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FY25 CTC:SSP Application Process

  • APPLICATION REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS
  • APPLICATION REVIEW AND SELECTION CRITERIA
    • Evaluation Criteria
  • GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS
  • REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS
  • APPLICATION REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS
  • TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
  • LIVE CHATS

APPLICATION REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

CAH selects arts, humanities, subject matter experts, and/or other professionals independent of CAH, such as project partners, to serve as advisory review panelists for each grant program. The role of a panelist is to review and score an eligible application's content based on the established grant program review criteria. According to the grant program, panelists participate in a group review of CAH grant applications to discuss and comment on the merits of and opportunities to strengthen applications as well as finalize their application-related scores in the presence of CAH staff and Commissioner Conveners.

CAH ensures that all involved recuse themselves from the review of any application that presents a personal or professional conflict of interest (or the appearance of a conflict of interest). CAH makes the final determination regarding artist selection.

CAH's grant application evaluation process considers general standards of decency and respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the American public consistent with The National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, as amended (P.L; 89-209, 20 U.S.C. § 951 et seq). For more information regarding the grant review process, please contact Deirdre Darden, Public Art Coordinator, at [email protected]

APPLICATION REVIEW AND SELECTION CRITERIA

All applications will be vetted for:

  • Submittal of all required application materials as outlined in this RFA.
  • Originality: creativity and uniqueness demonstrated in previous projects.
  • Quality and craftsmanship exhibited by past work.
  • Demonstrated experience with large-scale exterior mural works, youth engagement, and community-based projects.

Successful applications must submit all required documents. Previous work samples should illustrate artistic excellence in large-scale murals, youth engagement, and community-based projects. Applicants should demonstrate how their qualifications connect to the project goals

Evaluation Criteria

  • Artistic Content – 40 %
    • The applicant's work samples, and support materials demonstrate high standards of artistic excellence as an exterior, large-scale muralist/designer demonstrating high quality, innovation, and creativity. (15 points)
    • Applicants have experience with site-specific, large-scale outdoor murals and use personnel with demonstrated arts expertise (such as arts administrators or professional artists) to plan and implement artistic content. The Artist's portfolio of work is feasible for this project. (15 points)
    • Artist(s) and/or applicant demonstrate the ability to translate artistic discipline to project participants (elementary school-age youth). (10 points)
  • Community Engagement and Impact – 30%
    • Applicants demonstrate sensitivity to the cultural, ethnic, and economic backgrounds of the participants and the residents of the District of Columbia. (10 points)
    • Applicants demonstrate substantive experience working with youth and community representatives. (10 points)
    • Applicants demonstrate in previous projects how the meaning, content, and themes of the artwork impacts the intended audience with consideration of culture, age, physical ability, languages spoken, or environment. (10 points)
  • Opportunity and Equity – 20%
    • The applicant demonstrates how the project could provide shared learning opportunities that facilitate a greater participation in public art, represents the community, and aims to promote a welcoming and inclusive environment. (10 points)
    • The applicant demonstrates from previous work evidence of intentionality engaging a diverse audience based on culture, age, physical ability, or languages spoken in planning and implementation. (10 points)
  • Capacity and Sustainability – 10 %
    • The applicant is sufficiently stable, in terms of arts expertise, organizational capacity, and financial status to implement the proposed project. (5 points)
    • The applicant has experience in producing similar public art projects and demonstrates the capacity to administer the project and has appropriate financial monitoring systems in place to track expenditures. (5 points)

GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS

  1. Read the Guide to Grants.
  2. Read the RFA guidelines.
  3. Determine eligibility.
  4. Go to Apply for Grants and select Grant Application Portal to register as user. (For previous applicants: to reset a user password, select “Forgot your password?”)
  5. Upon registration, applicants select the desired grant program; then select FY25 Color the Curb: School Safety Program to apply. You may select multiple sites. However, the winning artist will only be awarded one site.
  6. Complete the application questions and narrative data.
  7. Upload all required documents, supplementary material, and work samples.
  8. Double-check the application for thoroughness, clarity, and typographical errors.
  9. Submit the application by 9 pm ET on the grant program’s deadline date.
  10. Ensure receipt of the grant submission confirmation e-mail (auto generated by the online portal) by the application deadline.

