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In the sections below, GCA has provided answers to frequently asked questions about GCA grants. In addition, GCA Executive Director Tina Lilly recently recorded an introduction to GCA grants for new grant managers at applicant organizations, which can be viewed here.
What type of activities does GCA fund?
GCA funds projects involving professional artists as well as community-based projects featuring local artists.
Examples of the types of projects that GCA funds include, but are not limited to:
- theatre or dance performances
- music concerts
- art exhibits
- art festivals
- public art (murals, sculpture, outdoor concerts, etc.)
- classes or workshops
- demonstrations
- readings by authors or poets
- publications
- film festivals or showings
- services for artists or arts organizations
- artist residencies
- in-school or after-school arts programs
What happens if I need to change or add something to my grant application?
If the deadline has not passed, notify the grant manager listed in the grant guidelines. That person will reopen your application and you may make the change. You must then resubmit the application before the deadline.
If the deadline has passed, then GCA cannot accept any changes or additions to a grant application.
What does GCA not fund?
GCA does not fund
- non-arts activities or events, such as history-based exhibits, athletic events, culinary projects, etc.
- capital projects, such as the acquisition of property or a building, major renovation or restoration, improvements involving structural changes
- the acquisition of equipment that costs more than $5,000
- depreciation
- fundraising events that are not related to the organization’s mission
- tuition
- scholarships or prizes
- endowment funds
- alcohol or concessions
- entertainment expenses, such as receptions, dinners, parties, etc.
- fees paid to lobbyists
- programming outside of Georgia
Does GCA have any grants for individual artists?
No, GCA does not have grant available for individual artists. GCA is able to give a grant to an eligible organization which may in turn hire an individual artist for a program.
GCA does have several non-grant programs for individual artists:
- Teaching Artist Roster, a resource list of Georgia artists who are skilled in one or more artistic disciplines and experienced in a classroom setting.
- Vibrant Communities Artist List, a resource list of Georgia artists who are available to tour and provide programs in all parts of the state.
How does GCA decide which grant applications to fund?
All eligible grant applications go to a grant review panel. Grant review panels are organized by applicant budget size so that each applicant is being evaluated against organizations with similar resources. GCA staff members prepare a report on applicants that did not complete the requirements of previous grants, such as late final reports or incomplete projects. Panelists read the applications and staff reports and submit preliminary scores and comments. An overall preliminary score for each applicant is determined by dropping the highest and lowest scores and averaging the rest. Panelists are then given access to comments from the other panelists as well as preliminary scores.
Panelists convene via conference call for the final evaluation. Panelists discuss each application, and then amend their preliminary scores if they choose. The high and low scores are then dropped, and the remaining scores are averaged to get the applicant’s final score. Once all panels are complete, all applicants are ranked by score for each grant type. Applicants with the highest scores in each grant category are funded. GCA funds as many applicants as possible, moving down the list of organizations until the grant funds are exhausted.
How do I listen to a grant panel meeting?
GCA staff will e-mail all applicants to inform them which panel will review their organization’s application. Applicants will also receive information on how to listen to the panel meeting as well as the order in which applications will be reviewed.
The panelists meet via conference call- there is no in-person meeting. Applicants may listen to the panel meetings online. Listening to the panel meeting is optional for applicants, and all applicants will receive written feedback from the panel when grants are announced. Those that do listen to the panel meeting will not be able to interact with or respond to the panelists.
Because of the structure of the panel, we can list the order in which applications will be reviewed, but we cannot forecast precisely what time each application will come up for review. To listen to the panel meeting, follow these steps:
- Go to this page
- Log in as a Guest by entering your first and last name at the prompt
- Make sure that the volume is turned up on your computer speakers
- Read through the notes about the panel that will appear on your screen
If you have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting before, test your connection ahead of time
When are grant announcements made?
Project and Partner Grant guidelines are posted in November. Arts Education Grant guidelines are posted in January. Vibrant Communities Grant guidelines are posted in July.
When are grant payments made?
A grantee must submit a Contractor’s Request for Reimbursement (CRR) Form in order to receive a grant payment. Payments are only made after an applicant incurs expenses related to the project.
How do I appeal a grant decision?
Ineligible Applications
Applicant organizations that are determined to be ineligible for review may appeal the decision. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the GCA Executive Director no more than fifteen (15) working days after receipt of the letter notifying the organization that the application is ineligible for review. This letter must provide evidence to show that the original determination of ineligibility was incorrect based on the eligibility requirements outlined in the grant guidelines.
The Peer Review Panel does not review incomplete applications, and there is no appeal to this policy.
Unfunded Applicants
Applicant organizations that are reviewed by the grant panel and not awarded a grant may appeal the decision. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the GCA Executive Director no more than fifteen (15) working days after receipt of the award notice. This letter must provide evidence to support one or more of the three grounds for appeal.
1. Information not presented during Peer Review Panel: It is grounds for appeal if information that was submitted with the application was not presented to the panelists. This does not include information that was in excess of the application’s space limitations or information that was submitted after the application deadline. This also does not mean information that was misinterpreted or misunderstood by the panelists.
2. Violation of GCA Conflict-Of-Interest Policy*: Violation of this policy is grounds for an appeal.
3. Decision based on Improper Criteria: If panelists based their score on criteria not published, it is grounds for appeal.
The GCA Executive Director must respond to the appeal within fifteen working days by written correspondence. This ruling is the only administrative remedy, and there is no further right of appeal.
There is no appeal for the dollar value of the award.
What do I do if I need to make a change to my grant project?
Contact your grant program manager and let him/her know about your change. The grant manager will be able to let you know if there are any ramifications to the change. GCA strongly encourages grantees to contact the grant manager about changes in a funded project as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected penalties.
When is my final report due?
Final reports are due 30 days after the end of the funded project. For Partner grantees, that means that the report is due 30 days after the end of the funding period.
When are grant guidelines posted?
Project, Partner and Arts Education Program Grant guidelines are posted in November. Vibrant Communities guidelines are posted in July.
How are grant panelists selected?
GCA works to put together grant panels that are diverse in terms of the panelists’ disciplines, where they live in the state, ethnicity, gender, the size of their organization, experience, etc. If you are interested in serving as a grant review panelist, or if you would like to recommend someone, send a short bio to Director of Grants and Research Allen Bell at [email protected].