|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
ARTS EDUCATION: Art Works |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
These application guidelines provide all of the information that you need to submit an application. Your application will consist of a combination of material that you obtain from Grants.gov (certain forms) and our website (additional forms and other items you must submit). We urge you to read these instructions in their entirety before you begin the application process. You also may want to keep these instructions open in a window in your computer as they contain helpful links to information that you will need as you complete your application. In addition to these instructions, you should periodically check the Grants.gov blog or the Grants.gov homepage for tips, updates, and alerts. GUIDELINES WEBINARS: The Arts Endowment will be conducting Arts Works Guidelines Webinars for each discipline in January and February 2013. Each will include an overview presentation followed by a Q&A session. .
The Grants.gov system must receive your validated and accepted application no later than 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on the deadline date. If you are unable to submit your application electronically, you may request a waiver. A waiver will be granted for the following reasons only:
Your waiver request must be in writing and must be received (not postmarked) at the Arts Endowment at least three weeks before the application deadline. Click here for more information on waivers. 
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A complete application consists of:
|
NOTE: All asterisked (*) items and yellow fields on this form are required and must be completed before you will be able to submit the form. Do not type in all capital letters when completing the form. Enter information directly into the form. Do not copy from an old application package or another document and paste into the form.
1. Name of Federal Agency: Pre-populated.
2. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: Pre-populated.
3. Date Received: This will be filled automatically with the date that you submit your application; leave blank.
4. Funding Opportunity Number: Pre-populated.
5. Applicant Information:
a. Legal Name: The name provided here must be the applicant's legal name as it appears in the current IRS 501(c)(3) status letter or in the official document that identifies the organization as a unit of state or local government, or as a federally recognized tribal community or tribe. (Do not use your organization's popular name, if different.)
If you are a parent organization that is applying on behalf of an eligible component, do not list the name of the component here. You will be asked for that information later.
b. Address:
Use Street 1 for your street address or post office box number, whichever is used for your U.S. Postal Service mailing address. Street 2 is not a required field and should be used only when a Suite or Room Number or other similar information is a necessary part of your address. Do not use Street 2 to give a second address for your organization.
In the Zip/Postal Code box, organizations in the United States should enter the full 9-digit zip code that was assigned by the U.S. Postal Service. If you do not know your full zip code, you may look it up at www.usps.com/zip4/
d. Type of Applicant: Select the item that best characterizes your organization from the menu in the first drop down box. Additional choices are optional.
e. Employer/Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN/TIN): Enter the 9-digit number that was assigned by the Internal Revenue Service; do not use a Social Security Number.
f. Organizational DUNS: All organizational applicants for federal funds must have a DUNS number, which is recognized as the universal standard for identifying organizations worldwide. The number that you enter here must agree with the number (either 9 or 13 digits) that you used with the SAM (System for Award Management) as part of the Grants.gov registration. Otherwise, your application will not be validated by Grants.gov and will be rejected.
g. Congressional District: Enter the number of the Congressional District where the applicant organization is located. Use the following format: 2 character State Abbreviation-3 character District Number. For example, if your organization is located in the 5th Congressional District of California, enter "CA-005." If your state has a single At-Large Representative or your territory has a single Delegate, enter your 2 character state/territory abbreviation and "-000." If you need help determining your district, go to www.house.gov and use the "Find Your Representative" tool.
6. Project Information:
a. Project Title: Provide a brief descriptive title for your proposed project. For example: “An Exhibition of the Works of Georgia O’Keeffe.”
b. Project Description: For all projects except those to the Arts Education discipline: In two or three brief sentences, clearly describe your specific project, not your organization. Begin the first sentence with "To support" and include the name of the project. Follow this with up to two more sentences that describe the type of project, the target population that will be served, and where the project will take place. For examples, see Recent Grants.
For Arts Education discipline projects: In two or three brief sentences, clearly describe your specific project, not your organization. Begin the first sentence with "To support" and include the name of the project. Follow this with up to two more sentences that describe the type of project, the instructors, the age and number of students/adults who will be served, and where the project will take place.
