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Georgia Council for the Arts uses Peer Review Panels to adjudicate applications following National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) precedent. Panelists are GCA Council members and fellow professionals who are experienced in the arts discipline or type of grant being reviewed or are citizens with a record of arts activities, experience, and knowledge.
FY26 General Operating Support Grant PanelistsFY26 Project Grant PanelistsFY26 Arts Education Program Grant Panelists
FAQ about Grant Review Panels:
What is the panel review process for grant applications?
After the grant application deadline, GCA staff will review submitted applications to ensure that all required material is included. Complete applications will be forwarded to panelists for review. Incomplete applications or applications submitted by ineligible organizations will be ineligible for review and will not be forwarded to grant review panels. Applicants will be notified if the application will not be reviewed by the pan
What does the panel review and scoring process involve?
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 scores and comments. GCA staff members compile the preliminary panel comments and average the preliminary panel scores. Panelists then review the preliminary panel scores and comments and are provided an opportunity to amend their scores. After panelists submit their final scores, the high and low scores are dropped, and the remaining scores are averaged to arrive at the applicant’s final score.
Who serves on GCA grant panels?
GCA works to assemble grant panels that are diverse in terms of artistic disciplines, residency within the state, the size of their organization, their experience, etc. Panels are organized by applicant budget size so that each application is evaluated beside organizations with similar resources. Nominations for grant review panelists are accepted by GCA grants staff. If you are interested in serving as a panelist, or if you would like to nominate someone to serve as a panelist, please send a short bio or resume to Allen Bell, Director of Grants and Research, at [email protected].
How are funding decisions made?
Once all panel reviews 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 ranked by score, until all grant funds are exhausted.
Is it possible to get a copy of comments from the panelists?
All applicants will receive a copy of panel comments and final scores with the grant notification, or, in the case of Cultural Facilities Grants, soon after grant notifications.
Where can I find more details about the panel process?
The guidelines for each GCA grant program include details about the panel process, which may vary for each grant program. The grant guidelines documents are available on the web page for each grant program.
Who should I contact if I have questions about the panel process or the panel scores and comments?
Contact the program manager for your grant type:
- Allen Bell for General Operating Support Grants or Cultural Facilities Grants
- Emily Yewell Volin for Arts Education Program Grants
- Tyrone Webb for Project Grants or Vibrant Communities Grants