This section covers what is required of Council grant recipients.
REQUIREMENTS FOR CREDITING THE COUNCIL AND THE NEA:
Grant recipients are, by definition, under contract to the Council and, as such, must give credit to the Council and the NEA in all printed programs, advertising, news releases, promotion and publicity materials related to the funded organization or project. Failure to credit the Council and the NEA violates the contract and jeopardizes future funding.
The NEA requires that acknowledgment of the National Endowment for the Arts be prominently displayed in all materials and announcements. For print materials, a phrase acknowledging support from the National Endowment for the Arts is a basic requirement. In addition, they encourage you to use the agency’s logo whenever possible. For radio or television broadcast, the following language is required: “This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.” For television broadcast, display of the Arts Endowment logo is required.
- Logos for Web: right click the images below to save them to your desktop for use on your website. The logos should respectively link to http://www.vermontartscouncil.org and http://www.nea.gov.
- Logos for Print:
- Legislator Appreciation - The Vermont Arts Council receives funds from the State of Vermont, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and private contributors. Grant recipients are encouraged to contact their legislators to let them know how important these public funds are to the community.
Grants are for the period specified in the approved application. Funds must be spent or committed for activities taking place within the period stated unless an extension has been approved in writing. Funds spent before the period starts are not eligible and must not be included in the budget.
Funds granted must be expended solely for the activities described in the approved application, unless specific approval has been received in writing. Any funds granted but not spent or committed must be returned to the Council at the conclusion of the grant period.
Grantees must establish and maintain accounts in such a manner as to separate grant funds and matching funds and must reflect all receipts, obligations, and disbursements of project funds. Financial records, including substantiating documentation (e.g. payroll vouchers, invoices, bills) must be maintained. Since expenditures of these funds are subject to audit, all such records must be maintained for three years or until an independent or a federal audit has been completed and any questions arising from it have been resolved, whichever is the lesser period.
Final reports, which include financial, statistical and narrative information, must be submitted by the deadline specified in the grant contract or letter of agreement.
A group of artists or an organization without 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status must identify a Vermont 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, municipality, or public agency to serve as their fiscal agent. (See General Guidelines for more information on Fiscal Agents.)
Grants to Organizations: Not-for-profit organizations registered in Vermont or not-for-profit organizations in neighboring states that can demonstrate significant benefit to Vermont artists and/or audiences may apply for Grants. Non-profit organizations must be included in the most recent version of IRS Publication 78.
Grants to and Programs for Artists: Artists must prove their legal residence in Vermont before a contract can be approved. Residence may be proven with Vermont voter registration, Vermont income tax return, or Vermont driver's license. Applicants must have established residence in Vermont at least one year prior to the date of application. They must still be residents at the time the award is granted by the Council. For artistic groups or collaborative applications, at least one artist must be a Vermont resident and, if the group has a legal status, it must be incorporated in Vermont.
Funds must be spent only on the activities listed in the grant application. Organizations and artists must request approval in writing from the Council before making changes to a project. Major changes may require reconsideration by the Council.
- Grantees must comply with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations concerning civil and human rights. Grantees may not discriminate against any qualified individual on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, place of birth, age, sexual orientation, HIV test results, or marital status. Grant recipients of the Vermont Arts Council are required to conduct their operations in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act, and, where applicable, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Grant recipients must also be in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act which provides employees minimum compensation and safe working conditions.
- Grantees may not discriminate against participants, applicants, employees, and other beneficiaries on the basis of disability. No qualified person with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination in admission and access to, or employment in, the Grantee's programs and activities. In providing any aid, benefits or service to beneficiaries of the Council's programs, the Council will not aid or perpetuate discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities by providing significant assistance to any agency, organization, grantee or person that discriminates on the basis of disability. Significance, in this context, will be judged on a variety of circumstances including, but not limited to, the relationship between the monetary or in-kind value of the assistance and the Council's overall grant budget and the grantee's overall resources; and/or the nature, duration and amount of support. The Council has adopted a grievance procedure for the filing of complaints against grantees that allege noncompliance with this policy. The Council has appointed Michele Bailey, Vermont Arts Council, 136 State Street, Drawer 33, Montpelier, VT 05633-6001, 802-828-3294 (voice), to coordinate its efforts to comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”), as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”). Inquiries concerning this nondiscrimination policy, the filing of grievances, and requests for copies of the grievance procedure, may be directed to the 504/ADA Coordinator. The Council is committed to providing information, education, and resources to promote the removal of physical, programmatic, and attitudinal barriers in arts settings. The Council encourages the arts community to foster integration for individuals of all ages and abilities, whether as audience members or artists, in Vermont's arts activities.
