• All funded projects must be available to the general public.
• Be sure to invite local government officials and state legislators to attend your events or programs. You can find your legislators on the Legislative Service Office website.  Also take that opportunity to thank them for supporting the arts!  A custom letter template is available here. 

Project start and end dates must fall between July 1 and June 30. This time frame aligns with the Arts Council’s fiscal year.

• Grants may be extended beyond the end of the current fiscal year (June 30) if applicants work with staff prior to submitting their application.

Extending a project may shorten the time frame you have to submit your Final Report.

• Only costs/activities incurred during the project time frame may be listed as a project expense or income on the budget information.

• The Arts Council receives both federal funding through the National Endowment for the Arts and state funding through the Wyoming State Legislature. Your grant contract will tell you which funding source your grant is being paid from.   
• The Wyoming Arts Council is the “Recipient” of the federal and state funds we receive.
• When we award a grant to an organization or individual artist, we re-grant our funds to them, and they become the “Sub-Recipient.”
• If you are applying for a Community Support Grant, the grant amount you request cannot exceed 50% of your total project/operating expenses.
  • Community Support Grant recipients are required to meet a 1:1 cash match, with actual cash income.
  • You cannot use any federal funds you received from the Arts Council as match for a different grant that is also paid from Federal funds.
  • You can use grants paid from state funds as a match to a grant paid with federal funds.

• Federal Agency Awarded these Funds: National Endowment for the Arts
• Pass-through Entity: Wyoming Arts Council
• Award Contact: Rachel Clifton
• Award Title: State Arts Agency Partnership Agreement
• CFDA # and Name:  #45.025-Promotion of the Arts
• Federal Award Project Description: To support Partnership Agreement activities

Grant applications are completed/submitted through the online grant system. We do not accept hard copy applications. The Arts Council will not accept late applications, so after the Applicant submits the application, they need to ensure that they received the email that acknowledges receipt of the submitted application. If they did not receive this email they should contact the Arts Council immediately at (307) 214-7819. 

Community Support Grants:  Applications are reviewed by Arts Council staff for completeness.  Then peer panels review/score the applications and make recommendations for funding to the Arts Council Board, who makes the final funding decision. 

Arts Access Grant and Professional Development/Career Advancement Grants:  Applications are reviewed and then approved or rejected by Arts Council staff.

If your application is approved, the applicant will receive an email notifying them that the application was approved.  The award email contains important information about the grant requirements, so review it carefully and print a copy for your records.

If your application is not approved, the applicant will receive an email notifying them that the application was not approved. If you would like more information about this decision, feel free to contact Arts Council staff. Emails from the online grant system sometimes are sent into spam folders; if you do not receive an email within a reasonable time frame, check your spam folder.

The Wyoming Arts Council must be acknowledged as a funding source for all grants.  The following language should be used: “Supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming Legislature.”

• Crediting language should specify the supported program/activity being supported by the Arts Council funding.  If the Arts Council is only sponsoring one arts component/project of a larger event, then we should be acknowledged as the sponsor of only that component/project, and not as a sponsor of the entire event.
• Crediting language should be removed from all materials at the completion of the grant project period.
• If your grant was paid with federal funds, you must also acknowledge the National Endowment for the Arts prominently in all materials and announcements related to activities funded for the duration of the period of the Wyoming Arts Council grant award:

For print materials: A statement acknowledging support from the National Endowment for the Arts is required. In addition, we encourage you to use their current logo, whenever possible.

For radio or tv broadcast, the following voice-over language is required:  “This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Online at arts.gov.”

Arts Council and NEA logos and additional information can be found here.

You are required to carry out a project consistent with the application you submitted and that was approved for funding. Changes must be submitted to the Arts Council for review and approval, and include changes to dates, budgets, project scope or content, personnel or artists involved, or other changes that differ from your application. Changes must be approved prior to implementation. 

The Arts Council recognizes that due to COVID-19, you may have significant changes or outright cancellations to the programs and services outlined in your grant application. If you anticipate project changes that fall outside the scope of your original grant application, you can accept the grant award and contact the Arts Council for approval of specific changes. Organizations and individuals should follow the recommendations of the Wyoming Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control, and their county health office when planning and implementing programs.

Here are the guidelines if you need to make an amendment/change to your project:

• Amendments/change requests are considered on a case-by-case basis, and approval is not guaranteed. Until you receive written approval from the Arts Council, you may only incur costs consistent with the terms and conditions of the award in effect at the time of your request.
• The Arts Council has the right to request additional information, such as an update on specific activities including a revised budget or an itemized list of actual expenditures, as needed.

• The Contract is a legally binding contract approved by the State Attorney General’s Office that provides important information about your legal responsibilities pertaining to the grant.
• It typically takes 2-4 weeks to receive the contract. Requests awarded in June-July may take 4-6 weeks or longer to receive. Contact the Arts Council if you do not receive the Contract in a timely manner.
• Signatures: A legal representative of the applicant organization must sign the Contract and/or individual artists should sign their legal name.
• If you used a Fiscal Sponsor to apply, the Fiscal Sponsor must provide the signature.
• This is a legal contract, so do not make any changes, cross through any information, or use white out.

Before an organization or individual can receive a state payment, they must be registered as a vendor in the state database. If you are a new vendor or have not received a payment from the State of Wyoming during the past two years, or if you need to make changes to your information in the state database, you will need to fill out and submit a W9 form, which is available here on the State Auditor’s website.