For example:
To support Creative Arts Program, a weekly string instruction program for 200 8th grade students in two middle schools in Monroe, LA. Professional musicians provide master classes and one-on-one instruction, and help academic teachers learn to integrate music into the classroom. The program culminates in a year-end student performance.
Please note:
This field on the form has a character limit of 1,000. Even if you have less than 1,000 characters, Grants.gov may translate special characters (e.g., apostrophes) in a way that will cause your application to be rejected. This can happen if you copy from an old application package or another document and paste into the form. We strongly encourage you to write a succinct project description and double check the number of characters.
c. Proposed Project Start Date/End Date: Enter the beginning and ending dates for your requested period of support, i.e., the span of time necessary to plan, execute, and close out your proposed project. The start date should be the first day of the month, and the end date should be the last day of the month. The Arts Endowment's support of a project may start on or after: 1) For applicants under the March 7 deadline, January 1, 2014; or 2) For applicants under the August 8 deadline, June 1, 2014. Generally, a period of support of up to two years is allowed. The two-year period is intended to allow an applicant sufficient time to plan, execute, and close out its project, not to repeat a one-year project for a second year.
7. Project Director:
Provide the requested information for the Project Director. Select a Prefix (e.g., Ms., Mr.) even though this is not a required field.
Provide contact information, including an e-mail address, that will be valid through the announcement date for your category.
8. Primary Contact/Grant Administrator:
Provide the requested information for the individual who should be contacted on all matters involving this application and the administration of any grant that may be awarded. The Primary Contact/Grant Administrator identified here will be the person who will receive information for accessing NEA-GO to upload your electronic work samples. For colleges and universities, this person is often a Sponsored Research, Sponsored Programs, or Contracts and Grants Officer. Select a Prefix even though this is not a required field. For the Telephone number field, use the following format: 000-000-0000.
In some organizations, particularly smaller ones, this individual may be the same as the Project Director. If this is the case, you may check the "Same as Project Director" box and not repeat information that you have already provided in Item 7. (If the Primary Contact/Grant Administrator is the same as the Authorizing Official, please complete all items under both 8 and 9 even though there will be some repetition.)
9. Authorized Representative:
Enter the requested information for the AOR (Authorized Organization Representative) who will be submitting this application to Grants.gov. Select a Prefix even though this is not a required field. The AOR must have the legal authority to obligate your organization. By clicking the "I Agree" box at the top of Item 9, this individual will be certifying compliance with relevant federal requirements on your organization's behalf. (These requirements can be found in the "Assurance of Compliance" section of these guidelines.) The "Signature of Authorized Representative" and "Date Signed" boxes will be populated by Grants.gov upon submission of the application.
NOTE: All asterisked (*) items and yellow fields on this form are required and must be completed before you will be able to submit the form. Do not type in all capital letters when completing the form. Enter information directly into the form. Do not copy from an old application package or another document and paste into the form.
This form collects information about the primary site, as well as additional sites, where project activity will take place. In most -- but not all -- cases, the primary site will be the address of the applicant organization. If a portion of the project will be performed at any other site(s), identify the site location(s) in the additional block(s) provided. Use up to 29 additional blocks as required (one for each site). Your responses will not be a factor in the review of your application.
For the Organization Name:
Enter the name of the organization where the activity will take place. This may be the applicant organization or another organization. The remaining fields in a block (e.g., DUNS number) are associated with the organization where the activity will take place.
For the Project/Performance Site Congressional District:
Use the following format: 2 character State Abbreviation-3 character District Number. For example, if the organization is located in the 5th Congressional District of California, enter "CA-005." If the project directly impacts all districts in a state, enter "all" for the district number. For example: "MD-all" for all Congressional districts in Maryland. If nationwide (all districts in all states), enter "US-all." If the state has a single At-Large Representative or the territory has a single Delegate, enter your 2 character state/territory abbreviation and "-000." If the project is outside the U.S., enter "00-000." If you need help determining a district, go to www.house.gov and use the "Find Your Representative" tool.
NOTE: All asterisked (*) items and yellow fields on this form are required and must be completed before you will be able to submit the form. Do not type in all capital letters when completing the form. Enter information directly into the form. Do not copy from an old application package or another document and paste into the form.