Organizations
- Organizations funded by the Vermont Arts Council that present public programs and/or offer services to the public must make reasonable accommodations to insure that people with disabilities have equal physical and communications access, as defined by federal law. Accessibility involves both the location (the facility) and the content (the activity or product) of the program.
- Organizations that receive a Community Arts Grant will be required to attend a Council sponsored meeting which will include updates/information on a variety of topics such as accessibility, advocacy, technology, marketing etc. (Exact topics and schedule to be determined)
Artists
- Individual artists who have received a Creation Grant are required to attend a workshop entitled "Making Your Art Come Alive to a Broader Population". This workshop will be sponsored by the Council and will be offered in the Spring of 2009 - date and location to be announced.
- The Council encourages Creation Grant recipients to engage in a dialogue about their art with a person with a disability during the grant period. Council staff will provide recommendations and assistance in this effort if you are interested. Please contact Michele Bailey, Program Director at 802-828-3294 or email us.
Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Physical and Communications Guidelines
Physical access refers to, but is not limited to, the following:
- Ramp access or elevators to the office, backstage, and dressing room areas, and performances, exhibitions or presentation areas for persons using wheelchairs;
- Restroom facilities with grab bars and door widths to accommodate persons using wheelchairs.
Communications access refers to, but is not limited to, the following:
- Sign language interpreters;
- Assistive listening devices;
- Telecommunications devices (TDD, TTY);
- Audio description of programs;
- Braille or large-print publications and programs;
- Appropriate advertising of accessible programs;
- Outreach to people with disabilities.
- Accessible website
Every organization should conduct an evaluation of its policies, practices and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have equal physical and communications access. People with disabilities and organizations representing them should participate in the evaluation process.
The Council has compiled resources and information to help arts organizations and artists who have questions about making their programs and services accessible. You may contact the Council's 504/ADA Coordinator, Michele Bailey, at (802-828-3294) voice (TTY 711) for information. You can also contact us via email. Information is also available through the ADA Hotline (1-800-949-4232 voice/TTY), and/or the National Endowment for the Arts Office for AccessAbility (202-682-5532 voice or 202-682-5496 TTY). Publications providing technical assistance include the National Endowment for the Arts' Design for Accessibility: A Cultural Administrators Handbook.
The Council requires the use of disability symbols in your publications to highlight access accommodations. For a list of all 12 symbols, their meanings, and tiff files for use in publications please go to the website of the Guild of Graphic Designers.
The Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires that employees of the grantee not engage in the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of controlled substances in the grantee's workplace or work site.
The Grantee must also comply with the Hatch Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 , the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as amended , and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 where applicable.
Audits: The Grantee will comply with federal OMB Circular A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," where applicable. The threshold for requiring an audit is $300,000 in yearly expenditures of federal awards, whether those funds are received directly from the federal government or through another entity. This amount is the aggregate of funds from all federal sources.
Lobbying: The Grantee is prohibited from conducting political lobbying, as defined in relevant statutes, regulations, and OMB Circulars, within a federally-supported grant project. The Grantee is also prohibited from using federal funds for lobbying specifically to obtain grants.
The Council reserves the right to withhold or cancel grants for failure to comply with the terms of the grant contract such as:
- Failure to meet a published deadline for filing grant reports;
- Failure to notify the Council of a significant change in a project or program;
- Failure to notify the Council within two weeks of a significant change in personnel or artists involved;
- Failure to raise required cash or in-kind match;
- Failure to comply with the "Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973".
Applicants may appeal the Council's decision concerning an application for a grant or for recognition of professional merit. However, dissatisfaction with the application's denial or with the amount of an award is not sufficient reason for an appeal.
Grounds for appeal are evidence that:
- The application was reviewed on the basis of criteria other than those appearing in the relevant guidelines.
- Reviewers or the Council Board were influenced willfully or unwillfully by members who failed to disclose conflicts of interest.
- Erroneous information was provided by staff, panelists, or Council members at the time of review.
The first step in the appeals process is to consult with the appropriate program staff to review the considerations that went into the Council's decision. If the applicant wishes to pursue an appeal, a request must be sent to the Board of Trustees, in care of the Executive Director, in writing, within 30 days of the date of notification of the Council's decision. The letter should contain evidence to support one or more of the grounds for appeal. The appeal will be determined at the discretion of the Council's Board of Trustees. If the applicant is still not satisfied that a fair process was used by the review panel, a hearing with the Board of Trustees may be arranged.
NOTE : Applicants may not appeal the rejection of an application that was, in a panel's unanimous view, incomplete.