Division of Cultural Affairs

DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Division of Cultural Affairs

RULE NO: RULE TITLE
1T-1.001: Division of Cultural Affairs

NOTICE OF CHANGE

Notice is hereby given that the following changes have been made to the proposed rule in accordance with subparagraph 120.54(3)(d)1., F.S., published in Vol.32,No.13, March 31, 2006 issue of the Florida Administrative Weekly.

In response to comments received from the Joint Administrative Procedures Committee as well as a public hearing held on 24 April 2006.

When changed, Rule 1T-1 will read as follows:

(3) Grant Application Procedures. The Division shall be responsible for the administration of all grant applications, procedures, and awards, as recommended by the Council. Applicants shall meet all program deadlines as published in the Division’s newsletter and posted on the Division’s website at www.florida-arts.org and through the Division’s online system; the posted deadlines will appear at least 90 days in advance of the deadline. Deadline dates are also available by calling the Division. Review panel and committee meetings shall be noticed in the Florida Administrative Weekly, and on the Division’s website, and through the Division’s online system. Review panel meetings shall be conducted in accordance with procedures outlined in this rule and in Sections 112.313, 112.3143, 120.525, 286.012, and 265.285, F.S. During the scheduled panel meetings, applications from state-supported institutions will be considered separately from those of private institutions or individuals. All grant awards shall be subject to final approval by the Secretary of State.

(7) Cultural Support Grants. The Cultural Support Grants program provides state recognition through competitive grants for significant public programs that preserve, strengthen, and foster excellence and diversity in art or culture for Florida’s residents and visitors. This program area includes the programs formerly known as Discipline-Based Arts Grants, Science/Youth and Children’s Museums Grants, and Cultural Institutions Program. Two types of funding are offered: General Program Support and Specific Project. General Program Support applications are grouped in two funding categories: Cultural Organizations and Cultural Institutions. There will be an annual application cycle for submission of Specific Projects, a 2-year application cycle for Cultural Organizations, and a four-year application cycle for Cultural Institutions.

(a) Specific funding eligibility and maximum requests.

1. No change.

a. Cultural Organizations. Revenues from the organization’s last completed fiscal year must be greater than or equal to $25,000. Organizations may request up to 10% of their last completed fiscal year revenue, not to exceed $100,000. Completed fiscal year revenue figures are subject to audit verification by the Division. Youth and Children’s Museums as defined in Section 265.609, F.S., may request up to 20% of their last completed fiscal year revenue, not to exceed $50,000. Organizations requesting more than $50,000 must have no less than three years of continuous programming history and at least one paid full-time employee.

b. Cultural Institutions. The average Total Fund Revenue from the organization’s last four completed and audited fiscal years must be at least $1,000,000. Disciplines requiring higher minimum budgets are: $1,250,000 for museums; at least $1,250,000 dedicated to producing/presenting within overall minimum budgets of $3,500,000 for sponsor/presenters; $2,500,000 for symphonies, operas, and pop orchestras; and $1,500,000 for other music institutions. Organizations must also have no less than five years of continuous programming history and established endowments with minimum required values of at least $75,000 at the time of application. Disciplines requiring higher minimum endowments are: $100,000 for ballet companies and theatres; $600,000 for museums and sponsor/presenters; and $1,000,000 for music institutions. For the purposes of this program, an endowment is a permanently restricted fund that is an asset of the corporation with a minimum market value as established for the discipline. Eligible applicants may request up to 10% of their eligible four-year average total fund revenue, not to exceed $350,000, but must have sufficient non-state revenues to request at least $100,000. Eligible fund revenue is defined as all revenue received and recognized in the applicant’s audits, excluding all state funds. All applicants to a Museum discipline must document that they have received accreditation by the American Association of Museums or the American Zoological Association by the application deadline.

c. Deadlines will be announced not less than three months in advance and may be staggered by discipline or category over the fiscal year.

2. No change.

a. Organizations may request up to $25,000 for each Specific Project application submitted. No more than two Specific Project applications may be submitted. No more than $25,000 will be awarded in a single year. Organizations may submit only one application to each discipline category.

b. No change.

(b) No change.

c. Organizations can only receive one General Program Support grant from the Division of Cultural Affairs and any division within the Department of State in the same fiscal year. This policy is effective as of July 1, 2008 for Cultural Organizations and July 1, 2010 for Cultural Institutions. The only exception to this limitation is for a multidisciplinary museum that addresses two or more disciplines to a significant extent: for example, a museum that interprets both art and history or both history and science. Multidisciplinary museums will be permitted to receive a total of two General Program

Support grants from the Division of Cultural Affairs or any other division within the Department of State. A discipline-specific operating budget must be used for each application; multidisciplinary museums cannot use the same operating budget for both applications.

1. No change.

2. An average panel score of at least 75 points out of a maximum possible 100 points must be earned to be considered for funding for Specific Project applications. The panel is not required to fund all Specific Project applications that receive a minimum average score of 75 points. An average panel score of 80 points out of a maximum possible 100 points must be earned to receive funding for Cultural Organizations applications; and 85 points out of a maximum possible 100 points must be earned to receive funding for Cultural Institutions applications. General Program Support award amounts recommended to the Council will be determined through the use of a funding formula for method that awards base funding to all applications achieving the minimum eligible category-specific score and adds competitive funds for those applications achieving higher scores. All General Program Support applications earning an eligible category-specific average will receive funding under the formula of not less than $2,500. Based on their review, the panel makes funding recommendations for Specific Project grant awards to the Council. In determining which applications to fund, the panel will consider only applications that have achieved the required minimum average score of 75 and other criteria which include the overall group of eligible Specific Project applications, the relative merits of each proposal as demonstrated through scores based on the program review criteria, the anticipated funds available for the program, the perceived needs of the artistic or cultural discipline, the constituency served, and how well the proposed project fulfills the mission of the Cultural Support Grants program. In determining award amounts for those proposals recommended for funding, the panel may not recommend funding of less than $2,500.

3. In addition to the basic eligibility requirements detailed in subsection 5, support documentation in the form of financial statements or audits, investment account statements, and program materials as appropriate to substantiate specific program eligibility; and a response to at least one of the application narrative questions, is required. Cultural Institutions applicants are also required to provide: a complete funding worksheet; applicants must submit financial statements or audits for all 4 fiscal years provided on the funding worksheet; and documentation that the applicant organization has received accreditation by the American Association of Museums or the American Zoological Association. The application will be declared ineligible if required information is not submitted by the application deadline.

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Dr. Gaylen Phillips, Division of Cultural Affairs, 500. S. Bronough Street, 3rd Floor, Tallahassee, Florida 32301.