Promotion of the Arts-Partnership Agreements (45.025)
Program
45.025 Promotion of the Arts-Partnership Agreements
Federal Agency
Agency: National Endowment for the Arts
Authorization
National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, Public Law 089-209, 20 U.S.C 951 et seq.; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5.
Program Number
45.025
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To develop and maintain partnerships with the state and jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs) and their regional organizations (RAOs) to advance the mission of the National Endowment for the Arts. Awards using Recovery Act funds are specifically for projects that preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector.
Types of Assistance
ADVISORY SERVICES AND COUNSELING; PROJECT GRANTS
Uses and Use Restrictions
Regular SAA Partnership Agreements support four components: 1) the state arts plan for priorities identified at the state level; 2) elements of the state plan that address arts education; 3) elements of the state plan that foster the arts in underserved communities; and 4) projects that strengthen a state's program of support for the folk & traditional arts. RAO Partnership Agreements offer support for: 1) a regional arts plan; 2) touring intended to give all Americans access to excellent, live performing arts; and 3) projects that strengthen a region's program of support for the folk & traditional arts. Limited Partnership funds also are available for national services provided by membership organizations of SAAs and RAOs. Arts Endowment Partnership Agreement funds must be used to supplement and not to supplant non-Federal funds.
Recovery Act funds to the SAAs and RAOs are to be used for subgranting for projects that provide: 1) salary support, full or partial, for one or more positions that are critical to an organization's artistic mission and that are in jeopardy or have been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate; or 2) fees for previously engaged artists and/or other contractual personnel to maintain or expand the period during which such persons would be engaged. SAAs and RAOs may use up to $50,000 of the grant funds for their own jobs for the purposes outlined above, and/or for the administration of the subgranting program. Recovery Act awards are limited to the specific purposes outlined above.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Agencies officially designated as the state arts agency by its state government in each of the 50 States and six special U.S. jurisdictions; regional arts organizations representing state arts agencies; and organizations providing support services to state and regional arts agencies at a national level.
Beneficiary Eligibility
The official arts agencies of the 50 states and six U.S. jurisdictions, regional arts organizations, and organizations providing support services to SAAs and RAOs at the national level. Through activities and services supported, beneficiaries include local arts agencies, nonprofit organizations, artists, and the general public.
Credentials/Documentation
The State Partnership Agreement requires that the agency be legally designated as the official State arts agency. The Regional Partnership Agreement stipulates that the regional organization must be authorized by two or more state arts agencies to apply for funds on their behalf. A SAA can belong to only one RAO. OMB Circular No. A-122 applies to this program. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Applicants should consult the Partnership Agreements guidelines (available at www.arts.gov). Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.
Application Procedure
OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. Applicants must obtain current Partnership Agreements guidelines at www.arts.gov and adhere to instructions. Separate guidelines (also available at www.arts.gov) outline funding opportunities and instructions for Recovery Act grants. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.
Award Procedure
Applications receive three independent levels of review. First, they are reviewed by an independent, national panel of individuals with expertise in the arts and the state and regional arts agency field. Panel recommendations are forwarded to the National Council on the Arts, which then makes recommendations to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Chairman reviews the Council's recommendations and makes the final decision on all grant awards. Partnership Agreements receive panel review on a three-year cycle -- one-third of the states are reviewed each year -- with funding subject to annual recommendation and approval by the Council and the Chairman. Recovery Act applications, which are for one-time only funding, were reviewed in a single cycle.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
The Partnership Agreements deadline is generally in October. Applications are generally reviewed by the National Council on the Arts and approved by the NEA Chairman in late March. See the Arts Endowment's Web site at www.arts.gov for specific dates. Applications for one-time-only Recovery Act funding had a deadline of March 13, 2009.
Appeals
Information on requests for reconsideration may be obtained from the headquarters office.
Renewals
The Arts Endowment uses staggered, multi-year review for Partnership Agreements. Funding is subject to annual review and approval.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula.
Matching Requirements: Partnership Agreement awards must be matched at least 1:1 with non-federal funds. Recovery Act funds are awarded on a non-matching basis.
