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The program assists professional Maine arts organizations, with annual operating budgets of $500,000 or greater, to present major projects such as an exhibitions, performances, residencies or educational programs that feature American master works, movements or artists.

Through American Masterpieces, the Maine Arts Commission has the opportunity to provide significant support for programs that reach large and small communities throughout Maine. Projects must be accompanied by related educational, interpretive or contextual components. These may include discussions, master classes, seminars or cooperative learning projects with educational or community institutions.

• Deadline: February 25, 2011
• Maximum grant award: $25,000 (with a required 1:1 match)
• Project must take place between May 5, 2011 and May 4, 2012
• Funding will be available after July 1, 2011

A professional Maine arts organization that:

• is nonprofit and legally established in Maine, and
• has tax exempt status 501(c)(3) from the Internal Revenue Service, and
• promotes, presents, produces and/or teaches visual, performing or literary art(s) as its primary purpose, and
• has an annual operating budget of $500,000 or greater based on the organizations most recently completed fiscal year, and
• has completed and filed all final reports required for previously awarded Maine Arts Commission grants.

Priority will be given to applications from free-standing arts organizations although college- or university-based arts organizations may be eligible. An organization, or a program of the same organization, may apply only once in any fiscal year. Special recognition will be given to the commission of new work during this grant cycle.

An applicant must demonstrate a fiscal structure that allows it to legally and responsibly utilize grant funds. The applicant must provide a minimum of a 1:1 cash match or in-kind match. This demonstrates the applicant's ability to take on the project. This match must be documented as part of the application package.

Applications are reviewed by Maine Arts Commission and public members who are selected for their expertise in specific artistic fields.

Recommendations are presented to the Executive Committee or the full Maine Arts Commission at its next regularly scheduled meeting for approval of the selection process.

The review process and delivery of funds can take up to four months. Please plan accordingly which may mean that grant funds are used to reimburse costs incurred for the project.

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

• Degree to which the project:
  • is fully-formed, highly visible and shows evidence of significant planning, and
  • presents American master works, movements or artists in a manner that is of the highest artistic quality, and
  • articulates a plan for related educational, interpretive, or contextual components, and
  • is collaborative to ensure broad public appeal/audiences, and
  • has a statewide or regional impact.

Travel funds will only be provided to an applicant that curates an original exhibition and incurs the costs of traveling it to other Maine venues. Support for commissioning projects must include a clear public component.

Recent successful applications: Example 1, Example2.

Preparing your documents for submission - All word documents must be saved as .doc or .rtf files and adhere to the following naming convention:

Organization_TitleOfDocument.rtf (example: shaw_kathy_resume.doc or shaw_kathy_narrative.rtf).
(example: MaineArtsCommission_resume.doc or veMaineArtsCommission_narrative.rtf).

1. eGRANT Application
   Applicants are required to upload all supporting documents (with the exception of video, audio, images or physical design examples) through eGRANT.
2. Application Budget Form and Detail (form below) providing evidence of 1:1 cash and/or in-kind match. No substitutions for the budget form are allowed.
3. Letters of Support from potential stakeholders (up to three).
4. Resume(s) of those responsible for carrying out the project.
5. Resume(s) for the artists involved with the project.
6. Application Narrative (form below)
   Applicants must submit their narrative form containing clear and specific responses to each of the project description statements; these need to be addressed sequentially and numbered. Responses can not exceed three pages. The project description is the central element of the grant request. The more information the reviewers have about the project, the better they can judge its merits.
7. Vendor Form (form below)
   This is information used by the Treasury to generate a check if the grant is awarded. Applicants should be sure to indicate the address the check should be sent to. You are required to mail your signed vendor form to our office. Faxed copies are not accepted.
8. Assurances Form (form below) with original signature of an authorizing official. Please mark with name of applicant.

Mail assurances form and vendor form to the Maine Arts Commission, 193 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04333-0025.

Applicants are required to apply through the Maine Arts Commission e-GRANT system. E-GRANT will accept applications until 11:59 pm, E.S.T., however; agency staff is only available to answer questions until 5:00 pm, E.S.T. Because of the volume of e-GRANT submissions on the day of any grant deadline, we strongly recommend you give yourself a 24 hour buffer.

Applicants who are unable to apply through e-GRANT must contact Kathy Ann Shaw at 207/287-2750, 877/887-3878 TTY/NexTalk User ID: kathy.shaw or kathy.shaw@maine.gov to discuss an alternative prior to applying. Alternative submissions will not be accepted without prior authorization.

The agency will not accept late or incomplete applications under any circumstance.

Grant information is available in large print format by request. All Maine Arts Commission programs are accessible to people with disabilities. All programs funded by the Maine Arts Commission must also be accessible.