A Note from the Director Whet Is Expension Arts? Greetings to the hardworking and creative people who make up the organizations we serve. You rarely hear from us - except about matters relating to the application process. But some changes have occurred recently, and we wanted to be sure you know about them. This brochure is designed to inform you about our grants, opera- tions and staff. It is also intended to provide some new informa- tion that we hope you will find useful. Drop us a line and let us know what you think. P.W.P. The Expansion Arts Program, one of 1 7 grants-making offices at the Notional Endowment of the Arts, provides support for professionally directed arts organizations of high artistic quality that represent and serve ethnic communities. We use "ethnic" in the most inclu- sive way, to mean each and all of the following: African American, Asian American, Lotin American, Native American ond the diverse populations wilhin European American cul- tures. The Program also serves some geographically defined communities in inner-city ond rural areas. In addition the Program funds a limited number of projects for older Americans and persons with physical and mental challenges. Many of our constituents rep- resent both ethnically specific and ethnically diverse arts organizations. m Like the other programs at the National Endowment for the Arts, this Program announces categories of funding and publishes official Guidelines. Every eligible application is reviewed - with others in its category - by o panel made up of experts in relevant fields (and one knowledgeable layperson). The panels' recommendations are forwarded to the National Council on the Arts. The final decision to fund recommended applications is made by the Chairman of the Endowment (and ex officio choir of the Council). The Expansion Arts Program presently awards grants in the following categories: * This category represents the Program's mary area of operation. It comprises the following subcategories: Visual Arts (Media, Design, Literature and Visual Arts); Dance; Music; Theater; Multi-Disdplinary- funds support producing, presenting and career-path instruction. Recent grants have been award- ed to 303 organizations located in 41 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Rural Aits IniUattve grants serve rural America by supporting projects in partner- ship with 21 state arts agencies. To date this initiative has funded 80 rural arts organiza- tions throughout the country, and we anticipate new interest from additional states as well. Till! Arts Education Initintive has broadened the Expansion Arts Program's educational efforts. This category is targeted to benefit school-age youth by encouraging arts appreciation and increasing their exposure to the arts. This initiative has proved to be one of the most competitive and exciting of the Program's newer categories in that the work of the grantee organizations impacts the lives of hundreds of school-age youth. This initiative currently supports 56 projects in 22 states. Services to the Reid grants provide a wide variety of services to Expansion Arts organizations and artists. These services range horn technical assistance and support for conferences to serving as a resource for newsletters ond job referrals. The Capstone Project category is designed to address the problem of over- reliance by some arts organizations on public sector funding. This initiative, which is not accepting new applicants, supports o select group of organizations in their efforts to increase earned revenues and individual contributions. Now entering its second year, the three-year pilot involves six participants. We anticipate that these projects may result in broader application to a field which needs new strategies to respond to shifts in philan- thropic giving. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR ARTS Transitions Onwards and Upwards After serving as Director for 14 years, A.B. Spellman has left the Expansion Arts Program! The good news is that he remains nearby - still at the Arts Endowment, having been pro- moted to the post of Associate Deputy Chairman for Program Coordination. And Now. . . Patrice Walker Powell is the new Director of the Expansion Arts Program. Chairman Jane Alexander made the appointment early in September. Previously she was Assistant Director, and for the past 21 months, the Program's Acting Director. Before coming to the agency, Ms. Powell was an independent consultant. She held staff positions for the Texas Commission on the Arts, and