See the instructions below for the following items (other instructions are provided on the form itself).
Part 1. Applicant
For this application, the applicant is serving as: If you are a parent organization that is applying on behalf of an eligible separate component, choose the "Parent of a Component" box from the drop-down menu and enter the name of the component in the space provided. Otherwise, choose "Not Applicable."
Part 2. Project
Project Field/Discipline: Choose the one discipline that is most relevant to your project. This selection will aid the Arts Endowment's application review. If you have questions, refer to "Agency Contacts."
If you are proposing a pre-K through 12 curriculum-based project that aligns with either national or state arts education standards, choose Arts Education. If you choose Arts Education, a second Project Field/Discipline menu will appear to the right. From that menu, select the discipline that is most relevant to your project.
For other education projects, or if you are not proposing a pre-K through 12 curriculum-based project that aligns with either national or state arts education standards, select the relevant field/discipline below:
Choose your field/discipline carefully. In limited cases, Arts Endowment staff may transfer an application to a field/discipline other than the one that was selected by the applicant to ensure appropriate panel review.
Intended Outcome:
Select the outcome that best describes the primary intent of your project. You may also select a secondary outcome if a significant portion of your project is aligned with a second NEA outcome. Please ensure that your selection(s) match your narrative (Attachment 2) for the question about Outcome(s) and Measurements.
Choose from the following outcomes:
E: Creation: The Portfolio of American Art is Expanded
F: Engagement: Americans Throughout the Nation Experience Art
G: Learning: Americans of All Ages Acquire Knowledge or Skills in the Arts
H: Livability: American Communities are Strengthened Through the Arts
Project Budget Summary: The dollar amounts entered in these fields must agree with the corresponding dollar amounts on your Project Budget Form (Attachment 3).
The "Attachments Form" is not a form in the conventional sense. Rather, it is a place to attach documents that you have completed and saved elsewhere on your computer.
Several important points:
Attachments 5 and 7 are fillable forms; you will find links to them. These forms can be filled in, saved to your computer, and attached without the need for special software or conversion to PDF.
Please be sure you are using Adobe Reader (version 9 or higher) when filling out our PDF forms.
Note to Mac users: Your computer may be set to open PDF files using Preview (you can tell which program is being used to view a PDF file by looking at the left-most item in the menu bar). Please verify that you are using Adobe Reader and not Preview. If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed, you can download it here: http://get.adobe.com/reader/.
These non-form documents can be created using any word processing software. When you have completed the document, save it to your computer and convert it to PDF before attaching. If you don't already have software to convert files to PDF, there are many low-cost and free software packages that can do this. To learn more, go to PDF Conversion Programs.
Please make sure to convert your documents into PDF format in line with the guidance above. Do not create PDFs of your electronic documents by scanning. In the past, some applicants have printed their electronic documents and then scanned them, saving the scan in PDF format. PDFs created this way are much larger, and of lower quality, than PDFs created by the methods we recommend. Do not embed non-printable media files (video and/or sound) in your PDF documents. Static images (e.g., pictures) are acceptable. Please do not enable any document security settings or password-protect any PDF file you submit to us.
No attachment should be more than 2 MB.
For non-form documents, label pages clearly with the name of the item (e.g., Organizational Background) and your organization's legal name. Leave a margin of at least one inch at the top, bottom, and sides of all pages. Do not reduce type below 12 point font size. Do not type in all capital letters. Within each attachment, number pages sequentially; place numbers on the bottom right hand corner of each page. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed.
Name your files as indicated below and attach them in the proper order. Limit file names to 50 or fewer characters and use only the following characters when naming your attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore (_), hyphen (-), space, and period. If you do not follow this rule, your application may be rejected. Please note that you cannot change the name of a file on the Attachments Form. Therefore make certain that each file is named correctly before you attach it.
When you open the Grants.gov Attachments Form, you will find 15 attachment buttons. By clicking on a button, you will be able to choose the PDF file from your computer that you wish to attach. Please attach the proper file to the proper button as listed below.
