United Arts Grants Individual Artist Grants

Individual Artist Grants provide up to $5,000 for artist-driven projects that have a public benefit and enrich the community of central Florida by advancing artistic excellence and increasing access to innovative and diverse arts experiences. These awards are designed to support activities that further the careers of artists with a professional practice to help them grow and thrive in Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties.

Grant funds must be used to support specific activities/work such as presentations, training, research, and/or creation of artwork with tangible outcomes. These grants require a public-facing component that increases access to art and cultural experiences. These awards are considered a stipend to the artist for the work undertaken and completed.

Emerging Artists: Exceptionally talented, early- to mid-career artists who demonstrate a strong interest and a commitment to continued training.

Established Artists: Exceptionally talented artists who have demonstrated considerable experience in their field, with a substantial body of work.

United Arts of Central Florida Staff Contact: Elyse Jardine, Outreach Program Officer, Elyse@UnitedArtsCFL.org or 407-790-7844.

Funding Information:

• National Endowment for the Arts – American Rescue Plan Grants to Local Arts Agencies for Subgranting
• Verizon – Sponsoring a Literary Artist and a Digital Media Artist
• United Arts - Arts for All

Maximum Request Amount: $5,000

• Funding is competitive; not all projects of merit will be funded. (Any applicant whose project will not be possible with partial funding must indicate so in the application.)
• Grant funds may be used to support eligible project-related activities within the grant period. (Applicants will be notified if they include ineligible expenses in their budget.)

Artist Eligibility:

• Artists with a professional practice in literary, media technology (including digital artists), visual, and performing arts can apply but must reside in Lake, Orange, Osceola, or Seminole counties. Proof of residency will be required to receive payment.
• Must be a citizen of the United States, or a permanent legal resident1
• Must plan to reside within one of the four counties listed above throughout the project period, July 1, 2023 – February 29, 2024
• Must be 18 years or older.
• Must not be a United Arts employee or board member.
• Must not be pursuing an undergraduate degree in the same field during the project period.
• Only one application per individual may be submitted for this grant program, per funding cycle. These grants are very competitive. Not every project of merit will be funded.
• In all cases, final eligibility decisions are made by United Arts staff.

Project Eligibility Restrictions

This grant cannot fund:

• “Artist relief” programs where the funding is intended to alleviate financial hardship (i.e., rent, or food assistance to individuals) and does not require the artist to undertake work.
• Support for a one-time award to honor or recognize an individual’s achievement. (e.g., Lifetime Achievement Awards)
• Fellowships or other honorifics based on the quality of past work.
• Commercial (for-profit) enterprises or activities, including concessions, food, clothing, artwork, or other items for resale. This includes online or virtual sales/shops.
• Food or beverage for hospitality or entertainment functions, including Alcoholic beverages
• Construction, purchase, or renovation of facilities
• Land purchase costs
• Lobbying, including activities intended to influence the outcome of elections or influence of government officials regarding pending legislation, either directly or through specific lobbying appeals to the public.
• Mortgage interest, fines and penalties, bad debt costs, or deficit reduction
• Rental costs for home office workspace owned by individuals or entities affiliated with the applicant.
• Fundraising events, activities, and related expenses (e.g., benefits, dinners, sporting events, etc.)
• Subawards to replace lost revenue
• Travel costs
• Vehicle purchases
• Regranting, contributions, or donations
• Visa costs paid to the U.S. Government
• Voter registration drives and related activities.
• Costs supported by any other federal funding. This includes federal funding received either directly from a federal agency or indirectly from a pass-through organization such as a state arts agency, regional arts organization, or a grant made to another entity.
• Expenditures related to compensation to foreign nationals when those expenditures are not in compliance with regulations issued by the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control. For further information, see here.
• Private events closed to the public and activities restricted to an organization’s membership
• Projects of a religious nature designed to promote or inhibit religious belief and/or practice and that have no basic underlying secular theme or topics.

