CAH values and emphasizes excellence in all grant programs within all disciplines. This section contains detailed information on the CAH’s requirements and suggestions regarding content. Arts, humanities, and arts education content and/or merit are one of several criteria on which an application is reviewed. Content and/or merit is demonstrated to the advisory review panelists through the applicant’s Work Samples, Support Materials, and Résumés of Key Personnel. Of these, the work sample carries the most weight because it shall contain the clearest depiction of the applicant’s best work(s) of art and/or humanities. All applicants shall submit arts, humanities, or arts education work samples.
Section 1 - Work Samples
Work samples are critical to each application and are carefully considered during application review. CAH strongly recommends that applicants pay close attention to the content of work sample submissions.
The guidelines on work sample submissions depend on the grant program. Applicants are encouraged to adhere to the suggested work samples or risk ineligibility for consideration of a grant award.
Work samples shall be no more than three (3) years old from the date of submission. Submitting older work samples may render the application ineligible for funding consideration.
Section 2 - Support Materials
Support materials are documents that strengthen the application and provide additional information that directly relates to the grant request. Support materials do not take the place of a work sample. They do, however, reinforce the quality of the applicant’s arts and humanities disciplines(s).
Some examples of supporting materials include:
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Theater/exhibition reviews;
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Letters of recommendation;
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Certificates of achievement or recognition;
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Sample syllabi and lesson plans;
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Assessments and evaluations;
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Awards; and/or
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Recordings of artistic process, creation or experience.
Assessment and Evaluation
Purpose:
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To determine the efficacy of a program, as articulated in the program goals and as required for grant reporting.
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To provide evidence to support changes in order to improve the program and its delivery.
Types:
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Qualitative assessment is often subjective in approach and narrative in nature.
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Quantitative assessment provides empirical data that demonstrates growth in the knowledge, skills, and understandings of the participants.
Assessment and Evaluation Design
There are many ways to assess and evaluate programming including: needs assessments; pre- and post-testing; and formative, observational, and summative assessments that utilize mixed-method approaches such as portfolio/process-folio assessments.
Section 3 – Résumés of Key Personnel
Another way in which panelists determine the artistic content of each application is to review the résumés of the key artists, administrators and facilitators involved in the grant activities. Those professionals involved in the organization determine the capacity of the organization and ability for the applicant to effectively create an excellent arts and humanities product and/or experience. Their backgrounds as artists and administrators should be relevant to the organization and clearly demonstrated through their professional résumés.