1 Create a ZoomGrants™ account (below) or log in to your existing account (above) 2 Select a Program to apply for, then click the Apply button to get started 3 Answer the questions and/or fill in the fields in each tab 4 If necessary, upload any requested documents 5 Submit your application and wait for a decision 6 If you are selected to receive funding, you might be required to submit invoices or reports through your application
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NEW: The application deadline for the 2023 Cultural STAR program has been extended to 4 pm on Thursday, July 27, 2023!
The purpose of the Cultural STAR Program is to promote cultural vitality and economic growth, particularly in the downtown Cultural District, by strengthening the arts and cultural community. Cultural STAR dollars are intended to:
Build and diversify audiences
Promote a broad range of cultural offerings
Produce a long term impact, and
Leverage additional financial support.
The Cultural STAR program will achieve these purposes by making grants and loans for projects and programs that: attract audiences; develop and improve cultural facilities; and build capacity of artists and cultural organizations.
The funding source is from a half-cent sales tax, 10% of which is designated for the Cultural STAR program annually.
There are three different Cultural STAR grant programs:
Special Projects
Organizational Development
Capital Projects.
Please review the complete guidelines and eligibility requirements at: stpaul.gov/CulturalSTAR
Please see the complete guidelines and eligibility requirements at: stpaul.gov/CulturalSTAR.
An applicant is only allowed to be awarded funding from the Cultural STAR Program once in a calendar year, except Saint Paul-based nonprofit organizations located outside the Cultural District, which may apply twice per round, and receive funding up to two times per calendar year - once for projects taking place outside the Cultural District and once for projects taking place in the Cultural District.
An applicant may receive funding for an organizational development/special project three years in a row, and then must take a year off.
Under the Minnesota Data Practices Act, the following data, when submitted by an organization requesting financial assistance, are private or nonpublic data: financial information, including credit reports; financial statements; net worth calculations; business plans; income and expense projections; balance sheets; customer lists; income tax returns; and design, market, and feasibility studies not paid for with public funds. Except as noted in the following sentence, the above-referenced data become public when financial assistance is provided. The following data remains private or nonpublic even if financial assistance is provided: business plans; income and expense projections not related to the financial assistance provided; customer lists; income tax returns; and design, market, and feasibility studies not paid for with public funds.
The City of Saint Paul is requesting certain private or nonpublic data for the purpose of providing financial assistance through its Cultural STAR Program (the “Program”). You are not legally required to provide any private or nonpublic data; however, if you do not provide the requested data, you will not be eligible for financial assistance offered through the Program. Private or nonpublic data will be used by City staff to administer the Program. Private or nonpublic data may be provided to the state or legislative auditor and can be shared upon court order.
By entering your initials here you certify this submission truthfully and accurately represents your application and is hereby submitted for review. Submission of this application does not, in any way, guarantee that your application will yield a favorable result.
Submission of this application also
indicates your agreement to the
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of using ZoomGrants™.
The applicant certifies that the information in this proposal is truthful and accurate to the best of their knowledge and that this proposal truthfully and accurately represents the organization's request and is hereby submitted for review.
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All application questions must be answered, unless otherwise stated, and all required documentation must be attached before your application is considered complete. Completed applications must be submitted through ZoomGrants.com by 4:00 pm on July 27, 2023 (deadline extended as of 7/14/23). Technical ZoomGrants questions should be sent to Questions@ZoomGrants.com. The Technical Support desk can be reached at (866)323-5404 x2 and is staffed from 9am - 6pm CST.
Project Name
Amount Requested Minimum request $5,000
Applicant Information
First Name
Last Name
Telephone
Email
Address 1
Address 2
City
State/Province
ZIP+4/Postal Code
Country
Organization Information
(changes to this data will be reflected on all other applications for this organization)
Create an Organization
Pre-Application
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This Pre-Application section must be submitted and Approved by the Administrator (not ZoomGrants) before you can fill out the rest of the application. Click the Submit Pre-Application button at the top or bottom of this tab to submit this section to be reviewed.
Application Questions
(answers are saved automatically when you move to another field)
DO NOT LEAVE ANY ANSWERS BLANK. If a question does not apply to your organization or proposed project, please enter or check N/A in the answer space.
