Sustainability

March 24, 2023 | Agency Momentum2021 by Swatch Studios LLC General Operating Support for Organizations of all Sizes The Sustainability program supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the state’s arts and cultural ecosystem, providing stable and consistent funding to organizations regardless of budget size. This flexible and reliable funding supports a wide range of the state’s arts providers as they make high-quality artistic experiences available to residents and visitors, positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry, and cultural assets. GRANT AWARDS Sustainability grantees are divided into three categories by arts programming budget and reviewed with like- sized organizations. Sustainability-Large organizations: applicants with the 40 largest arts programming budgets among all Sustainability applicants (averaged over past three most recently completed fiscal years) as determined by OAC staff every four years (next in FY 2028). Grant awards vary in size and are determined by a formula that considers panel evaluation of each application and the applicant’s allowable operating income (as averaged over the most recently completed three fiscal years). Sustainability-Mid-Sized organizations: applicants with annual arts programming budgets exceeding $50,000 (averaged over past three most recently completed fiscal years) as determined by OAC staff. Grant awards vary in size and are determined by a formula that considers panel evaluation of each application and the applicant’s allowable operating income (as averaged over the most recently completed three fiscal years). Sustainability-Small organizations: applicants with annual arts programming budgets of less than $50,000 (averaged over past three most recently completed fiscal years) and may request up to $10,000. All awards require a 1:1 cash match. ELIGIBILITY All applicants must possess nonprofit status or nonprofit intent. Applicants may be: 1) arts and cultural organizations in any arts discipline (literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, traditional arts, multidisciplinary arts, etc.); 2) other organizations providing arts programming (government entities, social service agencies, etc.); or 3) educational organizations that demonstrate a commitment to arts programming in a larger community setting. Ineligible groups include: 1) PreK-12 schools and school districts; and 2) school-affiliated organizations, both defined as organizations whose primary mission is to serve a specific PreK-12 school or district(s) (e.g., booster groups, educational service centers, parent-teacher organizations, etc.). These organizations are encouraged to contact the OAC’s Arts Learning staff to discuss eligible grant programs. Please refer to Appendix A for other OAC funding restrictions that may affect your eligibility. Additional eligibility requirements for Sustainability include: Applicants must have received at least two OAC grants in the last four OAC fiscal years. This support must have come from an OAC funding program that evaluated and scored the application through a panel process, which include ArtSTART, ArtsNEXT, Arts Partnership, ArtsRISE, Statewide Arts Service Organizations, Sustainability, and former programs that include Artists with Disabilities Access Program (for Organizations) and Arts Access. Sustainability-Large and Mid-Sized applicants (see INCOME DETERMINATION, below) must maintain an up-to-date profile in *SMU/DataArts, a national initiative focused on collecting and analyzing financial and participation information from arts and cultural organizations. A current profile must include the two most recently completed fiscal years of data as of the November 1 immediately preceding the deadline. Please take care to ensure your organization submits the correct fiscal year data according to these instructions. *Note: FY 2026 - 2027 is expected to mark the final biennium of the SMU/DataArts Funder Report as a required financial material for large and mid-sized organizations. An alternative financial requirement will begin with FY 2028 - 2029. Sustainability-Large organizations (see INCOME DETERMINATION, below) must meet additional eligibility requirements (which do not apply to Small or Mid-Size applicants). Sustainability-Large applicants: must be incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in Ohio. must have, as their primary mission, the presentation or production of the arts. must have been in existence and presented regular, annual arts programming for at least five years since the start date of the grant period for which they are seeking funding. must have a permanent, paid, professional staff administering both the business and artistic functions of its work. must use a majority of artists who meet the definition of a professional artist – a person who devotes a major portion of his or her time to practicing, performing, or teaching the arts (except local arts councils and centers). may not be national service organizations, divisions, or departments of larger governmental entities (e.g., divisions of parks and recreation), nor receive operating funds from other state agencies. that are college/university-based must: derive at least 51 percent of their income from outside the college/university; manage their own budget; have an annual, independent audit; maintain their own board, independent of the college/university board of trustees; have an arts-based mission; and not present work exclusively by or for students. LARGE/MID-SIZED/SMALL DETERMINATION Sustainability grantees are divided into three categories by arts programming budget (averaged over the past three most recently completed fiscal years) and reviewed with like- sized organizations. Sustainability-Large organizations: the 40 largest arts programming budgets among all Sustainability applicants; determined by OAC staff and re-evaluated every four years (next in FY 2028) Sustainability-Mid-Sized organiz