From the NEA: New NEA Guidelines and Webinars

Application guidelines for the next round of Grants for Arts Projects are now available on the NEA's website. To view the guidelines, go to www.arts.gov/grants/apply, select the field or discipline most relevant to your project, and choose Grants for Arts Projects from the list of funding opportunities.

Organizations may apply under the following categories:

• Art Works: To support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Within these areas, innovative projects are strongly encouraged. Grants generally range from $10,000 to $100,000. (Two application deadlines: March 7 and August 8, 2013)
• Challenge America Fast-Track: To support projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations. Grants are for $10,000. (Application deadline: May 23, 2013)

Highlights of the changes to the guidelines for this year and what they mean to you

• The Presenting discipline has been renamed Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works. Why the change? We wanted the Presenting discipline to be as open and welcoming to all multidisciplinary applications and felt a need to have the title and description properly reflect it. Additionally, some changes to the types of projects that will be accepted at each Art Works deadline have been switched between March and August. Click here to see a one-page description with all the information.
• Review criteria to address innovation and inclusion have been added for the Art Works category.
• Also in the Art Works category, applicants in all disciplines will upload their work samples electronically to NEA-GO over the same two-week period of time. Last year you had only one week to upload your samples and did so on a schedule according to your discipline.
• References to the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) have been updated to reflect the migration to the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is the same as the old CCR, just with a different web address.

Upcoming Webinars

We'll be conducting a series of webinars on the new guidelines. We're hosting the webinars by discipline/field so that appropriate staff will be available to answer your questions. However, please join us for any webinar that suits your schedule:

• Artist Communities February 6, 2:30-3:30, Eastern Time
• Arts Education February 12, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Dance February 5, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time
• Design February 6, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time
• Folk & Traditional Arts February 12, 2:30-3:30, Eastern Time
• Literature February 5, 2:30-3:30, Eastern Time
• Local Arts Agencies January 29, 2:30-3:30, Eastern Time
• Media Arts January 29, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Museums February 6, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Music January 30, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Opera January 30, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time
• Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works January 10, 3:00-4:00, Eastern Time
• Theater & Musical Theater February 12, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time
• Visual Arts February 5, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Arts Journalism January 29, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time

To join a webinar, go here.

If you're unable to make the webinars, they'll be archived on our website here.

For questions about the guidelines or your application, see "Agency Contacts" for the NEA staff that is most appropriate for your project.

The National Endowment for the Arts www.arts.gov

From the Non Profit Times: 6 Steps For Grant Application Planning

The adage “Don’t chase dollars, chase results” is more than high-minded philosophy. It’s practical. The surest way to win grants is with proposals that offer thoughtful, logical plans for achieving measurable change.

• According to Barbara A. Floersch, director of The Grantsmanship Center in Los Angeles, to develop winning proposals, planning is non-negotiable. Here are six primary planning tasks.
• Identify how the grant-will contribute to your organization’s mission and strategic plan. Will it propel you in the right direction or lure you off track?
• Update your understanding of the issue the proposal will address. Review local data, talk to staff in your organization, and reach out to experts.
• Make sure you know what’s already happening. Meet with staff in relevant organizations, update your knowledge of their work, solicit their ideas, and explore collaborations that will increase impact.
• Involve those affected by the issue. Explore their perceptions. Engage them in identifying methods that will work.
• Explore best practices for addressing the issue. What’s been proven to work?
• Develop a concept paper providing an overview of how your organization will approach the issue, why you think the approach will work, and the results you expect the project to achieve. Use the concept paper with administrators, experts, and constituents to garner support, refine the plan, and secure letters of commitment.

Writing up a quick response to application guidelines won’t get you where you need to be. Until you’ve done the planning, you’re unprepared to develop a winning grant proposal.

From the NIGMS Feedback Loop Blog: Discussing Your Application’s Review with Your Program Director

Study sections review applications three times a year, about halfway between the submission date and the second level of review by an advisory council. We are currently in the midst of the review cycle for the January 2013 Council meeting, which means that applicants will be getting their summary statements soon.

A recent post described a new NIH resource to explain the next steps after the review of your application. One of them is to contact your program director to discuss the critique, and I highly encourage this. Program directors read hundreds of summary statements each year, so we have a good idea about the comments that might have influenced your score, the likelihood that your application will be funded, and the types of revisions that might make your application more competitive.