Embed a short YouTube video of your project if you’d like. This is not required, but is an additional way to explain your proposalShow/Hide
Here’s how to embed a YouTube video: 1. On the YouTube video webpage, click the “Share” icon under the video. 2. On the window that pops up, click the “Embed” icon. 3. Copy the code provided in the expanded box. 4. Paste the code into the field below.
Project Summary
1. Please indicate the type of Cultural STAR application you are submitting. Questions 9-12 relate only to Capital Projects. Special Project and Organizational Development projects will not see those questions on their application form.
2. Briefly describe what your project is, and when and where it will occur. Touch on the goal or intent of your project. Note the impact funding from Cultural STAR could contribute to your project.
3. At what Saint Paul venue(s)/location(s) will your project be performed/built/implemented? Include facility name(s) and street address(es)
4. Please check the Council Ward(s) in which your project is located. You can check more than one box if your project takes place in multiple locations. Please consult the Ward map on the Guidelines webpage or at the back of the guidelines packet, or look up the address(es) using the City's "Find My Ward and District Council" map link found here: https://www.stpaul.gov/department/city-council
5. Is your project and/or organization located in the Cultural District?
The Cultural District is defined as the geographic area bordered by Interstate 94 to the north, the Lafayette Bridge to the east, Harriet and Raspberry Islands to the south, and Chestnut Road to the west. Please consult the map of the Cultural District in the guidelines pages at www.stpaul.gov/CulturalSTAR or at the back of the complete guidelines packet.
6. Please list planned dates (note if they are tentative) of any public event(s), exhibit(s), performance(s) or other audience-facing program dates. For Organizational Development or Capital Projects that do not include audience-facing programming, enter "N/A". Eligible project dates are Aug. 1, 2023 - July 31, 2024. This grant cannot fund events/performances/exhibits, or any project expenses charged to the grant, that take place or are incurred before Aug. 1, 2023, or that extend beyond July 31, 2024.
7. Project Timeline -- Please describe the timeline of general activities to plan, prepare and implement your project. Eligible project dates are Aug. 1, 2023 - July 31, 2024 for Special Projects and Organizational Development, and Aug. 1, 2023 - July 31, 2025 for Capital Projects. This grant cannot fund events/performances/exhibits, or any project expenses charged to the grant, that take place or are incurred before Aug. 1, 2023, or that extend beyond each program's eligible project end date listed above.
8. Describe the size and type of audience you hope to attract with your project.
Capital Project Questions
9. Please indicate what type of site control you have on the property where the proposed capital project will take place. Select one.
10. If you are leasing space where the proposed capital project will occur, what are the terms of your lease? If you currently do not have site control, when will you? If not applicable, type N/A.
11. Please check all applicable boxes which describe your project.
12. Describe the current use and proposed use of the space, the equipment to be installed, and/or other relevant descriptions of the capital project. Include the size of your current facility, and the size of your new or expanded facility, if applicable.
13. For this question, provide a narrative response about one of the four evaluation criteria: IMPACT.
Excellent proposals will convey how the project will benefit Saint Paul - increasing access to different art forms and cultural offerings, addressing cultural needs, and reaching audiences.
SPECIAL PROJECT QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: • What cultural need does this project address? How was this determined? • How will this project build audiences in Saint Paul? • Describe your target audience(s) and the community from which it is drawn. What is your expected attendance? • How will the project provide increased access to art forms and cultural offerings in Saint Paul? • What type of long-term impact will this project have on Saint Paul? • How will STAR dollars leverage additional financial support in Saint Paul?
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO CONSIDER: • What problem, opportunity, issue, or need will this project address? How was this determined? • What is compelling about this situation? How will addressing this important opportunity/need have a significant, long-term impact on your organization? • How might this enhance your ability to broaden or strengthen your cultural offerings? • How will STAR dollars leverage additional financial support?