Connecticut Commission on the Arts. She has also served as a consultant for several state arts agencies and the U.S. Department of Labor. Her relationship with Expansion Arts began in 1978 when she served as an on-site evaluator. More Good News MacArthur Fellowship awards went this year to the founders of two Expansion Arts organi- zations: Jeraldyne Blunden, artistic director of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and Arthur Mitchell of the Dance Theater of Harlem and until recently a member of the National Council on the Arts. As winners of the "Genius Awards," Blunden and Mitchell will each receive substantial annual stipends for the next five years. The National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies has presented its Selina Roberts Ottum Award to one of our constituents: Patricia Crosby, Director of Mississippi Cultural Crossroads in Port Gibson. Congratulations! cKM Looking Back When the National Endowment for the Arts was a young agency just finding its bearings, it become clear that there was a role for the Federal government to play in assisting com- munitybased arts organizations. In the summer of 1 968, the Endowment launched its first effort in this area by holding 100 workshops for municipal arts agencies in 1 6 cities. Three years later, Chairman Nancy Hanks established the Expansion Arts Program and named Vantile Whitfield as its director. Expansion Arts was designed to expand Federal support to cultural organizations of color, organizations based in rural communities, and other arts organizations that are committed to under-served, often low-income communi- ties. It awarded its first round of 27 grants in December of 1971. As the Endowment grew during the 1 970s, so too did the Expansion Arts Program. By 1 974, it supported 293 organizations. In later years as the Endowment's budget remained flat, this program's budget did also. Yet through innovative strategies and ini- tiatives, it has continued to help arts organizations associated with many of the ethnic, tribal, rural and inner-city community arts organizations that make up the American mosaic. Out of the initiatives of Expansion Arts, other Endowment programs have emerged, including the Local Arts Agency Program, the Advancement Program and collaborative efforts in various disciplines. More recent initiatives include its Community Foundation Initiative, Organizational Development Pilot (for dance and presenting organizations) and the Arts Education Initiative. Also, several state and local arts agencies have developed programs that have evolved from the Federal models initiated by the Program. Today, the Expansion Arts Program is a strong advocate within and outside the agency that helps to advance cultural pluralism, to fund diversity at the local, state, and Federal levels, and to support partnerships with the private sector. Photo Call: Please send us any professionally taken photographs of your organiza- tion. The Endowment publishes a number of publications (in addition to this one), and we like to showcase successful grantees in print. Reviews and Annooncements: Tell us about your major accomplishments - especially national achievements. Send us copies of reviews, news stories and features from newspapers and magazines. Make sure they are properly marked, indicating the publication and date. These may be distributed around the agency. Posters: In addition to helping us dress up our office, your posters can be a great tool to show to national and international visitors. While we know that posters are expensive, please try to send us one copy of your best for our walls. Thank you. Hints for Applicants Here are some tips to make the application process easier and smoother. Applying to Expansion Arts: First, if you have not already done so, obtain a copy of our current Expansion Arts Program Guidelines by calling or writing to us. When you receive the booklet, carefully review the eligibility criteria on page 5 and general Expansion Arts Organizations grant information, pages 9-12. If your organization qualifies under these criteria, feel free to submit an application under the appropriate funding cate- gory. The deadlines for each category are listed on the Guideline's inside cover and in this brochure. Contact with the Program: If you have any questions about eligibility, the application process, a pending application, or any grant, do not hesitate to get in touch with the Expansion Arts staff. We are here to answer your questions and to make the application and grant