This program does not have MOE requirements.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Each award is for the full fiscal year or as designated. FY 2010 Partnership Agreement awards support activities scheduled to begin on or after July 1, 2010. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Generally, requests for payment to cover immediate allowable project expenses may be received at any time during the grant period.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
For Partnership Agreements, a Final Descriptive Report is due no later than 90 days following the end date of the period of support. Recovery Act grantees must report quarterly, with reports due the 10th of the month following the end of each quarter during the grant period. No cash reports are required. Progress reports are required for all grants and must be submitted at the time the cumulative amount of grant funds requested exceeds two-thirds of the grant amount. Final Federal Financial Reports are due no later than 90 days following the end date of the period of support. Performance monitoring is not applicable.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. All organizations receiving Arts Endowment awards must comply with the audit requirements mandated by OMB Circular No. A-133.
Records
Grant-related records are to be retained by grantees for three years following submission of the Final Federal Financial Report.
Program Accomplishments
Fiscal Year 2008: In FY 2008, the Arts Endowment made 64 Partnership awards. SAAs and RAOs use their state and federal funds to support more than 25,000 arts projects in more than 5,500 communities. Fiscal Year 2009: In FY 2009 the Arts Endowment is making 64 Partnership awards. SAAs and RAOs use their state and federal funds to support a variety of arts projects in communities throughout the nation. In addition, the Arts Endowment is making 63 Recovery Act awards to SAAs and RAOs for subgranting to organizations within their respective states and regions for the preservation of jobs in the nonprofit arts sector, and to the national service organization for SAAs and RAOs for job preservation . Fiscal Year 2010: In FY 2010, the Arts Endowment anticipates making 64 Partnership awards. SAAs and RAOs use their state and federal funds to support a variety of arts projects in communities throughout the nation.
Financial Information
Account Identification
59-0100-0-1-503 - Regular Partnership Agreements funds; 59-0100-0-1-503 - Recovery Act funding.
Obligations
(Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 08 $0; FY 09 est $19,950,000; FY 10 est $0 - Recovery Act funds are for FY 2009 only. Funds are restricted to projects that focus on the preservation of jobs in the nonprofit arts sector. (Project Grants (with Formula Distribution)) FY 08 $47,896,200; FY 09 est $51,000,000; FY 10 est $53,016,000 - The Congress has stipulated that no less than 40 percent of all grantmaking funds appropriated for the Arts Endowment be reserved for grants to SAAs and RAOs. Some of these funds are allotted on a formula basis; others competitively. See the Partnership Agreements guidelines at www.arts.gov for details.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
FY 2009: For Partnership Agreements, the range of SAA awards is $285,000 to $1,194,800, averaging $784,500. The range of RAO awards is $1,095,600 to $1,718,800, averaging $1,415,783. For Recovery Act grants for SAAs, the range of assistance is $25,000 to $502,400, with an average of $299,642. For Recovery Act grants for RAOs, the range of assistance is $394,400 to $628,800, with an average of $520,000.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
The Partnership Agreements guidelines are available on the Arts Endowment's Web site at www.arts.gov.
Related Programs
45.024 Promotion of the Arts_Grants to Organizations and Individuals
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Patrice Walker Powell 1100 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20506 Phone: 202-682-5097
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Fiscal Year 2008: Grant listings and links to SAAs and RAOs are posted at www.arts.gov. Partnership Agreements with SAAs support arts education activities; fostering of the arts in underserved communities; folk & traditional arts partnerships; and grant, service, or administrative programs. Partnership Agreements with RAOs support arts presenting and touring; folk & traditional arts partnerships; and grant, service, or administrative programs. Fiscal Year 2009: Grant listings for 2009 Partnership Agreements, which support the same type of activities as noted above, can be found at www.arts.gov. In addition, FY 2009 grants awarded with Recovery Act funds--for the preservation of jobs in the nonprofit arts sector-- can be found in the Recovery Act section of the Arts Endowment's Web site. Fiscal Year 2010: Partnership Agreement activities with the SAAs and RAOs will be similar to those noted for FY 2008. (Recovery Act funding is for FY 2009 only.) Grant listings will appear on the Arts Endowment's Web site once grants are obligated.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
For Partnership Agreements: Quality of the planning process; quality of the plan; and quality of implementation including accomplishments in relation to the plan. For additional criteria, consult the Partnership Agreements guidelines. For Recovery Act applications: The artistic excellence and artistic merit of the proposed project including its potential to have a significant and immediate impact on the arts work force. For additional criteria, consult the Recovery Act guidelines for State Arts Agencies and Regional Arts Organizations.
