Community Cultural Participation Grant Guidelines 2023

Advisory for 2023 Grant Applications

2022 Approved Grant Waiver Applicants:

• Applicants with approved 2022 Cultural Coalition grant amendment waivers are eligible to apply for the 2023 grant cycle.
• Applicants are advised to make their 2023 project different from the funded 2022 project.

2023 Translation of Guidelines and Application Form:

• The Cultural Coalition offers the Grant Guidelines and Application in English and Spanish.
• The Board is accepting feedback on additional language translation needs for the 2024 grant cycle, please email requests to info@ccwashco.org.

Advisory for 2023 Grant Application Process under COVID:

The Cultural Coalition Board recommends all applicants review and keep in mind the COVID impact on their proposed project – consider these ideas and resources when planning for a 2023 grant application.

Ideas and Resources for 2023 Grant Applicants*

• Community needs – design your project with community needs in mind. Note that this may look different than in years past due to the COVID impact.
• Build flexibility into your planning – Build flexibility into your planning as much as possible. Design your project to be nimble in the face of changing circumstances with alternatives to in-person programming, partnerships where each brings unique resources to the other.
  • Event/performance with flexible design – can it be presented in person or as virtual experience
• Engage your board and community in planning/projects – consider applications to fund strategic planning or community engagement that may be done either in person or virtually.
  • Develop a new strategic plan for your organization
  • Work with community focus groups and surveys
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion work for your organization – apply DEI lens to structure/operations
  • How to grow your organization – capacity building, organizational building, marketing plan, audience cultivation, staff/volunteer development/training
  • Become established as a 501(c)(3) organization

• Employ arts and culture as a problem solving tool – to address specific challenges facing your community (see Arts Consultant George Thorn’s article with many useful ideas)
• Explore ways to make reopening fun
  • Do your research – what is already working in your community for reopening engagement
  • Is partnering with an outdoor venue an option – parks, gardens, businesses with great public access and open spaces, etc.

General resources for nonprofits looking for guidance/resources during COVID:

• Oregon Cultural Trust
• Regional Arts and Culture Council
• Nonprofit Association of Oregon
• Oregon Heritage
• Oregon Museum Association
• Engaging volunteers virtually

2023 Grant Cycle (January 15 – December 31, 2023)

Community Cultural Participation Grant Guidelines

For nonprofit organizations

Application period opens September 19, 2022 and closes 11:50pm October 17, 2022.

Award Notifications will be provided by mid-January 2023.

Funds will be issued early February 2023. Note: Organizations with January 2023 projects may need to be prepared to cover costs until grant funds are distributed.

Final reports will be due no later than January 31, 2024.

Cultural Coalition of Washington County Mission Statement:

The Cultural Coalition of Washington County (CCWC) is the re-granting board of the Oregon Cultural Trust in Washington County. The CCWC also promotes the cultural identity, quality of life and economic vitality of Washington County and its arts, heritage, and humanities organizations. 

Grant Guidelines:

The Community Cultural Participation (CCP) Grant Program provides financial support for Washington County nonprofit arts, heritage and humanities organizations and activities. Applicants can apply for activities or opportunities that address one or more of these five goals:

1. Public Awareness and Participation– Build community through communication, audience development, and engagement.
2. Support Cultural Organizations– Increase capacity, encourage professional development, and support adaptability. 
3. Increase Public Art and Performance Opportunities- Foster more impactful art, events, and cultural connections with increased accessibility for all. 
4. Support Diverse Cultural and Heritage Activities- Include cultural learning and cultural equity at the heart of our creative community.
5. Increasing Access to Arts Education- Serve school-based arts and cultural opportunities and build arts awareness for youth, while encouraging life-long learning.

A strong grant application will explain how the grant addresses priorities of:

• promoting cultural diversity
• developing community and/or cross-cultural partnerships
• providing matching-fund or cost-sharing opportunities
• and/or promoting cultural tourism

For examples, visit the CCWC website for more information about the Cultural Plan. Proposals in the CCP Grant Program should be geared toward a specific event, activity, or communication of the organization.