CAPITAL PROJECT QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: • Describe the problem, opportunity, issue or need that your capital purchase/improvement is intending to resolve? • Why, given all the ways your group could use capital, have you decided on this project? What is compelling about this situation? • How will addressing this important opportunity/need by making this capital purchase or improvement have a significant, long-term impact on your organization? • How might this project enhance your ability to broaden or strengthen your cultural offerings? • How will STAR dollars leverage additional financial support? Four evaluation criteria - Impact, Quality, Ability, and Diversity - Each worth up to 5 points, scored as follows: Excellent (5 points), Good (4 points), Adequate (3 points), Questionable (2 points), Needs improvement (1 point)
14. For this question, provide a narrative response about one of the four evaluation criteria: QUALITY.
Excellent proposals will describe strong goals and a plan to achieve them to have a successful project. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
• Who are, or will be, the artists and/or project leaders? How were, or will, they be selected?
• What background or experience do your group, artists, consultants, and project leaders bring to this project to ensure quality?
ADDITIONAL SPECIAL PROJECT QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
• What are your artistic and/or cultural goals for this project? How will you measure them? • In what ways will your project be artistically or culturally challenging for your group, the artists, the audience, or all three?
ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CAPITAL PROJECT QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: • What are your project goals? What is the outcome you plan to achieve? What mechanism will you use for evaluating the success of your project? How will you know when you are done? How will you know if this project is a success?
ADDITIONAL CAPITAL PROJECT QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: • If you are purchasing equipment, describe how you arrived at purchasing this particular equipment. Four evaluation criteria - Impact, Quality, Ability, and Diversity - Each worth up to 5 points, scored as follows: Excellent (5 points), Good (4 points), Adequate (3 points), Questionable (2 points), Needs improvement (1 point)
15. For this question, provide a narrative response about one of the four evaluation criteria: ABILITY. Excellent proposals will be describe projects that are clearly defined with a realistic plan that could include timeline, personnel, publicity and financial support that demonstrates that the project will be implemented successfully. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: • Describe the planning process for your project.
• In what ways will your board of directors or advisory committee be involved?
• What experience does your organization have that demonstrates the capacity for successfully completing this project?
• What is the timeline for your project?
• What other financial support do you expect for this project?
ADDITIONAL SPECIAL PROJECT QUESTION TO CONSIDER: • How will you promote your project? Four evaluation criteria - Impact, Quality, Ability, and Diversity - Each worth up to 5 points, scored as follows: Excellent (5 points), Good (4 points), Adequate (3 points), Questionable (2 points), Needs improvement (1 point)
16. For this question, provide a narrative response about one of the four evaluation criteria: DIVERSITY. Excellent proposals will describe a project that will be accessible to and inclusive of audiences and add to the artistic and cultural diversity of offerings in Saint Paul, or increase the ability of the organization to be accessible and inclusive, and diversify cultural offerings. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: • How will this project add to the diversity of - or add to your ability to diversify the - cultural offerings in Saint Paul?
• Considering diversity in its broadest sense (e.g., geography, age, gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.) describe in what ways your project will attract, and more fully embrace, diverse audiences, or how the project will lead to an enhanced ability for you to build and diversify audiences. • As you consider your project’s goals and targeted audiences, describe how diversity is represented in your project (e.g., among your board of directors or advisory committee, project personnel, and/or artists). Four evaluation criteria - Impact, Quality, Ability, and Diversity - Each worth up to 5 points, scored as follows: Excellent (5 points), Good (4 points), Adequate (3 points), Questionable (2 points), Needs improvement (1 point)
Organization Information
17. What type of entity is your organization? Select one
18. If you are applying as an Unincorporated Art Group or Individual Artist, please provide the name of the fiscal sponsor you plan to use, and their contact information. Please note that 100% of projects using a fiscal sponsor must take place in the Cultural District. If you are not using a fiscal sponsor, please enter N/A in the answer space. For profit and non-profit organizations are not allowed to utilize fiscal sponsors for this program.