ATTACHMENT 1: ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND STATEMENT
To this button, attach a one-page Organizational Background statement. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "OrgBackground.pdf" (e.g., "ABCDanceCoOrgBackground.pdf" or "StateUnivPerfArtsCenterOrgBackground.pdf").
This statement should cover the points below; use the following headings and letters to organize your response. If you are a parent organization that is applying on behalf of a component, this information should refer to the component.
Date organization was incorporated. If not applicable, omit.
Mission/purpose of your organization: Briefly summarize the mission and purpose of your organization. For organizations whose work extends beyond the cultural sphere (e.g., universities, human service agencies), summarize your mission as it pertains to your public cultural programs or services.
Organization overview: Address the following:
ATTACHMENT 2: DETAILS OF THE PROJECT NARRATIVE (Three-page limit)
To this button, attach your Details of the Project narrative. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "DetailsofProject.pdf."
Your narrative can be a maximum of three pages, but keep in mind that the Arts Endowment and its panelists prefer succinct descriptions. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed. Organize your response a), b), c), etc., and use the boldfaced language below as headings for each item. For example, "a) Major project activities: The ABC Arts Center plans to ..."
The information that you provide will be reviewed in accordance with the "Review Criteria" for the Art Works category. Your narrative should address each of these "Review Criteria" and include information on the following, as relevant to your project. Ensure that your descriptions are consistent with the information that you provide on the NEA Organization & Project Profile form.
Major project activities. Be as specific as possible about the activities that will take place during the project period. Include information on the location(s) of the proposed activity and any special resources that will be used.
Discuss how the project incorporates: 1) the opportunity for participants to experience exemplary works of art -- in live form wherever possible -- and how participants will gain knowledge and skills in the arts through focused study; 2) the opportunity for participants to create art within the discipline(s) studied; and 3) assessment of participant learning aligned with either national or state arts education standards. For more information on arts education standards, please see State and National Standards for Arts Education.
In order to demonstrate in-depth learning, please provide:
Outcome(s) and Measurements. All Arts Education projects will have the following as their primary outcome:
Discuss how your project directly addresses this primary outcome in relation to pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 youth, and/or professional development of arts education providers. You may also address a secondary NEA outcome (Creation, Engagement, or Livability). Ensure that the outcome(s) you address here is the one you select on the NEA Organization & Project Profile form. Identify any additional goals of your own that you have established for the project. Keep in mind that Arts Education grantees will be required to describe the methods used to assess learning, and they will be required to submit any tools used to assess learning with their Final Report. (Please note that assessment tools may be shared publicly. If your tools are proprietary and have copyrights or trademarks attached, make note of that now in your application as well as when you submit a Final Report if you become a grantee.)
Detail the performance measurements that you will use to provide evidence that the NEA Learning outcome was achieved. You must address:
Plans for assessment of participant learning. Describe how you plan to implement the following, as relevant to your project.
Plans for overall program evaluation.
Be sure to include the costs committed to assessment and evaluation on the Project Budget form. Separately identify these costs if they are part of staff salary and/or time.
Schedule of key project dates. If you include activities that occur before the earliest allowable project start date, make sure you note that those activities and costs are not included in the project request on the Project Budget form.
Key partnering organizations and individuals that will be involved in the project. (Bios of key project personnel are requested as a separate item.) Indicate whether the organizations, artists, and other individuals that are cited are committed to or merely proposed for the project. Where relevant, describe their involvement in the development of the project to date. Describe the process and criteria for the selection of organizations and artists. Where key organizations or individuals remain to be selected, describe the procedures that you plan to follow and the qualifications that you seek. Focus on the organizations and individual(s) who will be responsible for the arts learning aspects of the project.
The target population (i.e., the intended audience and/or other beneficiaries to whom the project is directed). If actual figures or reasonable estimates can be secured, indicate the number of people the project will reach and any available participant demographics. Have you worked with this target population before? Has the target population been involved in the planning for and implementation of the project? In the case of youth, describe the age range and any special needs that exist. Describe any underserved groups or areas that will benefit.
Plans for promoting, publicizing, and/or disseminating the proposed project, as relevant.
