your community should be part of your planned activity. Additionally, grantees are strongly urged to document residencies through photographs, video or other means for your use as well as for use by the AIE program.

    For assistance please contact:
    Ruth Glenn, Program Director
    Arts in Education Program
    Email: ruth.glenn@alaska.gov
    Phone: (907) 269-6682
    Toll-free in Alaska: 1-888-278-7424

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    Alaska State Council on the Arts
    161 S. Klevin Street, Suite 102
    Anchorage, AK 99508 - 1506
    Telephone: 907-269-6610
    Toll-Free 1-888-278-7424
    Fax:907-269-6601
    www.eed.state.ak.us/aksca