19. What is your organization's mission or purpose?
20. What is the amount of your CURRENT YEAR Operating Budget?
21. What is the total number of FTEs, and the number of full and part time employees in your organization?
22. How many people were served through your programs, events and services for your most recently completed fiscal year?
23. Please check the Council Ward in which your organization is located or indicate that your organization is located outside of Saint Paul. Please consult the Ward map on the Guidelines webpage or at the back of the guidelines packet, or look up the address using the City's "Find My Ward and District Council" map link found here: https://www.stpaul.gov/department/city-council
24. Please list the past City financial support you've received during the past five years? (Cultural STAR, Neighborhood STAR, CDBG, etc) For each project supported with City funds, list the project name, the year, source/program and amount received and any remaining balances. (e.g. Culture Fest, 2021 Cultural STAR Grant - $10,000; remaining $2,500)
25. If you received Cultural STAR support in 2022, please briefly describe the project, focusing on the value and learning you gained from implementing the project, and how it will impact the implementation of future projects. Include project name; amount of STAR funding and total project budget amount; audience size; results of the project, major successes, and lessons learned
26. Are you or have you ever been in an adverse lending relationship between your entity, including principals, and the City? Examples: default, delinquent payments, litigation
27. How did you hear about the Cultural STAR program?
Budget
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Please use this section to provide a complete financial description of your proposed project. Project budget information must be specific and include verifiable cost estimates.
For funding requests of over $50,000, Cultural STAR dollars must be matched dollar for dollar by other funding sources in the full amount of the Cultural STAR request. At least 70 percent of the match must be in dollars. Up to 30 percent of the match may be in-kind goods and services, such as personnel, professional services, office space, supplies, volunteer labor and sweat equity. Volunteer labor and sweat equity are valued at $15.00 per hour.
The total "Project Income" should be equal to the total "Project Expenses".
PROJECT INCOME
Please enter dollar amounts in all income sources that pertain to your project proposal. If an item does not pertain to your proposal, leave it blank. You can provide additional income types in the lines marked "Other" and you can modify the title in that line. "Secured" funding includes any funding your project has received to date, such as awarded grants, committed/restricted funds for this project, season ticket revenue committed to this project, etc. "Pending/Prospective" funding includes grants, sponsorship pledges, or other pledged funding that your organization has applied for or plans to apply for but not been officially notified or awarded, including your Cultural STAR request amount. It also includes projected ticket sales revenue and other funding that will be sought but is not yet confirmed. A "TOTAL" column will add up each row and a "TOTAL" row will add up each column automatically - refresh the page to see these totals. For funding requests of over $50,000, Cultural STAR dollars must be matched dollar for dollar by other funding sources in the full amount of the Cultural STAR request. Please provide any additional explanatory information about any of your budget items in the Project Budget Narrative box below, including details of other funding sources, such as foundations and other grants, how ticket revenue was estimated, etc.
Item Description
Secured
Pending/Prospective
Total $ 0.00
Total $ 0.00
PROJECT EXPENSES
Please enter dollar amounts in all expense categories that pertain to your project proposal. If an item does not pertain to your proposal, leave it blank. You can provide additional expenses in the lines marked "Other" and you can modify the title in that line. Cultural STAR dollars cannot be used toward Food/Beverage or Insurance costs. For funding requests of over $50,000, Cultural STAR dollars must be matched dollar for dollar by other funding sources in the full amount of the Cultural STAR request. Please provide explanatory information about your budget items in the Project Budget Narrative box below.
Item Description
Project Expenses
Total $ 0.00
Budget Narrative (Discuss the items and amounts you entered above.)
Please describe details about your budget, including the following: List the sources of your other funds, including both secured and pending/prospective sources and the amounts from each source. Please describe any ticket revenue projections provided, including ticket prices, numbers expected to be sold, and how you determined those estimates (e.g. prior year sales, capacity of venue, etc.). Describe details of how you calculated your expenses, such as outlining the artist fees in more detail, details of supplies, details of the marketing expenses, transportation, ADA-related costs, and other budget categories.
Tables
(answers are saved automatically when you move to another field)
Please upload and attach the following documents to your application. For more specific information regarding the content of these documents, please refer to the complete Cultural STAR guidelines at: stpaul.gov/CulturalSTAR. If any of these documents do not apply to your organization, please upload a document stating "THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT APPLICABLE TO OUR ORGANIZATION" and explain why it does not apply.
Applicant Description and Board of Directors/Advisory Committee: Attach a one-page description of your entity - mission, structure, audiences served, membership, staff, brief history, etc. Include a list of current board/advisory committee members
Required
-none-
Income and expense statement for most recently completed fiscal year. Submit Fiscal Sponsor's statement, if applicable
Required
-none-
Form 990 that has been most recently submitted to the IRS. Submit Fiscal Sponsor's Form 990, if applicable
OPTIONAL: Documents to support your proposal, such as letters of support, photos, press clippings and other marketing materials from your organization, organizational or annual reports, etc.