Accessibility. Will the project be accessible to individuals with disabilities in compliance with federal law and regulations? Explain how you will make your project accessible through access accommodations for both facilities and programs, such as audio description, sign-language interpretation, closed or open captioning, large-print brochures/labeling, etc. Give examples of how your organization has accommodated participants with disabilities. See the Nondiscrimination Statutes in "Assurance of Compliance" for more information. (For technical assistance on how to make your project fully accessible, contact the Arts Endowment's Accessibility Office at accessibility@arts.gov, 202/682-5532, or 202/682-5496 Voice/T.T.Y. or the Civil Rights Office at 202/682-5454 or 202/682-5695 Voice/T.T.Y.)
ATTACHMENT 3: BIOGRAPHIES OF KEY PROJECT PERSONNEL (Two-page limit)
To this button, attach a single file that includes all of the items below that are relevant to your application. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "Bios.pdf." Label clearly each item.
For all applicants: Brief, current biographies of the key project personnel [e.g., the proposed primary artist(s), project director, teachers, administrators, parents, as appropriate]. Describe their experience as it relates to the project. Send no more than two pages of bios; group several on each page. Do not substitute resumes for the required biographies. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed.
For projects that involve highly technical professionals (e.g., individuals who work with new technology, art conservators): Resumes (not bios) for those individuals.
For parent organizations applying on behalf of an eligible component: A list of key staff of the component unit. Describe any overlaps in staffing with the parent organization. This documentation is required to demonstrate your eligibility.
ATTACHMENT 4: LIST OF CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS (Two-page limit)
To this button, attach a single file that includes all of the items below that are relevant to your application. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "BoardList.pdf." Label clearly each item.
For all applicants: A list of current board members including professional affiliations.
For parent organizations applying on behalf of an eligible component: A list of board/advisory group members for the component as well as the parent organization. Note how long each board/advisory group has been in existence. This documentation is required to demonstrate your eligibility.
Do not include private information such as home addresses, phone numbers, etc.
ATTACHMENT 5: PROJECT BUDGET FORM, PAGES 1 and 2
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD: [FORM] [INSTRUCTIONS]
To this button, attach the Project Budget form, Pages 1 and 2. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "ProjectBudget.pdf."
ATTACHMENT 6: OPTIONAL PROJECT BUDGET (Three-page limit)
If you wish to submit a copy of a differently formatted budget (e.g., one created for your own planning purposes), attach it to this button. This project budget may not be submitted in lieu of the required Project Budget form in Attachment 5. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "SepBudget.pdf." Limit this to a maximum of three pages.
ATTACHMENT 7: FINANCIAL INFORMATION FORM
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD: [FORM] [INSTRUCTIONS]
To this button, attach the Financial Information form. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "FinancialInfo.pdf." You may not submit other documentation in lieu of the required form.
ATTACHMENT
8: ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES LIST (Three-page limit)
To this button, attach a representative list of your Organizational Activities for the past three seasons. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "OrgActivities.pdf."
Submit up to three pages of a selective representative list, in chronological order, of your organization's programming or activities for the following years: 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13. For organizations that schedule activities according to a single calendar year, use programming for 2010, 2011, and 2012. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed.
This list should demonstrate eligibility (i.e., your organization's three-year history of programming) and the artistic excellence and merit of your organization. For the purpose of defining eligibility, "three-year history" refers to when an organization began its programming and not when it incorporated or received nonprofit, tax-exempt status. Where available, include arts or cultural programming that has a relationship to the project for which you are requesting support (e.g., examples of your previous work with youth). Use the bullets below as a guide to possible column headings for your list; adjust them as appropriate for your organization.
Example:
An after-school visual arts learning program might fill out its selective representative list as follows:
Year |
Program/ |
Project Head |
Participating Artist(s) |
Dates/# |
Attendance |
2010-11 |
After |
Jan Smith |
Lois Jones |
Sept. 10- |
125 3rd & 4th grade students |
2011-12 |
The Arts at ABC Jr. High |
Bill Miller |
Susan Johnson |
Oct. 11- April 12; two days every week |
60 students |
2012-13 |
Teen Studio/ Austin Fine Arts |
Bob Doe |
Ray Ward |
2 hours weekly/year-round |
80 students |
ATTACHMENT
9:
STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT (Five-page limit)
To this button, attach a single file that contains no more than five one-page statements of support for the project. Excess pages will be removed and not be reviewed.
