ASI’s Give for Greatness (G4G) grant applications are open now and due by 11:59 pm on Friday, November 17, 2023. No, you’re not dreaming. This is earlier than in the past!
The Give for Greatness grants are capacity building grants in the amount of $2,000 available to small arts or culture nonprofits in the five (5) counties of Western New York – Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara. Thanks to our sponsors and supporters, we have a total of $50,000, or 25 grants, available to award in 2023.
To be eligible, an organization must meet all of the following criteria:
- Have arts or cultural activity and programming as primary purpose and mission;
- Have 501c3 or NYS CHAR 500 status;
- Be located in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, or Niagara counties in New York state;
- Have a current operating budget of under $300,000;
- Receive less than $30,000 in county funding (or no county funding) for programs or operations for the current year (2023).
What does capacity building mean?
Capacity building means developing and/or strengthening an organization’s skills, resources, processes, or abilities.
To make the most impact with this funding, we are asking applicants to tell us how they will use these funds to build their internal capacity. The goal of this fund is to make the mission-driven work of WNY’s smallest nonprofits easier and more efficient.
We realize that $2,000 is not a lot of funding, but it could provide significant support if used in a strategic way.
Some examples of eligible requests could include:
- Purchasing new equipment or computers
- Upgrading or purchasing licenses for new or better software
- Hiring consultants or temporary staff
- Updating your website or physical signage
This funding should not be used to increase profits, cover capital projects, or pay event/program related expenses.
What does a successful application look like?
Successful applicants will be able to clearly identify a need their organization has or a challenge they need to overcome, as well as provide a solution that will have a long-term* impact.
*By long-term we mean beyond one year.
For example, requesting funding to pay your rent for two months is technically eligible, but it isn’t necessarily going to sustain the organization beyond those two months and isn’t a strong request. Instead, think about how you would use the money that you’d be freeing up by having your rent covered by two months. Would you hire a temporary staff member to help with a database or archiving project that’s been on the back burner? Or would you hire a consultant to start a long-overdue strategic plan? Or maybe you really need new camera equipment and training on how to use it, so you can have quality images of your work to share online.
One note about requesting support for temporary staff or consultants – anyone you hire, as an employee or contractor, should be paid at least minimum wage for their time and work. Keep in mind the number of hours you anticipate having this person work for you and at what rate of pay. Our grant panelists pay attention to this!
Also, keep in mind that the grant is for $2,000 and it’s all or nothing. Think about how you would spend every penny of the funding. Look at the best models of equipment, consider adding extra attachments or upgrades. And if you’re still coming in under that amount, consider adding an extra low cost project, subscription, membership, training, or service to the request. Requests that come in under $2,000 typically don’t get funded.
You can start or preview the application at the link below.
Applications are open now and due on Friday, November 17, 2023 by 11:59 pm.
If you have any questions at any point, please contact our Grants & Programming Director, Holly Grant, at holly@asiwny.org for assistance. You can also click here to learn more about the Give for Greatness grant, including past recipients and panelists.
