<< Program Guidelines

Capital Grant Application Instructions

I. Intent to Apply

1. Determine if you are eligible for the Cultural Facilities Fund

2. Review the threshold criteria: 1) statutory, 2) planning & financial capacity.

3. If you believe that you meet eligibility and threshold criteria and want to proceed, please create an organizational profile in order to access the online application. (Please note: If your organization already has a profile -- from a previously-submitted online Adams, CIP-Peers, Cultural Facilities Fund, or YouthReach application -- you can skip this step.)

4. Complete the Intent to Apply (the Project Overview page) and submit it electronically by the Intent to Apply deadline, 11:59 p.m. on April 8, 2011. (Log-in using the username/password associated with your organization's profile.)

II. Cultural Data Project

All applicants (except municipalities, colleges, and universities) applying to the Cultural Facilities Fund must enter their last three years of financial, programmatic, and operational data into the Massachusetts Cultural Data Project's standardized online form. If this is the first time you are participating in the Cultural Data Project (CDP), we strongly urge you begin working on this immediately following your Intent to Apply submission. Learn more about CDP.

If you are already participating in the Cultural Data Project, make sure your three most recent years of data are submitted to the MCC by the application deadline.

1. Review the application process using the Massachusetts CDP. Note: the process is repeated for each fiscal year.

2. Go to www.massculturaldata.org to get started. Allow yourself enough time to complete all the steps of the CDP process for each fiscal year.

3. Complete the CDP process for each of your most recent three fiscal years by the application deadline, 5 p.m. on June 3, 2011.

Any questions you may have about CDP should be directed to the CDP Help Desk: 1-877-MASSCDP or help@massculturaldata.org.

III. Application & Attachments

1. Complete the online Capital Grant application, including any updates/changes to the Organizational Profile and/or Project Overview.

2. Click the "final submission" button of the application by the deadline, 11:59 p.m. on June 3, 2011. The electronic component of your application will then be automatically sent to the MCC.

3. Mail or hand-deliver the following required and supplementary materials to the MCC, by the deadline, 5 p.m. on June 3, 2011. (Please note that this is not a postmark deadline. Hard copy materials must be in MCC staff hands by 5 p.m. on June 3, 2011.)
   
   Required Materials:
   
   Please submit three separate, collated sets of the following items in the order shown below:
   1. One-page Project Budget - Please list both the "Sources" and "Uses" of funds in the project budget. In the "Source" column indicate whether the funds are: a.) committed, b.) pledged or c.) projected. In the "Uses" column indicate whether the costs are based on: a.) a contractor bid, b.) an architect's estimate, or c.) an in-house organizational estimate. In addition, please order your budget by need, starting with the most critical needs and moving down to the less critical needs. (See sample project budget.)

   2. Timeline for your project with specific dates. Please print on 8. 5" x 11" paper only.

   3. Income statement and balance sheet for the current year-to-date.

   4. Audited financial statements for the three most recent fiscal years. (If your organization's annual budget is less than $500,000 and no audited financials are available, please provide an accountant’s review or internally prepared statements and balance sheets for the two most recent years.) (Not required if the applicant is a municipality, college or university.) The most recent year's financial statements must be unbound, one-sided, and printed on 8.5" x 11" paper only.

   5. Resumes, CVs, or other summaries of qualifications for all key project personnel (e.g., project manager and/or general contractor, architect, fundraising consultant, key organizational staff). [Please note: Project managers and general contractors must meet insurance and bond requirements appropriate to the nature and size of the project.]

   6. Board List.

   7. Copy of Current Strategic Plan (if available). Please indicate where any facilities planning is located within the plan.

   8. Copy of IRS 501(c)(3) tax exemption letter. (Not applicable to municipalities.)

   9. Copy of the lease, deed, ground lease or "use agreement" for your facility.
   Supplementary Materials:
   
   Please submit three separate, collated sets of any additional materials that will help a review panel to assess your project. These may include but are not limited to:
   • An operating pro-forma analysis (financial projections of revenues, expenses, debt service, and assumptions typically done for new construction or expansion projects).

   • Architectural plans for the building or renovation. Summary plans are acceptable.

   • Construction cost estimates or bids from a contractor or architect.

   • Zoning variances, ZBA hearing dates, building permit schedules or other evidence that regulatory and permitting approvals are in process or in place.

   • Copies of market studies, fundraising plans or business feasibility studies.

   • Architect and/or construction contracts. (Summary pages of contracts acceptable; if contract is executed include signed pages in addition to summary.)

   • Capital needs, maintenance and replacement schedules for the the facility (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roof, siding, foundation, etc), if available.

   • Letters, press clippings, editorials, or other materials that demonstrate community need and local support for the project.

   • Other materials, as relevant.

   One copy of the supplementary application materials should be clearly marked ORIGINAL. Printed materials should be on one-sided 8.5" x 11" paper, held together by clips or rubber bands; please do not staple or use binders. Print must be no smaller than 12-point font. Please allow for at least 1" margins on all sides to allow for copying and binding of panel books.

Address mail to:
Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund Grant Program
Massachusetts Cultural Council
10 St. James Ave., 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02116-3803

Only the submission of the complete electronic application, the completion of the Cultural Data Project steps and the mailing or hand delivery of the required/supplementarymaterials listed above will constitute the final application.

Proceed to Online Application