-none-
OPTIONAL: For Capital Projects, photos and/or drawings of your capital improvement
-none-
For unincorporated art groups or individual artists, attach a Letter of Intent from Fiscal Sponsor Organization
-none-
* ZoomGrants™ is not responsible for the content of uploaded documents.
Extra
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If you are ready to have your answers reviewed,
add an entry to the Activity Log and request a Grant maker action.
Close-out and Final Report
(answers are saved automatically when you move to another field)
(answers are saved automatically when you move to another field)
Close-out and Final Report 1: 10/29/2024
This report is OVERDUE.
1. Describe the size and type of the audience that was reached by this project. For Capital Projects, describe how the project has impacted your organization's ability to build and diversify your audience/patronage. Discuss such audience-related outcomes as: expected audience size vs. actual audience size; factors that impacted your audience reach; demographics, subscribers, free tickets, etc; other observations about building and diversifying your audience.
2. Project Budget Report - Please list the sources and amounts of other project income/funding that supported this project, such as foundations and corporations, individual donations, other government funds, organizational funds, ticket revenue, etc. Were all the funds spent? Why or why not? Please include any sources of additional funding for this project.
3. Describe this project's outcomes, addressing the four Cultural STAR criteria, as listed in the guidelines: Impact, Quality, Ability, and Diversity. Discuss successes and learning from the project, such as impact on building audiences in St. Paul, quality of the project, this project's impact on your organization's ability to conduct future projects, how diversity was represented in this project.
4. How can the City of Saint Paul improve our processes to make the Cultural STAR program easier to work with?
5. Please provide links to videos, media coverage, photos of final product, and any other relevant materials that capture your project and its outcomes. Please only share materials that can be shared publicly. We may use materials to promote the Cultural STAR program (we will credit these materials as appropriate and needed).
Show/Hide Document Instructions Document Instructions
<p>Please upload and attach the following documents to your application. For more specific information regarding the content of these documents, please refer to the complete Cultural STAR guidelines at: <a href="https://www.stpaul.gov/culturalSTAR" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stpaul.gov/CulturalSTAR</a>. If any of these documents do not apply to your organization, please upload a document stating "THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT APPLICABLE TO OUR ORGANIZATION" and explain why it does not apply.</p>
Grant expense documentation, including: - Completed Final Payment Request Form - Proof of expense to show what the grant funds paid for, such as invoices, receipts, artist/venue contracts, etc. - Proof of payment, such as check copies, bank statement
Documentation of matching funds if required (awards of over $50,000), such as grant award letter(s) from other funders, record of ticket sales, sponsorship agreement(s), etc.
* ZoomGrants™ is not responsible for the content of uploaded documents.
This report is OVERDUE.
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Close-out and Final Report Totals
Answers must be entered on the individual Close-out and Final Report tabs.
If you recently edited an answer, then Refresh Page to see updated answers here. 1. Describe the size and type of the audience that was reached by this project. For Capital Projects, describe how the project has impacted your organization's ability to build and diversify your audience/patronage. Discuss such audience-related outcomes as: expected audience size vs. actual audience size; factors that impacted your audience reach; demographics, subscribers, free tickets, etc; other observations about building and diversifying your audience. -Text questions are not calculated-
2. Project Budget Report - Please list the sources and amounts of other project income/funding that supported this project, such as foundations and corporations, individual donations, other government funds, organizational funds, ticket revenue, etc. Were all the funds spent? Why or why not? Please include any sources of additional funding for this project. -Text questions are not calculated-
3. Describe this project's outcomes, addressing the four Cultural STAR criteria, as listed in the guidelines: Impact, Quality, Ability, and Diversity. Discuss successes and learning from the project, such as impact on building audiences in St. Paul, quality of the project, this project's impact on your organization's ability to conduct future projects, how diversity was represented in this project. -Text questions are not calculated-
4. How can the City of Saint Paul improve our processes to make the Cultural STAR program easier to work with? -Text questions are not calculated-
5. Please provide links to videos, media coverage, photos of final product, and any other relevant materials that capture your project and its outcomes. Please only share materials that can be shared publicly. We may use materials to promote the Cultural STAR program (we will credit these materials as appropriate and needed). -Text questions are not calculated-