Examples of CCP Grant Proposals include:

• Expenses for events and activities accessible to the public: festivals, performances, workshops, lectures, conferences, exhibits, open studio tours and other activities which will clearly help enrich cultural participation within the county.
• General promotional material that focuses on one or more of the previously mentioned five goals.
• Applicants must demonstrate a clear distribution and/or marketing plan in proposals for promotional materials. (Promotional materials include the development of websites.)
• Create and implement a cultural learning program.
• Performances, demonstrations, or exhibits in schools.
• Cross-cultural partnerships and collaborations, including work with the Washington County Visitors Association, or support for cultural tourism events or activities.

Funding for CCP grants comes from the Oregon Cultural Trust (OCT): the number of CCP grants awarded will depend on the funds available in the CCP Grant budget for that year.

To find out more about the Oregon Cultural Trust, go to: www.culturaltrust.org.

Cultural Coalition of Washington County Cultural Plan: To access a copy of the current Washington County Cultural Plan or to find out more about the Cultural Coalition of Washington County, go to: www.ccwashco.org/about. 

CCWC Statement of Non-Discrimination:

The CCWC is committed to providing services and making our resources available to every member of Washington County without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, military status, marital status, political opinion, national origin, familial status, mental and physical disability, gender identity, and source of income or disability status.

Grant Assistance:

The CCWC has contracted with Tualatin Valley Creates (TVC) to manage the grant process, and to be the fiscal agent for CCWC grant funds.

For questions about the grant guidelines, organization or grant eligibility, and/or technical assistance with the grant application process, software issues, and status of grant fund distribution can be directed to: info@ccwashco.org. 

How to apply for a CCP Grant:
The CCWC contracts with TVC to manage the online application and reporting process.

Timelines:

1. Grant applications open September 19, 2022. 
2. Deadline to submit an application is by 11:59pm October 17, 2022.
3. Applications must be completed and electronically submitted on-line to CCWC’s application portal. Late or paper applications will not be accepted. Note: CCWC’s grant support is only available during normal business hours to offer technical assistance. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your grant applications.
4. To access the CCP on-line application and guidelines go to www.ccwashco.org/grant-program/

Grant Cycle:

All funded activities must take place between January 15 – December 31, 2023.

Eligibility:

Three levels of Community Cultural Participation grants are available this year:

• Level 1: up to $1,000
• Level 2: up to $2,000
• Level 3: up to $5,000 available only to a School District or School District Foundation

Please submit your grant request amount based on your actual need. This will enable the CCWC to fund more organizations across the county. The CCWC reserves the right to award partial funding to applicants in order to fund all grants the review panel deems worthy.

An organization may apply for and receive only one grant per year. If a School District or School District Foundation applies for a Level 3 grant, an individual school within the same district (but not included in the Level 3 grant) may apply separately for a Level 1 or Level 2 grant.

Ineligible Expenditures/Applicants:

1. Grants will not be awarded to an individual or a private business.
2. Fiscal Sponsorship organizations and/or efforts are not eligible to apply for their sponsees.
3. Grants will not be awarded to support a capital campaign or campaign expense.
4. Grants will not be awarded to support an endowment.
5. Grants will not fund organizations from outside of Washington County, but may be given to Washington County organizations which use the services of out-of-county providers when Washington County residents are the beneficiaries. In all cases, the recipient of the grant award must be an organization headquartered in Washington County.
6. Grants will not be awarded to fund activities or events that do not benefit Washington County residents.
7. Grants will not be awarded for the purchase of food or refreshments.