• To receive your payments via EFT (direct deposit), attach an original unused, voided check to the W9 form.
• List your legal name the W9 form, because it will be verified with the Internal Revenue Service’s database.  
• Do not list “doing business as” names. Individual artists should always list their individual legal name on the form, and not their business name.  Print clearly, and do not make any changes or cross through information. The W9 must have an original signature (not electronic).
• The State Auditor will only accept the current W9 form, signed and dated within the past 30 days, so do not submit an old or existing version. 
• It takes four to six weeks for the Auditor to process W9 forms. We strongly suggest that you mail your form to the Arts Council immediately after you receive your award email. 
• If you are not enrolling in EFT, you can scan and email the signed W9 to the Arts Council.  
• The Arts Council cannot guarantee that grant funds will be received prior to your Project Start Date, so you should be prepared to pay any expenses incurred with other funds, if necessary, until your grant funds are received.

• Everyone who receives funding from the Wyoming Arts Council is required to complete a Final Report after the project is over.  
• You will need to list the actual number of adults, youth and artists who participated in your project(s), so be sure to keep track of this.  
• Final Report information is used to report to the Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Final Reports are released to the grant recipient on the Project End Date and are due in 60 days. Contact the Arts Council if you need the Final Report released sooner.
• If extenuating circumstances are going to prevent the grant recipient from completing the Final Report within the required 60 days, they should email the Arts Council to ask for an extension.
• Your final report can be accessed by logging in to the online grant system.

All financial records, supporting documents, statistical records and all other non-federal entity records pertinent to your grant award must be retained for a period of four (4) years.

Certain expenses cannot be paid with Arts Council funding, and are prohibited by the Office of Management and Budget of the Federal government (OMB Circulars #A_122, #A_21 and #A_87). Copies of these OMB Circulars may be obtained through a link on the National Endowment for the Art’s website.

Below is a partial list of expenses that cannot be funded with Arts Council grants:

• New construction, renovation, remodeling or restoration of facilities. (However, planning grants or facility studies may be funded.)
• Capital expenditures for land or general purpose equipment or the purchase of any special purpose equipment with a cost of $5,000 or more and a normal useful life of more than one year.
• Bad Debts: any losses from previous years or from uncollectible accounts/claims.
• Projects completed prior to awarding of a grant.
• Replacement funds (to take the place of money normally budgeted for the project).
• Interest, fines or penalties and organizational indirect or overhead costs.
• Cost sharing or matching requirements of any other federally financed program.
• Contributions, contingency funds, donations, prize money, scholarships, or any form of tuition assistance for college or university study.
• Goods or services for personal use.
• Goods for resale, which includes the sale of concessions, promotional merchandise or items purchases to sell, even if related to your programming, as well as any associated staffing or facilities costs.  Costs for items that are required to be produced as part of the approved project activity (e.g. publications, such as journals or exhibit catalogs, or records, such as orchestra concert CDs) and that are incurred during the period of performance are allowable.
• Entertainment: receptions, food, alcohol, flowers, invitations, etc.
• Lobbying costs for activities such as federal, state or local electioneering and support of such entities as campaign organizations and political action committees; direct lobbying of Congress to influence legislation; lobbying of the Executive Branch in connection with decisions to sign or veto enrolled legislation; efforts to utilize state or local officials to lobby Congress or state legislatures; grassroots lobbying concerning either Federal or state legislation; legislative liaison activities in support of unallowable lobbying activities; or membership costs in organizations that lobby.
• Costs of advertising and public relations designed solely to promote the organization; costs of promotional items and memorabilia. (Costs for the purpose of communicating to the public specific activities related to sponsored programs are allowable, as are costs for recruitment of personnel.)
• Fundraising and investment management costs, including financial campaigns, solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar expenses incurred to raise capital or obtain contributions.
• Costs of defense or prosecution of criminal and civil proceedings, claims, appeals and patent infringements.
• Anything specifically forbidden by Wyoming state law or federal law.
• Food expenses may only be paid/included if they meet this criteria:
• Per diem for artists or others traveling in connection with the grant.
• Food supplies when they will be used for teaching/demonstrating and are not sold.
• Indirect costs should be excluded from the project budget.

• Conference costs are generally allowable, but conference sponsors must exercise discretion and judgment in ensuring that conference costs are appropriate and necessary.
• Conferences include meetings, seminars, workshops, or other events whose primary purpose is dissemination of technical information.
• Costs associated with activities that generally occur at a closing meal, or a reception at the end of the working day, are not allowable. 

Entertainment (amusement and social activities such as receptions, parties, galas, dinners, etc.), and any associated costs including catering, alcohol, planning, staffing, supplies, etc. are unallowable.

Specific costs that might otherwise be considered entertainment but have a programmatic purpose may be allowable if authorized in the approved budget.

• Travel costs include any expenses for transportation, lodging, subsistence, and related items incurred by employees who are on official business attributable to work under an award and in accordance with your entity’s written travel reimbursement policies. Any airfare charged to the award, whether domestic or foreign, may not exceed the value of the basic, least expensive, unrestricted accommodations class offered by a commercial carrier.
• You are required to follow the provision of the Fly America Act, which is available here.

The Arts Learning funding that is available through the Community Support grant offers funding for projects that enliven or improve arts learning to increase knowledge, understanding of, and skills in one or more art forms. Arts Learning is offered to non-profit organizations, social service agencies, tribes, community centers, school districts and local art agencies.

This funding can support:
-Making interactive art opportunities a basic component of arts learning.
-Developing and strengthening arts learning in community and schools.
-Providing opportunities for professional artists to work in community settings, outreach organizations and schools.
-Providing arts learning opportunities for all ages and in myriad settings.
-Obtaining expertise from elders, artists, instructors and educators to help design new arts programming, strengthen current programs or grow a teacher’s personal growth in knowledge and skills in an art form.

Funded activities can include year-long projects, a series of related or unrelated projects, a season of arts learning programs and technical assistance projects, such as curriculum development and planning for arts learning programs.

For more information or if you have questions, contact Amara Fehring at  amara.fehring@wyo.gov.