The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "Statements.pdf."
Statements of support are used by panelists to assess the level of commitment of project partners and the impact of project activities. Each statement should include the name, phone number, and e-mail address of the individual who provided it. Statements should be addressed to your organization, not the NEA.
We strongly encourage you to submit statements of support electronically through Grants.gov. If you submit this item as a scanned document:
ATTACHMENT
10:
AUTHORITY TO OPERATE AS THE LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY
If you are a single school that is applying as the local education agency (school district), to this button attach documentation that assigns your organization the authority to operate as the local education agency. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "SchoolDistrict.pdf."
NOTE: The Arts Endowment does not make awards directly to individual elementary or secondary schools -- charter, private, or public. Local education agencies (school districts) are eligible. If a single school also is the local education agency, as is the case with some charter schools, the school may apply with documentation that supports its status as the local education agency.
Leave all remaining Attachment buttons blank.
Follow the detailed instructions under "Submit your electronic application" above.
Please see the archive of the NEA/WESTAF joint training webinar for applicants on using the NEA-GO system to upload work samples electronically.
In addition to the material that you submit through Grants.gov, you must submit work samples as detailed below. Your application package will not be considered complete without these items. Do not submit work samples through Grants.gov.
You will upload your work samples electronically. This will eliminate the need for you to mail work samples to the NEA after completing the Grants.gov application process.
To upload work samples, you will use the NEA GrantsOnline™ System (NEA-GO), which is being administered for the NEA by the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF). This will proceed as follows:
You will complete the Grants.gov application process as detailed through Step 5 of the instructions above.
On March 25, 2013, WESTAF will e-mail the Primary Contact/Grant Administrator identified on your Grants.gov application with the login information (URL, User name, and Password) for accessing NEA-GO. If your organization has submitted more than one application (e.g., one on its own behalf and one as the parent of a component), you will receive a separate e-mail, with separate login information, for each application.
You will have until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on April 5, 2013, to upload, preview/check, and submit your work samples electronically.
If you apply to the August 8, 2013, application deadline:
On August 26, 2013, WESTAF will e-mail the Primary Contact/Grant Administrator identified on your Grants.gov application with the login information (URL, User name, and Password) for accessing NEA-GO. If your organization has submitted more than one application (e.g., one on its own behalf and one as the parent of a component), you will receive a separate e-mail, with separate login information, for each application.
You will have until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on September 9, 2013, to upload, preview/check, and submit your work samples electronically
To ensure that you receive WESTAF's login information promptly, we recommend that you add the following e-mail address to your list of safe senders: noreply@culturegrants.org.
You will access NEA-GO for detailed instructions and to upload your work samples.
The NEA-GO system is optimized for use with the following web browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome. Internet Explorer will also work, but you must have at least version IE 8.
NEA staff will be available to answer any questions that you have.
You should prepare your work samples well in advance of the deadline and have them fully ready to upload once NEA-GO becomes available to you.
Work Sample Preparation
Work samples are required for all Arts Education applications and are an essential part of the application that can either support or undermine the artistic quality presented in the project narrative. If you have questions about what makes an effective work sample, please contact the appropriate Arts Education specialist.
Your work samples should demonstrate artistic excellence and merit, and enhance the panel's understanding of your application and your organization's ability to carry out the project. Applicants should submit no more than five work samples.
Video samples should demonstrate student learning as well as the quality of instruction by education providers (as appropriate to the project), and are an especially effective way to convey a project’s artistic excellence and merit.
Work samples may include:
In your work sample description, identify the age or grade of the youth; whether they are beginning, intermediate, or advanced students, or a combination thereof; and the context for the work including the chronological point in the project that is represented (e.g., start-of-year class, mid-session workshop, year-end program).