Level 1 Eligibility Criteria: Up to $1,000 CCP Grant

1. Be a nonprofit arts, humanities or heritage organization or be an educational institution or government agency with an arts, heritage or humanities mission. IRS 501(c)(3) status is not required. Applications from individuals or private businesses will not be accepted.
2. Applications from social service agencies or religious organizations will be accepted only if application is made in partnership with a nonprofit cultural organization for a joint project. Applicants must attach a letter from the partnering organization confirming their support for the project and outlining their role in the partnership.
3. Be applying for an opportunity that specifically enhances Public Awareness and Participation, supports Existing Cultural Organizations, Increases Public Art Opportunities, supports Cultural and Heritage Learning, or increases Youth Access to the Arts (as described above).
4. Provide CCWC with an Employer Identification Number (EIN). You can receive an EIN within minutes online at www.irs.gov.
5. Be headquartered within Washington County and serve Washington County residents. (Branch offices of organizations headquartered elsewhere are not eligible to apply.) Events or activities must take place in Washington County. Grants to organizations located in Washington County, such as schools, which take students or other members of the public to events located in another county, such as the opera, will be eligible for funding, provided there is no other alternative available in Washington County.
6. The CCWC considers individual schools within school districts as separate organizations and may apply individually for grants (does not have to be submitted by the district).
7. Applications will be accepted to support capital expenditures such as the acquisition of public art, museum exhibits or equipment, but may not be used for capital campaigns.
8. Grants will not fund purchases of equipment or clothing not critical to the organization’s mission or the project/event.
9. If an organization received a CCP Grant in 2022, a final report for that grant must have been submitted on time prior to applying for a 2023 grant. If the activity has not yet been completed, please explain in the application.
10. Applicants must provide an itemized list of revenue and expenditures for the proposed activity or event in the application.

Level 2 Eligibility Criteria: Up to $2,000 CCP Grant

1. Must meet the Level 1 criteria above.
2. An organization must have IRS 501(c)(3) status or be a governmental agency or a public school. (Upon request, a letter verifying status must be submitted).

Level 3 Eligibility Criteria: Up to $5,000 CCP Grant

1. Must meet Level 1 and Level 2 criteria above.
2. Applicant must be a Washington County Public School District, or Public School District Foundation 501(c)(3). The goal of Level 3 grants is to broaden the reach of arts and culture activities across a district.
3. Application must address arts or cultural learning at multiple schools within the district.

Review and Notification Process:

1. A CCWC members panel will review proposals according to established eligibility criteria.
2. Awards will be based on CCWC review panel recommendations.
3. Grant applicants can anticipate notification of grant award status by January 15, 2023.

Notification on award status can only be given after the grant process is complete. If you have not received official notification by January 20, 2022, contact CCWC at info@ccwashco.org.

2023 CCP Grant Compliance:

1. Use of Funds Deadline – Applicants awarded a CCP grant must complete the grant between January 15 and December 31, 2023. Note: Organizations with January 2022 projects may need to be prepared to cover costs until grant funds are distributed in early February.
2. Grant communication will be conducted electronically using the Main and Alternate email addresses submitted with the application. Please use names and email addresses of the people who will have primary responsibility for the grant. If this responsibility changes during the year, notify CCWC so that your files can be updated.
3. Award notification packets will be emailed to organizations in January 2023. Please read and share the information with all people involved in your grant project. Your grant check will be mailed only upon completion of the grant agreement included in the award packet. Please complete the agreement and submit it as soon as possible even if your project does not take place until later in the year.
4. Final Report – Awardees must submit a Final Report of completed activities within 30 days of the end of the project/event or by January 30, 2024. The Final Report form will be available on CCWC’s website www.ccwashco.org/grant-program/. (see item 2 above.) Compliance with the final reporting requirements in previous grant cycles will be considered when the applicant’s future grant applications are in review.
5. Acknowledgment (Credit to CCWC & OCT) – Recipients of CCP grant support must acknowledge the Cultural Coalition of Washington County and the Oregon Cultural Trust in all publicity related to the CCP grant. An electronic version of the logos can be found on each website or can be requested from grants@ccwashco.org. Recipients are requested to email and/or mail copies of printed materials, press releases/coverage related to the project or activity to CCWC for its files.

6. Required Notification/Approval for Changes – It is the responsibility of the grant applicant to notify CCWC in advance in writing of any changes in the grant status or use of funds. Grant recipients must receive permission from CCWC prior to making major changes in use of grant funds.
7. CCWC Grant “Buddy” – A Grant Buddy will be assigned to the grant awardees as a liaison to enhance communication.