To Promote and Enhance the Creation, Performance, and
Appreciation of the Arts in Region 7W
BENTON, SHERBURNE, STEARNS, and WRIGHT Counties
 Essential parts
 Artistic Merit/Quality
 Goals and Outcomes
 Measurement/Evaluation
 Demonstrating Need/Ability
 Marketing/Publicity Efforts
 Budget
 Draft Review
 Does your proposal align with the
mission of your Organization?
 Does it align with the mission of your
funder?
 Project/purchase/residency description
 Be specific and concise
 Avoid too much, or the wrong details
 Who will benefit or be served?
 Be aware of similar efforts in the region
 Know the difference
 Goals-establishing specific, measurable, attainable,
realistic and time-targeted objectives.
 Goal setting allows people to specify and then work towards
outcomes/objectives
 A goal can be long-term or short-term.
 Outcomes- the end result
 S- Specific
 M- Measureable
 A- Achievable
 R- Realistic
 T-Time-bound
Examples of Goals
 …increase average attendance in our programs to at least 150
people by offering a more diverse selection of performers… and
increasing marketing efforts
 professional artists who have dedicated much of their lives to performing
classic theatre will be supplied with a venue and audience.
 Participants will engage in a group activity at the end of the weekend
involving “guerilla art”…
 Using modern technologies of video, intelligent lighting, and
costuming, the goal is to introduce the timeless, romantic language
and brilliant storytelling of Shakespeare to Central Minnesota
Examples of Outcomes
 Students understand the value of classic theatre through Shakespeare.
 professional artists who have dedicated much of their lives to
performing classic theatre are supplied with a venue and audience.
 Artists feel a stronger connection with other artists within or outside
their chosen genre or medium.
 As identified through their survey responses artists who attended the
workshop now experience less intimidation of large institutional
programs and fine art galleries.
 Match your evaluation methods with your goals
Methods of Evaluation:
• Surveys, attendance count, audience votes, photographs,
purposeful observation, conversations with
audience/participants
• Creative Evaluations
• How can you make giving feedback fun or creative?
• One Word Photos
• Wordle: www.wordle.com
Measuring Goals
 Quantitative:
 number of programs/events presented
 estimate of the number of people in attendance
 demographic information
 Cultural groups served
 Ages of participants
 Location
 arts access questions


Distance traveled to event
Cost of attending
 Qualitative:
 survey of the audience members at each of the programs
 performance related questions
 heard this style of music before

appealing/not
 rate quality
In one word, describe the impact of the
Teaching Artist Roster Program.
Site input from the community in the form of
surveys, comments, focus groups
Focus on those you are serving
 Be specific when describing groups/needs



*Families in the East Side neighborhood
*Artists with special needs
*Women artists in their 50’s and older
Ways of Demonstrating Need
 “During discussions with the ABC Foundation, three themes
of need emerged: cleaning up target areas between 15th and
27th Avenues, altering the spaces to discourage further
degradation, and involving neighborhood residents so they
feel ownership and pride in the changes.”
 65% of audience members surveyed expressed a desire for
more spacious, higher quality, and comfortable seating in the
theater
 Social Media
 Pamphlets, brochures, posters
 Radio, cable, newspapers,
 Unconventional marketing
 Flash mobs
 Roving Advertisers
 Check your math
 Be sure numbers are consistent throughout the application
 Show the method of calculation
 Check guidelines for expenses that are/are not eligible
 Call or email with questions
* CMAB staff will review and make suggestions to
help strengthen your application.
* Draft review requests can be made via email:
media@centralmnartsboard.org two weeks or more
before the grant deadline
Additional Resources
 Aroundthecloud.org
 A website designed to advertise and promote arts and cultural
activities within the four counties served by the CMAB.
Additional Resources
 Minnesota Cultural Data Project
A system that allows arts and cultural organizations to input their financial,
programmatic and operational data into an online form. Organizations can then
use CDP to generate reports designed to increase management capacity, identify
strengths and challenges and inform decision-making.
CMAB will eventually require that applicant organizations are registered with the
CDP.
Information about other
resources
 For a list of additional grant resources and a registry of
arts organizations in the region, state and nation visit
our website at:
 http://www.centralmnartsboard.org/resources/localreso
urces.html
Artistic Merit/Quality
• Of the proposal and/or artists
involved
Demonstrated Need
• Or demand for the proposal or the
group that it serves
Ability
• Of the applicant to accomplish the
proposal
Accuracy
• Of the application
 Applicants with the highest rankings are awarded until
funds are exhausted for that grant round.
 CMAB directors make the final decisions
 An applicant must score at least a 3.0 in order to be
considered for funding
 Impact of the event on those involved
 Method of goal measurement
 Stories
 Attendance

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF FUNDS
 Legacy or State General funds