OAC Project Support: Capacity Building Grants

From Ohio Arts Council (OAC)

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) aims to enrich the artistic and cultural landscape of Ohio through various initiatives, supporting education, and fostering the arts in community development, education, and economic growth.

Type of Support

Overview

The Capacity Building program aims to enhance the capabilities of organizations by funding efforts that improve business practices or add new knowledge and skills that align with their missions. It primarily supports technical assistance projects, planning or evaluation activities, and staff professional development opportunities. The goal is to help Ohio arts providers adapt to new challenges, modernize their practices and procedures, and better serve their constituents. The grants, which can be either six-month or one-year awards, allow for a variety of expenses related to internal organizational development, including consultant fees, administrative expenses, and planning and evaluation costs.

Eligibility

Organization's Location
USA
Program Location
OH
Organization Type
Arts and cultural organizations in any arts discipline
Other organizations that provide arts programming (government entities, social service agencies, etc.)
Educational organizations (public, private, charter, and parochial schools from pre-kindergarten through university level)
Other
  • Require a 1:1 cash match
  • Nonprofit status or nonprofit intent required, but 501(c)(3) registration with the IRS is not necessary

Ineligibility

- Applications aiming to eliminate or reduce deficits
Interest expenses on loans or debts
Hospitality expenses
Fundraising efforts
United Fund drives or joint arts funding campaigns
Projects promoting political, denominational, religious, or sectarian ideas, or enhancing property of religious institutions
Arts activities that are recreational or therapeutic, unless led by professional artists with a public component
Projects already begun or completed
Using other OAC funds or re-grant programs as a match
For out-of-state travel except for professional development
Lacking information on artists’ fees and work samples
Covering costs for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status filing - From for-profit corporations including S corporations
Not incorporated or located in Ohio
With policies not complying with nondiscrimination laws
Requesting funds from other OAC programs for the same program in the same fiscal year
That did not submit final reports on time for the preceding fiscal year
Acting purely as fiscal agents for individual artists
With programming and facilities not meeting federal ADA requirements
Receiving operating support from the Ohio legislature for the same fiscal year they apply for OAC operating support
1k – 5k

Submission

Review Criteria

Preference is given to projects dedicated to specific intentional organizational capacity building efforts, rather than a broad spectrum of continuous activities.