process easier to understand. Early contact with the Program is encouraged, so that your inquiry gets the individual attention it deserves and does not get overlooked during the frantic days preceding panel review. Work Samples: Work sam- ples such as videos, audio cas- settes and slides are required in only some cases; however they are always strongly encouraged Given the volume of applications that our panels must review, visual or audio samples lend any applica- tion a vitality that paper alone lacks. They also give the review panelists a device with which to remember your organization and its work more clearly. If you have any questions about work samples, please review the Guidelines, pages 14-15. For further clarification, please call Program staff. Site Visits: Site visits give our panelists an added tool with which to assess your organization and its activities. These objective reports, which are compiled by indepen- dent evaluators that the Program has identified, are helpful - especially for those panelists who may not know your organization or its scope of activities. Usually, on-site evalua- tions assess both the administrative and artistic sides of the organization; occasionally purely artistic or purely administrative evaluations are conducted. We fry to schedule on- site evaluations for new and recently rejected applicants and for those whose latest Expansion Arts evaluation is two years old. Moving? New Execotive Director? If your organization moves, or has a change in leadership, please let us know. We try to keep current information in our data- base so that we can contact you if there is a question about your application or grant. Notification is particularly important when there has been a change in an organization's authorizing official. Our Program staff can send you a simple form to change or add authorizing officials to your grant files - just be sure to let us know. I I I Your Partners - Regional and National It is important to be in touch with your state, regional and local arts agencies. In addition, here is a list of regional and national service organizations that are active in the expansion arts field. We urge arts groups everywhere to get in touch with all appropriate service organizations - to request and read their publications, attend their workshops and conferences, use their job banks and coordinating services, benefit from their techni- cal assistance... Because no list of such organizations con be completely com- prehensive, we listed below groups that have received grants from the Expansion Arts Program in recent years. African American Museums Association P.0. Box 5/8 Wilberforce, OH 45384 513/3/6-4944 African Continuum Theatre Coalition 3523 12th Street, N.E. Washington, DC 2001/ 202/529-5/63 Alternate Roots (serving community performing artists and organizations in the southeast) 1083 Austin Avenue Atlanta, GA 3030/ 404/5//-10/9 Asian American Arts Alliance 339 Lafayette Street New York, NY 10012-2/25 212/9/9-6/34 The Association of American Cultures (TAAC) 1/03 West Kings Highway San Antonio, TX /8201 210//36-92/2 Association of Hispanic Arts, Inc. (AHA) 1/3 East 116th Street, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10029 212/860-5445 ATLATL (serving Native American artists and organizations) 2303 North Central Avenue, Suite 104 Phoenix, AZ 85004 602/253-2/31 Chinese American Educational and Cultural Center of Ml 325 E. Eisenhower Pkwy, Suite 106 Ann Arbor, Ml 48108 313/663-0099 Chinese Music Society of North America Z501 Lemont Road, Suite 335 Woodridge, IL 6051/ /08/91 0-1 551 Coalition of African-American Cultural Organizations 2253 North Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19132 215//65-5055 Deaf Artists of America, Inc. 302 North Goodman Street, Suite E205 Rochester, NY 1 4604 /1 6/325-2400 First Impressions Performances (serving African American dance and performing artists) 1318 East /th Street, Suite 201 Los Angeles, CA 90021-1114 213/892-1188 Harlem Cultural Council, Inc. 215 West 25th Street, Suite 400A New York, NY 1002/ 212/316-62// Hispanic Culture Foundation P.O. Box Z2Z9 Albuquerque, NM 8/194 505/831-8360 Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors 250 West 65th Street New York, NY 10023-6403 212/595-8286 Institute of Alaska Native Arts, Inc. P.O. Box /0/69 Fairbanks, AK 99/0/ 90//4567491 International Agency for Minority Artists Affairs Adam Clayton Powell State Building 163 West 125th Street, Suite 909 New York, NY 1002/-4419 212//49-5298 Latino Collaborative 280 Broadway, Room 412 New