CAH utilizes an online grant portal to receive grant applications. All applications must be submitted online by Monday, February 3, 2025, at 9pm. A confirmation email generates automatically upon submission of the application in the portal. Technical issues or failure to receive a confirmation email should be immediately brought to the attention of CAH staff. Incomplete or late applications or applications that do not follow the instructions and guidelines are deemed ineligible for review and funding. CAH does not accept mailed, emailed, or hand-delivered copies of grant applications and/or the required attachments. CAH will accept reasonable accommodation requests from applicants with disabilities to submit grant applications via mail, email, or hand-delivery. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact David Markey at 202-724-5613 or [email protected] and await request approval.

CAH’s grant application process is competitive and subject to the availability of funds. Applicants may not request or receive funding for the same activities through more than one CAH program or grant category. Multiple applicants may not apply for funding for the same project, whether through the same or different grant programs.

Applicants are fully responsible for the content of their application materials. An automated confirmation of an applicant’s submission does not guarantee an applicant’s eligibility, and therefore review by the advisory review panel (see below, “Review Process”). CAH staff are not permitted to make corrections to applications on behalf of applicants. After the deadline, CAH staff reviews applications for completeness and contacts applicants within five (5) business days of the deadline only if any of the submitted Mandatory Documents are incomplete. Applicants are then responsible for updating their application within five (5) business days of CAH’s notification. Failure to do so will disqualify the application.

The grant period is from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. Grant funds may not be used for activities that occur outside of this grant period.

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS

Please prepare and submit the following documents to your application online:

  • Current CV/Resume. Artist or artist team CV/resume, two (2) page maximum.
  • Artist Statement. Describe your (or Artist Team’s) experience with large-scale exterior mural work, youth engagement, and community-based projects. Include one (1) to two (2) completed projects that demonstrate this experience and are relevant to this project. (maximum of 500 words)
  • Work Samples. Five (5) to ten (10) images of previous relevant/public artwork submitted as high-quality JPG files. Image files are uploaded to the Media Viewer on the application portal. Do not use gifs, tiffs, or other image formats. If an Artist Team, samples of artist teams’ work must be submitted identifying their samples. Please do not embed images into PowerPoint or PDF documents.
  • Image Identification List. Include a list of previous public artwork corresponding to the submitted images within the application. If an Artist Team, clearly define each artist/s’ work samples and the lead artist(s). Provide all requested details for each image. Number each image in the Media Viewer and match with corresponding numbers for the Image Identification List.
    • Identification List Example:
      • Artist Name
      • Lead Artist/Artist’s Role on the Project (noting section(s) painted)
      • Title, Date
      • Medium
      • Size - Dimensions
      • Location
      • Project Budget
  • References. List at least three (3) Professional References. Please include name, address, phone number and email address for each reference or upload written references.
  • All CAH Compliance Documents. Applicants must submit the following six (6) Compliance Documents (templates and instructions are here: https://dcarts.dc.gov/page/resources-grant-applicants)
    1. Written Statement (Word Doc) dated at the time of application that confirms the applicant (artist/artist team) will submit to all required background checks as instructed by DCPS if selected. (see Background Check section page 8).
    2. Certificate of Clean Hands obtained from Office of Tax and Revenue dated within 30 days of application.
    3. Statement of Certification dated and signed at the time of application
    4. IRS Form W-9 (version Mar-2023) for the applicant dated and signed within 30 days of application
    5. Proof of Insurance Carriers and Policies to certify an applicant's current general liability insurance carrier and coverage status
    6. Individual Demographic Overview Form for artist and each artist team member. Completion and submission of this form will have no impact on funding decisions. Responses are used for statistical and diversity inclusion purposes only and will not be seen by the grant review panel.

Submission Deadline – Completed applications must be received and uploaded to the grant’s portal by Monday, February 3, 2025 (9 pm ET). Failure to submit mandatory documents in the application will result in disqualification.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

CAH staff members in the Public Art Department are available to assist grant applicants through group or individual technical assistance. CAH staff members will not write applications for applicants. However, CAH staff members are available by appointment (up to thirty (30) minutes) to review application drafts on government business days from the application release date up to one (1) week prior to the grant application deadline. Applicants may contact CAH at (202) 724- 5613 to schedule an application review meeting.

LIVE CHATS

CAH will host live online chat sessions with the Grants Manager to answer any questions about the grant program and the application. The link to these chats will be posted on CAH’s website

Dates:

Thursday, December 20, 2024, at 11 am

Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 2 pm

Friday, January 31, 2025, at 4 pm

View Program Overview <— | —> View Funding and Compliance

View CTC:SSP Grant Main Page