What criteria are used to make grant decisions?

Published January 26, 2012 | Cultural Council

What criteria are used to make grant decisions?

Answer
Proposals are evaluated by several criteria: benefit to the community, quality of the activity, evidence of planning, qualifications of the individual(s) who will lead the activity, track record of the sponsoring group, clarity of the proposal, and benefit to Sudbury residents. School related proposals must be for enrichment activities and not for programs, supplies or salaries that should be part of the school budget. Call the SCC for clarification about any school and library requests, or about any capital expenditure requests. The SCC carefully scrutinizes repeat requests and limits funding to three consecutive years. It is recommended that proposals include other sources of support to show the project is not dependent solely on SCC funding.

Answer

Proposals are evaluated by several criteria: benefit to the community, quality of the activity, evidence of planning, qualifications of the individual(s) who will lead the activity, track record of the sponsoring group, clarity of the proposal, and benefit to Sudbury residents. School related proposals must be for enrichment activities and not for programs, supplies or salaries that should be part of the school budget. Call the SCC for clarification about any school and library requests, or about any capital expenditure requests. The SCC carefully scrutinizes repeat requests and limits funding to three consecutive years. It is recommended that proposals include other sources of support to show the project is not dependent solely on SCC funding.

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Established in 1982 as a part of a statewide program to develop cultural programs in local communities, the Sudbury Cultural Council (SCC) supports and promotes community originated projects and activities in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences to benefit the resident of Sudbury. Members consist of a group of interested residents who are appointed by the Board of Selectman to disperse public funding allocated by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, whose budget is determined annually by the state legislature in July. The state divides this funding to each town in the state using a formula that includes population and economic status, although we are permitted to raise additional funds through donations and events.

We accept grant applications that are due on or about October 15 on an annual basis for cultural projects (including performances, lectures and exhibits), events, and field trips designed to enrich the lives of our community. We encourage grant applications from residents and groups who work with Sudbury based organizations in order to enrich Sudbury life with a variety of cultural activities. Application procedures and grant application forms are available by clicking on the Documents tab.

In 2013, we awarded $3870 in grants to nine different individuals and organizations. The Sudbury Art Association received $1000 to help make their Open Studios an annual event. In another art-related grant, Curtis Middle School art teacher Yael Kupiec-Dar received $930, the second largest grant for her project that involves leading teams of students in creating 2-D pixelated images or 3-D sculpture reproductions of famous art works using Lego blocks. Several of the grants are connected to different aspects of Goodnow Library: Stephen Lewis, who displayed part of his vast collection of international anti-war posters at the library for the month of January, 2013, received $300; the Sudbury Garden Club received $500 to provide landscaping to the Civil War statue that was renovated earlier in 2012; the Solstice Sackbuts, a brass trio performed a free concert of Renaissance music with a $200 grant; and the library itself received $140 for “Welcome to the Spring,” a story and music event for children featuring the original story “Katie’s Acorn” that includes sing-alongs and participatory tales. Other Sudbury institutions receiving grants included: the Haynes PTO received $300 for “George W. Russell, Jr. & Co. – Clap Your Hands,” which demonstrated the changing roles of music in the African-American community; the Sudbury Grange received $200 to screen the film “Praying Town” with the film’s director; and the Sudbury Senior Center received $300 for “Theater of the 30s, 40s and 50s.”

We also work collaboratively with organizations in the community in helping them develop ideas for programs and events. Organizations and individuals are welcome to discuss their thoughts with our members by contacting us at culturalcouncil@sudbury.ma.us or 978-443-4028. Sudbury residents interested in being a member of the committee may also contact us there.

To find out more about the SCC’s activities, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SudburyCulturalCouncil. We welcome and encourage your support and feedback.