Artist/teacher work. Wherever possible, work samples should demonstrate the experience and skills of the proposed artists/teachers who will be working with the participants in the proposed project. Submit work samples that demonstrate the quality of the instruction.
Curriculum units or lesson plans. Include an explanation of their relevance to the project and to the other work samples submitted.
Assessment/evaluation documentation. Include any assessment tools you may use in the project, e.g., rubrics, surveys, evaluation forms, student journal samples, final evaluation reports, or other relevant documentation. Arts Education grantees will be required to describe the methods used to assess learning, and they will be required to submit any tools used to assess learning with their Final Report.
Other work that is relevant to the project.
For an existing project, submit work samples that show the same project in the past. If the project is new, work samples should demonstrate past experience with related activities.
Acceptable Formats
You will be able to upload samples in the formats described below. There is a limit of 250 MB for all of your work samples combined.
Use the format(s) below that are best suited to your project.
Video Samples
Submit no more than three selections; with a combined viewing time of no longer than ten minutes.
You may submit a link to a video sample, or upload a video sample directly to NEA-GO. If you are submitting more than one video sample, you will upload each individually, in a separate file
If you submit a link:
Submit a PDF with a link to the website. If you are including more than one website, submit no more than three and list them all on a single PDF. For each site, list the URLs for pages to be shown; include any necessary information on required plug-ins, passwords, or navigation paths.
If you upload directly to NEA-GO:
Acceptable file types are avi, flv, mov, mp4, mpeg, rm, and wmv. Your video sample must be in one of these acceptable file types. File types such as VIDEO_TS.BUP, VIDEO_TS.IFO, and VIDEO_TS.VOB will not work.
In order to be uploaded, videos must meet the following minimum requirements:
You can often check the resolution of a video as follows. In Windows environments, find the file on your computer, right click it, and select "Properties." On a Mac, hold the Control key, and click on the file name. Select "Get Info" and the information should display. Most videos are a standard 29 frames per second.
While the above requirements are the minimum, submitting your video in the mp4 (H.264) format at 640 x 480 with mp3 audio will allow for efficient uploading while showing your clips to best advantage. There is a file size limit of 250 MB. (Note, however, that there is a limit of 250 MB for all of your work samples combined so choose your video samples carefully.)
If your video doesn't meet the minimum resolution requirements above, there are a number of software programs you can use to convert your video, such as the free MPEG Streamclip; DV Kitchen for Mac, which has a free trial; and www.mediaconverter.org, which allows for five free conversions.
Documents
Submit documents that directly relate to the proposed project. Upload each document individually, in a separate file. Each file has a size limit of 5 MB and 12 pages. All documents should be submitted as PDF files.
Examples of documents or excerpts of documents may include sample lesson plans, teachers' guides, sample curricula, syllabi, program evaluation or student assessment methods, or documentation of past evaluation or assessment efforts, and publications.
If you have to scan material, please follow the guidance below:
Digital images
Submit up to 12 images. A set of up to 12 images is considered one work sample. We recommend that you combine all of your images into a single PDF file. Image size should be consistent; 800 x 600 pixels is suggested. Each image/file has a size limit of 5 MB. Acceptable file types are jpeg, gif, bmp, png, and tif.
Audio Samples
Submit no more than three selections; with a combined listening time of no more than ten minutes. You will upload each selection in a separate file. Each file has a size limit of 5 MB. Acceptable file types are mp3, wma, wav, aac, mid, midi, mpa, and ra.
Websites
Work Sample Information
For each work sample that you upload electronically, you will find a descriptive field into which you will enter the following information, as appropriate:
Title box:
Description box:
[Applicants submitting multiple websites or multiple images on a PDF should include the relevant information from above with each website or image in the PDF. The descriptive field for the file should provide a brief overview of the group of images or websites as a whole.]
For previous applicants: There is no longer a separate Work Sample Index.
If new information that significantly affects your application (including changes in artists or confirmed funding commitments) becomes available after your application is submitted, please send that information immediately to the specialist for the field/discipline of your project. Include your organization's name and application number on any such submission. No changes in or revisions to your application can be made through Grants.gov.
National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal
agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506
Register or Renew/Verify Registration with Grants.gov
