CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grants – FAQs

Updated 10/25/21, 4:00 p.m.

Eligibility

1. Are libraries eligible for a CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant?
   Unfortunately, libraries are not among the eligible organization types for the CT Cultural Fund Operating Support grants.  An exception would be if a library also operates a museum, and that part of their operations is highlighted in their mission and budget.  In that case, the museum side of the operation could be considered for funding support. However, libraries may apply for funding through ALA’s American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries, a grantmaking program to deliver relief to libraries recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.
2. Are schools eligible for a CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant?
   K-12 public, private, and magnet schools are not eligible for this funding. If your school is a 501(c)(3) organization that offers cultural, humanities, or arts public programming for your community, you may be eligible for funding. Please contact Lian Partridge at lpartridge@cthumanities.org if you are unsure whether your school is eligible for this grant. Museums within colleges or universities are eligible for funding but will receive a maximum award of $5,000.
3. My organization was not eligible for funding through CT Humanities in the past. Will I be eligible for the CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant?
   This grant line is intended for all museums and 501(c)(3) non-profit, municipal, Connecticut state, or Connecticut-based tribal nation organizations that provide cultural-, humanities-, and arts-based projects and activities for the public. As long as your organization fits these criteria, you will be eligible for the CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant and will receive a grant award (see our guidelines for more details on eligibility requirements). CT Humanities’ other project-based grant lines (Quick Grants, Planning Grants, and Implementation Grants) continue to support strong humanities projects such as thematic, interpretive exhibitions, discussion-based public programs, community reads projects, interpretive digital projects, and thematic tours of communities.
4. We are a museum that does not focus on the arts or humanities. Are we still eligible?
   Yes, all CT museums are eligible for funding through the CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant.
5. My organization is in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status. Are we eligible to apply for the CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant?
   If your organization has not held 501(c)(3) status for at least one year, you cannot apply directly for funding support. However, you could partner with another eligible organization, such as your local community foundation or designated regional service organization, to apply for this grant. Your partner organization would serve as your fiscal sponsor (see below for more information).
6. My organization is serving as a fiscal sponsor for another organization. Am I allowed to charge a fiscal sponsor fee?
   If you are an organization such as a Designated Regional Service Organization serving as a fiscal sponsor for the CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant, you may receive no more than $500 in fiscal sponsor fees from an organization’s award. No organizations may charge indirect costs, including but not limited to taxes or administrative and grant management fees.

Accessing the Grants Portal:

1. I don’t know if my organization has an account. What should I do?
   Email Lian Partridge at lpartridge@cthumanities.org and she can help determine if your organization already has an account and if so, update which individuals have access to it.
2. Every time I open the grant portal it starts a blank application. How do I get back to my application draft?
   If you are clicking the link to apply from our website or email, it may be taking you to a blank application to start a new application. To log in to your account to work on an already started application, go to: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=connecticuthumanities.You should see your application drafts on your applicant dashboard. To work on your draft, click “edit.” To delete a blank draft, click “edit” on the blank draft, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click “Abandon Request.”

Award Size:

1. We received grant funding from the state/federal government/Department of Economic Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts/Connecticut Humanities. Will this impact my CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant award size?
   No. The only factors that would impact your award size are 1) if your organization received funding through a line item in the FY22 State budget, 2) if your organization is a Connecticut State-operated Museum, or 3) if your organization is a Connecticut State college- or university-operated museum.
2. How do I know whether my organization received line-item funding from the Connecticut State legislature?
   Line-item funding refers to organizations that are mentioned by name or within a consortium in the FY22 Connecticut State budget. It does not refer to state grants or any other grants you may have received.

Filling Out the Application:

1. My organization is partnering with another organization that is acting as a fiscal sponsor to apply for a CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant. Whose information should we include in the application?
   The organization that is serving as the fiscal sponsor, and is eligible to apply for funding, should be the organization submitting the application under their Employer Identification Number (EIN).  Additionally, the Authorizing Signatory (the person that will sign a grant contract) and Fiscal Agent (the person managing the use of grant funds) should both be associated with that fiscal sponsor organization. In the Primary Organization Name field question, please use the format of Name of Fiscal Sponsor Organization/Name of Sponsored Organization (i.e., Everytown Arts Council/Everytown New Museum).  The rest of the grant information (mission, budget, staff size, etc.) should all pertain to the organization being sponsored.
2. What financial documents do I need to include in this application?
   You will need a board-approved budget for your current fiscal year. For the three previous fiscal year budgets required, acceptable uploads could include audited financial statements, profit/loss statements, budgets with actuals, or any other document that shows your organization’s actual expenses and sources of revenue. For the next fiscal year, you will provide estimated total operating expenses and total operating income. There are no supporting documents required for the next fiscal year.
3. Our budget runs from January to December. Do I need to include an FY23 budget?
   No. For a fiscal year that runs on the calendar year, your next fiscal year is FY22, so you will submit estimated expenses for FY22.
4. We hire many contractors throughout the year, some long-term and some short-term. What should I enter for “Contractors”?
   A “contractor” is anyone you hire to help your organization achieve its mission who is not salaried, whether they are hired long- or short-term. Contractors could include musicians, curators, social media managers, etc. Do not include contractors whose work does not directly support your organization’s mission, such as electricians or construction-related contractors.We ask for information about contractors to get a better sense of how many people your organization hires to support its mission. As such, if the number of contractors you work with “on January 1” of any given year is not representative of the true number of contractors your organization works with, then please indicate the number of contractors that your organization hired that year.