York, NY 1000/ 21 2//32-1 1 21 Maine Arts Sponsors Association (serving rural presenters) P.O. Box 2352 Augusta, ME 04338 20//626-32// Montana Indian Arts and Culture Association P.O. Box 61 5/ Bozeman, MI 59// 1 406/586-1441 Montana Institute of the Arts Foundation P.O. Box 18/2 Bozeman, MT 59//1-18/2 406/585-9551 National Association of Latino Arts and Culture 1 300 Guadalupe Street San Antonio, TX Z820/ 210/2/1-3151 Network of Cultural Centers of Color 625 Broadway, Ninth Floor New York, NY 10012 212/529-6201 Sojourner Productions/Black Film Review 1 838 Ontario Place NW Washington, DC 20009 202/2/4-6810 Recommended Reading In addition to Expansion Arts Guidelines, you moy find these other Endowment publications helpful. To receive a free copy, write the Public Information Office at the Endowment or call 202/682-5400. Cultural Centers of Color sets forth the histories, operations and achievements of ethnically specific and multi-ethnic arts organizations throughout the United States today. It includes profiles of thirteen long-time Expansion Arts grantees, and discussion of critical issues facing the field. Guide to the National Endowment for the Arts 1 994-1995 describes all Endowment programs and offers thumbnails of the grant categories offered by each. National Endowment for the Arts Annual Report, published each year, lists the programs and more than 4,000 specific grants awarded by the agency. Warning: A weak proposal can be hazardous to your application We aim to provide the best service to our applicants and grantees, but we may not be able to follow up with every applicant on each application-related question. You can be of great help to the staff and review panels - and you con help your own cause - if you: * Submit an application that is legible and clearly describes your request. * Double-check that your budget figures add up correctly. * Provide all required supplemental material by the dates set by Guidelines and staff. This will help reduce the number of phone calls and memos you receive from our staff as well as minimize the number of questions that panelists may raise when evaluating your application. The Endowment has a very tight budget. Consequently, our review panelists must make their recommendations know- ing that a smaller pool of funds is available. As a result, the competition for these limited funds is fierce. It's up to you to submit the best application possible. Credits On the cover: Ismael Sanchez of Floricanto Dance Theater, Whittier, CA; photo by Laura T. Left front: The Boys' Choir of Harlem; photo by Peter Cunningham, courtesy of Mendola Ltd. Center left: Banjo player Hobart Crabtree; courtesy of Appalshop, Whiteburg, KY. Center right: H.T. Chen & Dancers; photo by Martha Swope Associates. Right top: Los Pleneros de la 21; photo by Martha Cooper. Right bottom: Myfhili R. Kumar, Abhinaya Dance Company. Right middle: Aleut hunting visors; photo by Barry McWayne courtesy of Institute of Alaska Native Arts. Design: DesignCom, Washington, DC 90507 30 'uoiBuiqsDM SX'dV 3Hl^jj^303 1NHJM JACKINS 1 V N O I 1 V N Deadlines Program Staff Funding Category Applications Must Be Postmarked by Notification of Award or Rejection Earliest Start Date Expansion Arts Organizations June 5, 1995 July 1996 Oct. 1,1996 Services to the Field Oct. 2, 1995 July 1996 Oct. 1, 1996 Rural Arts Initiative (FY 95) Letter of Interest due Sept. 2, 1994 March 2, 1996 Sept. 1995 Oct. 1,1995 Rural Arts Initiative (FY 96) Letter of Interest due Sept. 1, 1996 March 2,1996 Sept. 1996 Oct. 1,1996 Arts Education Initiative (FY 95) Letter of Intent due Oct. 31, 1994 Jan. 6, 1995 Sept. 1995 Oct. 1, 1995 Patrice Walker Powell Director Dinah 1. Walls Program Administrator Valerie Cassel Program Specialist for Visual Arts Visual/Media/Design/Literary/Combination; Performing Arts-Dance/Music; Advancement; Challenge Christine James Program Specialist for Arts Education Initiative and On-site Coordination Georgetta M. Jenkins Program Specialist for Rural Arts Initiative; Services to the Field; Capstone Project Madeline Rodriguez Ortega Program Specialist for Multidisciplinary Arts/Theater Tracy Bell Program Assistant To Contact Us EXPANSION ARTS PROGRAM National Endowment for the Arts Room 71 1 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20506 202/682-5443 Arts Education Initiative (FY 96) Jan. 5,1996 Letter of Intent due Oct. 30,1995 Please Note Many grantees continue to ask for our colleague Adolphus Gaskins. We are sad to report that he died in September, 1993. Sept. 1996 Oct. 1, 1996