Funding Decision Process:

• Staff Review/due diligence: Staff may contact applicants for additional materials
• Panel Review: Applications are reviewed by panelists independently before a group panel meeting
• Panel Meeting: Panelists will discuss each application and make a formal funding recommendation. Applicants will receive feedback on their application.
• Approval: Panel recommendations are approved by United Arts Executive Committee and /or the full Board of Directors.
• Notification: The organization’s Executive Director and Lead application will be notified of the grant award. Official notifications will be sent via the grant portal. Note that the email will come from
  administrator@grantinterface.com. The name associated with the account is United Arts Grants

Evaluation Criteria:

A review panel comprised of arts leaders, creative entrepreneurs and community members will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:

• Artistic (or Historic/Scientific) Excellence: Artistic excellence of the applicant as demonstrated through work samples and resumé and quality of the artists (historians, scientists) organizations, arts (history / science) education providers, works of art, and/or services that the project will involve and their relevance to the audience or communities being served.
  • Artist Statement
  • Project Narrative
  • Work samples
  • Artist(s) Resume / CV
• Artistic (or Historic / Scientific) Merit: The applicant demonstrates the ability to complete the proposed activity and leverage the experience into career advancement. This is demonstrated through answers to project narrative questions as well as the proposed use of grant funds (budget).
  • Project Narrative
  • Proposed Budget
  • Project Goals
  • Measurement of Project Success
• Potential Career & Community Impact: How the proposed activity will lead to artistic career advancement; Opportunity(ies) being created for community to engage in new arts, humanities, and cultural experiences:
  • Populations / Communities Served
  • Location of public component of project
  • Potential participant and audience numbers
  • Opportunity for Community Impact

Grant Payment Schedule:

Grantees will sign an online award agreement and provide proof of insurance before receiving grant funds; these are due 30 days after the award approval, or three business days before the project starts, whichever comes first. 90% of funds will be issued once award agreements are in place. The final report is due 30 days after the final project, and all expenditures must be complete by this date; the final 10% of funds will be released as reimbursement upon approval of the final report. Any unspent or unobligated funds shall be returned to United Arts.

Requirements During the Grant Period:

• Request Permission for Changes: Significant project or budget changes(such as changes of event dates) must be requested in advance. Changes may or may not reduce the grant amount, requiring a return of grant funds to United Arts. Contact Elyse@UnitedArtsCFL.org with questions or to discuss a potential project change.
• Notification: During the project, grantees must keep Elyse@UnitedArtsCFL.org on their email list, renew insurance policies when they expire, and notify United Arts of any contact changes or changes in IRS tax-exempt status. United Arts will add grantees to its email list, including resources and opportunities.
• Publicity: Organizations are strongly encouraged to post their events on United Arts' Arts & Culture Calendar when the dates and other details have been set. United Arts promotes posted programs through our email newsletter and, if at least two months in advance, the calendar section of Orlando Arts Magazine. To add your event, go to https://calendar.unitedartscfl.org/login/
• Electronic payment: Grantees are required to sign up for payment via ACH (electronic deposit), whereby funds will be directly deposited into the grantee’s business account. This provides prompt delivery of grant funds by alleviating mail time and bank holds. The form to sign up will be available in the award agreement.
• Inclusion: Grantees must provide equal access and opportunity in employment and services and may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, ancestry, national origin, geography, age, varying abilities, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, citizenship status, or socioeconomic status. United Arts expects that the make-up of the staff, board, audience, volunteers, artists, scientists, historians, etc. involved with grantee organizations be inclusive of the diversity of the community and compatible with the organization’s mission.
• Acknowledgement: Grantees must acknowledge the grant in all project publicity and materials (whether printed, online, verbal, or other), with the United Arts logo and statement “(Name of Grantee Organization) is funded in part by United Arts of Central Florida, your local agency for the arts.”
• Recordkeeping: Grantees must keep information (including description and photos of the project, press or publicity about the project, including use of logo or acknowledgment statement, audience demographics, and financial records) for the final report. Also, all grantees must keep records about the grant activities and
  financials for at least five years after the project is completed; such records must be available for audit by United Arts representatives.
• Final Report: a final report form will be provided in your online account. This report will be due 30 days after the final project event to receive the final 10% of funds and maintain eligibility for future funding. Any unspent or unobligated funding shall be returned to United Arts of Central Florida.

Application Tips

• Start early! Review the application checklist to identify all information you will need to gather. Read the guidelines thoroughly and take note of any questions.
• Submit early! Leave extra time in the end in case you have questions or computer trouble. Missing documents or fields will prevent the submission of the application. Project information for all grantees will be made available to the press, and United Arts may use quotes or pictures from applications or reports in publicity.
• Don’t stop here! Post your events for free on the Arts & Culture Calendar, powered by United Arts at https://calendar.unitedartscfl.org/login. Once you create an organizational listing, make sure to ask how to become a featured event, or get discounts listed in the weekly email.

If you have any questions, please contact Elyse Jardine, Outreach Program Officer at Elyse@UnitedArtsCFL.org or 407-790-7844.