An applicant is eligible to apply if they meet the following criteria:

• Is an arts-based nonprofit organization with a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service or is a unit of municipal, county or tribal government, legally established in the state of Maine. Non-501(c)(3) applicants can not apply under a fiscal sponsor or agent.
• Has a primary mission focused on the arts.
• Has evidence of operational planning (i.e. a current strategic plan, business plan, operational timeline, logic model)
• Has completed at least one fiscal year of programming within Maine.
• Has a valid Unique Entity ID (UEI) number. (www.sam.gov). You cannot receive a grant without a valid UEI.
• Has an organization budget over $25,000.
• If applicable, has completed all Final Reports required by the Maine Arts Commission for previous awards.

Eligible Expenses

This grant can be used to support the operations of 501(c)(3) arts organizations such as:

• Facilities costs, such as utilities.
• Salaries, wages, and fringe benefits for personnel.
• Fees for artists and contractual personnel.
• Supply costs, such as personal protective equipment, cleaning and janitorial supplies, office supplies, art supplies, computer software/hardware, etc.
• Marketing and promotion costs.
• General overhead/administrative costs.

Ineligible Expenses:

• Debt or loan repayment.
• Donations and regranting.
• Equipment purchases over $5,000.
• Construction Costs.
• Fundraising.
• Remote office expenses.
• Projects that support or oppose a particular political party or candidate for public office.
• Projects that are exclusive to members of a particular religious faith group.

All applications and materials must be submitted using the online Grant Management System (GMS). If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to carefully review these details and call us with questions prior to beginning an application. It’s important to give yourself plenty of time to write a strong application, so be sure to start the process early!

• Create a Maine Arts Commission account. Create Now! Once you start an application, you can make changes anytime before you submit.
• Answer application questions (to be competed in the application portal):

1. Provide your mission statement (500 characters).
2. Briefly describe your organization (500 characters).
3. Describe how you carry out your mission through programming and how it impacts the people you serve (3500 characters).
4. Explain how this funding will benefit your organization (1500 characters).

• Complete the budget information.
• Attach organization documentation (required) and up to 4 supporting materials (optional).

Required Support Materials: (please upload as PDFs in the application)

• Copy of IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter.
• Most recently completed federal tax return (990, or 990-EZ if applicable).
• List of board members, including their professional affiliations.
• Operational Plan (current strategic plan, business plan, operational timeline, work plan). We highly recommend submitting a plan that roots your work in your community by including their meaningful involvement. The plan should clearly reflect their participation and result in programs that have direct community impact.
• A 1 - 2 page budget. A 1:1 cost share/match is required. If your annual budget is over $25,000 and can show $7500 in cash, donations, or in-kind contributions you are eligible to apply. This grant is to support operation costs and can be used in any way the organization decides. Here is a budget example to guide you if necessary:
  • Sample Budget 1
  • Sample Budget 2

Optional Support Materials:

• Additional information that supports the application (artistic samples and/or testimonials).
• Only 4 total optional support materials will be reviewed. Please do not upload any more than 4.

* In order to ensure equitable consideration across all grant applicants we will NOT accept promotional/marketing videos for review.

** For ANY link submitted for review: 1 Link = 1 Sample.

The Maine Arts Commission may use submitted materials solely for the non-commercial promotion of the artist and/or Maine Arts Commission programs.

Submitted applications are first reviewed by staff for completion, eligibility, and funding guidelines. Applications are then reviewed by a diverse panel of arts and culture professionals. Panelists review each application and submit scores based on the review criteria (see below). Grant applications will be sorted, reviewed, and scored by separate panels based on applicant budgets. These scores help us determine how we will allocate the funding.

Review Criteria

Grant applications are reviewed on a competitive basis using the following criteria:

1. Relevance (35%) Evidence that the funds will be used to address the organization mission.
2. Organizational Excellence (30%) As demonstrated in operational planning and management, ability to carry out arts programming, sound administrative policies, and a demonstrable commitment to continuous improvement.
3. Impact (25%) Evidence of organizational and/or community benefit.
4. Artistic Quality (10%) The extent to which the applicant provides its audience meaningful artistic programming and experiences.

Award Payments

If your application is funded, you enter into a letter of agreement with the Maine Arts Commission, and you must comply with all requirements stated in that agreement. Since your award money may take an extended amount of time from when you are first notified they can be used to reimburse past eligible operation costs incurred between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.

All applicants are notified, whether approved or declined, by email. If you receive an award, you will also receive future emails with next steps.