Art creators
Mission Support grants
Mission Support Grants support non-profit organizations with the arts as their primary purpose. Funding is unrestricted. In 2021-2022, we awarded 51 Mission Support Grants totaling $255,160. The average grant amount was $5,003.87. 87.93% of applicants in this category received a grant of any amount.
Application opens: July 20, 2022
Deadline to apply: Thursday, October 27 at 11:45 PM
- Activity Dates supported by this year’s funding: July 20, 2022 - June 15, 2023
- Staff will sort all applications by budget size and put them in two groups below and above the median amount. Group A – smaller to midsize budget organizations. Group B – midsize to larger budget organizations. The median will be determined after receiving applications.
Group A
| Group B
|
To be Eligible for funding in the Mission Support category, an organization must:
- Be a registered not-for-profit arts organization whose primary purpose is the arts
- Be principally located in the five-county Kansas City metropolitan area (Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Platte, Wyandotte)
- Have a governing body with bylaws
- Be founded before 2020 (thus, have at least two years of financial records and established history of programming)
Organizations may submit one grant application to ArtsKC per year.
Organizations may not apply for Inspiration Grant funding, which are for individual artists.
ArtsKC funding is meant to support public-facing and publicly accessible programming. Educational institutions should apply in Project Support.
For organizations that have received an ArtsKC Grant in the past, Impact Reports must be submitted and accepted before applying again.
Applications are submitted online using the ArtsKC Grant System.
If you have not applied before, when you go to the ArtsKC Grant System, click on the “Create New Account” button, and follow the directions there. If you are a new user but your organization has applied for ArtsKC funding before, email Grantmaking@ArtsKC.org to help set up your user profile.
If you have applied before, log in to your existing account in the ArtsKC Grant System and click on the “Apply” link to start a new application. Use the “Forgot Your Password?” link if you don’t remember what your password is. When you return to work on a saved application, be sure to look for your previously started form!
If you need assistance with the online application process, please see this video: Grant Applicant Tutorial.
*Note: The online grants system is compatible with screen reading systems, but does not have an in-application screen-reader.
Draft applications may be submitted for review by staff. This step is strongly encouraged for new applicants. Draft applications do not require a full set of attachments or support materials to be reviewed and should be completed via the online grants system. Once the application has been completed for a draft review, email the ArtsKC Grants staff to say that the application is ready for draft review. ArtsKC staff will review applications in the order they are submitted and will provide timely feedback to the applicant. Applicants will be able to make changes directly in the application without having to start the application over. Draft applications must be submitted 30 days before the application deadline in order to allow time for staff to review it.
A preview of the 2021-2022 Mission Support Grant application is linked below:
Mission Grants are competitive. Grant recipients are chosen by a continually renewed and representative group of community members with a variety of expertise and diverse perspectives. Committee Members are selected for their artistic knowledge and experience, awareness of community needs and issues, and other contributing factors. An ArtsKC Board Member leads each committee. Grants are approved by the ArtsKC Board of Directors.
The committee will consider:
- Artistic Excellence
- Community Impact
- Audience and Reach
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Accessibility
- Financial and Operational Management
- Need
- The application in comparison to all other applications in the competitive process.
- Other factors that may be determined by the committee and the ArtsKC Board of Directors
Committee members will use the following Evaluation Form:
2022-2023 Mission Support Evaluation
ArtsKC is seeking equity in our funding practices.
We will use the numbers and demographics you provide to determine how much of your organization’s staff, volunteers, and board of directors is made up of underrepresented communities such as BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and people with disabilities.
To work toward equity, the organizations that are diverse-led through greater overall representation among their staff, board, and volunteers will receive added value in the evaluation process. We acknowledge that collecting demographic data is a continually improving practice. Here’s a resource to consider: GuideStar by Candid’s DEI Survey Guide.
All grants will be for $5,000. Additional funding may be assigned to organizations determined to be diverse-led.
Due to the small amount of variation between grant amounts, ArtsKC is no longer asking you to define your Requested Amount.
To accept a grant, you must return your signed Grant Agreement Letter and W-9 within 15 business days of the notice, or you will forfeit your entire grant award.
You do not have to accept grants. If you have been awarded a grant and would like to turn it down or return it because of a change in plans or for any other reason, please notify ArtsKC Grant Staff immediately.
Grants are paid in two payments. The grant recipient must return a signed grant agreement and W-9 in order to receive the first payment of 80%. To receive the second payment of 20%, the grantee must turn in an Impact Report, which must be approved by ArtsKC. Please allow two weeks after submitting grant agreements and impact reports to process checks.
Impact Reports for 2022-2023 Mission Support Grants are due June 15, 2023.
Impact Reports are submitted through the ArtsKC Grant System.
You are required to submit an Impact Report by the deadline, or you will forfeit your final payment. We understand that it may become necessary to request a reasonable extension. Please do so by contacting ArtsKC well before the deadline to ensure timely processing of your request. ArtsKC will work with applicants in the event your project is delayed or postponed. Please contact us to discussion the circumstances. If an Impact Report is not received after the agreed upon date, you will become ineligible to apply for ArtsKC grants. Ineligibility can be reversed by the submission of an acceptable Impact Report.
A preview of the Impact Report is available below:
During the duration of your active status as an Mission Support grant recipient, we ask that you recognize ArtsKC publicly in your promotional materials and programs in a manner consistent with your policy of acknowledging other donors. Please recognize ArtsKC by name, and use the ArtsKC logo. As part of this agreement, ArtsKC respectfully requests to use your name and any photos you are willing to provide in our promotional materials and online.
Please notify ArtsKC staff in writing of any major changes in leadership, programs or operations as described in your grant application. Updates to contact information are also necessary to stay in contact and to mail checks to the appropriate address.
2022-2023 Mission Support Grant Committees:
Group A - Grant Committee
Committee Chair: Tim Marchesi CFA, President and CEO, Demarche
Jonathan Doram - Musician and Music Educator
Melody Eber - Assistant Manager Brand Marketing, Russell Stover Chocolates
Natalie Gauger - Associate at Trust Neighborhoods
Roxane Hill - Executive Director, The Regnier Family Wonderscope Children's Museum of Kansas City
Muenfua Lewis - Co-Founder for By Design Magazine and Brand Strategist
Sue Matcuk - Education & Training Manager, Burns & McDonnell
Erin Stryka - Executive Director, Rosedale Development Association
Group B - Grant Committee
Committee Chair: Chris Migneron, AIA, NCARB Senior Vice President, JE Dunn Construction
Chancellor Adams - Artist
Tim Hannon, CLCS, CAWC, ARM - Assistant Vice President, Business Banker at Enterprise Bank
Junann Lopez - President, National Association of Asian American Professionals - Kansas City
Shai Perry - Gallery Curator, Kansas City Kansas Community College
Sariah Pinick - Grant Coordinator, Commerce Bank, Charitable Trusts and Foundations
Brian Sandefur Senior Manager Mechanical Engineering, Garmin
Sheila Shockey - CEO, 80 Santa Fe Art Gallery & Shockey Consulting
Suzanne Wheeler - Executive Director, Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce
