APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
This two-year guide should be used for deadlines beginning January 2006. Forms can be downloaded in Microsoft Word here and also on each grant's web page. Applications must be on the appropriate form, reproduced on a computer or typed in 12-point, or neatly handwritten. Do not use application forms saved from previous years.

Review the checklist carefully before submitting your application because applications will go forward to the panel as submitted. Answer the required narrative questions, paying close attention to the page limitations, and check to see that your application is complete, signed, and dated. Incomplete applications are subject to disqualification.

Every grant and award program has a section on How to Apply and a list of required support materials to guide you. The choice of support materials and work samples, such as tapes or slides, is determined by the program or discipline in which you or your organization applies.

For a step-by-step outline of the Grant Process. and the Glossary

Read the Legal Requirements carefully and note that submission of this signed application verifies that you have read and agree to comply with all rules, regulations, policies, laws, terms, and conditions.

Please answer all the questions on the application. This information assists the National Endowment for the Arts to determine trends and establish statistical data.

If you are interested in a courtesy review, we strongly encourage you to make an appointment at least three weeks before the application deadline. Staff may offer suggestions to strengthen your application; however, this process does not guarantee funding.

DELIVERY OF YOUR APPLICATION PACKET
The Commission does not accept applications or support materials submitted by fax or other electronic methods because original documents are needed.

All materials must be postmarked or hand delivered to the Grants Unit at the Commission office by the deadline. Deliver to Idaho Commission on the Arts; 2410 N. Old Penitentiary Rd.; Boise, ID 83712.

Please do not use folders, plastic sheets, or ring binders to hold materials. The applicant is advised to insure the work samples against damage in the mail.

Want Your Work Sample Back?
If you want your support materials returned to you, include a large, self-addressed mailer with sufficient postage in your application packet.

The Commission will make reasonable attempts to properly handle and promptly return work samples but cannot be held liable for damage or loss. Since application forms will not be returned, keep a copy for your files.

Notification
Download response card here. It will be mailed back to you upon receipt of your application.

DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL OR MASTER COPIES OF WORK SAMPLES.

PREPARING WORK SAMPLES
Work samples are the only way panelists have to evaluate quality; be sure you present your work in a professional manner-it is critical to your success. Work samples are required based on the program or discipline in which you or your organization applies. They should represent current work or activities and should be no more than five years old.

Materials that demonstrate or give evidence of what is presented or claimed in the narrative play a significant part in the evaluation process. Since work samples are the means by which artistic quality and aesthetic merit of your work is assessed, their quality is a major consideration.

Since panelists have a limited time to evaluate work samples, it is extremely important that the strongest example is presented first.

VIDEOTAPE OR DVD should be used by applicants in Dance, Theater, Performance Art, Media Arts (filmmaking, media installation, and video arts), and Oral and Performance Traditions.

Submit one or two properly cued VHS _” videotapes that represent examples of your work. If you submit a DVD identify preferred track(s). A DVD with excerpts is an effective way to present a variety of works. Label case with applicant’s name, title of work, and date written, produced, or performed.

Information List: Include a work sample description with the label information on the cassette, an explanation of what the panel is seeing, and your responsibility in the work; for example, whether you are the performer or the choreographer.

AUDIOTAPE OR COMPACT DISC should be used by applicants in Music, Media (audio), and Oral and Performance Traditions.

Submit one or two CDs or properly cued standard size audiotapes. For CDs, indicate the track(s) to be reviewed. Label cassette or CD case with applicant's name, title of work, and date.

Infomation List: Include a work sample description with the label information on the cassette and explain your responsibility in the work; for example, whether you are the performer or the composer.

SLIDES or DIGITAL IMAGES should be used by applicants in Visual Arts, Design, and Folk Traditional Arts.

For artists, the most effective presentation is one that shows panelists a cohesive, consistent, developing body of work. Select images representative of your style and arrange them in a way that will enhance the panelists’ understanding of the direction in which your work is going and will draw attention to your most significant pieces

Submit no more than ten slides or digital images of at least 8 different works. Additional images will not be reviewed.

INFORMATION LIST: Include a list with your name, title of the work, medium, date work was completed, dimensions, and photo credit. Number each to correspond with images or slides. Comments are optional. (Maximum of two pages, 12 point font.)

Slides should be 35mm, plastic mounted 2 x 2" and submitted in a plastic sheet. (Two detail shots may be included in the ten.) Writing directly on slide frames is preferable to labels. Mark each slide with:

a number from 1 to 10 in order of presentation.
a red dot on the front lower left corner of the slide that indicates which side is top.
artist's name.
title, medium, dimensions, and date completed.

Digital images are accepted on a Windows readable CD. Submit original camera files in JPEG format. (No RAW files ­ convert to JPEG.) Title each image appropriately.

Do not place labels on the CD. Write on the disk or place it in a case with your name, date, and the grant program you are applying to.

Include a full-color hard copy, no smaller than 4 x 6”, of each of the images submitted.

Do not send originals. The Commission retains the slides of artists who receive Fellowship awards and QuickFund$ grants, as well as cassette tapes submitted by Writer-in-Residence applicants.

MANUSCRIPTS must be used by applicants in Screenwriting, Playwriting, and Literature (poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction).

Send no fewer than 10 pages and no more than 20 pages.

All writing samples, including previously published work, must be submitted in 12-point. Photocopied excerpts from books or periodicals in published form are NOT accepted.

Publication, performance, or production information must be restricted to the résumé.

Fiction and creative nonfiction writers must submit 10-20 pages from several short works, or a portion from no more than two larger works, and they must be labeled fiction or nonfiction. If your work is an excerpt, include a one-page statement in the manuscript about where it fits into the whole to orient the reviewers. Poets must submit 10-15 pages of poetry. Shorter poems should be printed one to a page.

All QuickFund$ applicants must submit copies of work with applicant name. Fellowship and Writer-in-Residence applicants must submit one copy of work with applicant name throughout and one copy without applicant name. There should be no identifying marks on the anonymous copy.

Writer-in-Residence applicants must also include one standard size audiotape with up to ten minutes of the applicant reading aloud from his or her own work. The tape must be labeled with applicant's name, title of work, and date written. Do not use your name on the audio portion of your reading. (Cassettes will not be returned.)

Screenwriters and playwrights must submit 10 to 20 pages from one or two works. Applicants are encouraged to include a single cover sheet with a story synopsis. If screenwriters and playwrights are submitting produced works, they must submit a videotape work sample.

A Note to All Applicants:
The Commission staff will not pull or substitute material or work samples from one application to another or from a prior application.

Applicants may submit additional materials in addition to what is required.

Resources developed by the Commission help applicants produce quality work samples and are available from the Commission.

How to Photograph Your Art Using Natural Light is an instructional DVD on the main elements necessary to produce a quality 35mm slide of your art work. This information could be adapted to digital photography as well. ($10 includes tax and postage.)

Video Production for the Performing Arts: Creating Effective Videos for Grant Applications and Promotional Uses is a DVD and companion booklet for performing artists and groups who want to understand how to collaborate with a producer to create quality videos for grant submission or promotional uses. ($10 includes tax & postage.)
Visit the publication order page to order theses DVDs and/or other publications.

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SUCCESSFUL GRANT WRITING
READ THE GUIDELINES THOROUGHLY.

Review funding criteria and follow directions precisely.
Attend to deadlines, project timelines, and supplemental materials.
Use the checklist to make sure your application is complete.

TALK TO THE STAFF.

Commission staff are available to consult, advise, and assist with your application.
Call at least three weeks before the deadline to make an appointment for staff assistance or a courtesy review.

BE SPECIFIC.

Describe the project clearly, in detail, and thoroughly; be succinct.
Avoid jargon. Use simple, concise language to convey your ideas.
Since panelists will rank applications according to how well evaluation criteria are addressed, be sure to focus on the evaluation criteria in your narrative or through other grant requirements.

CREATE A READABLE APPLICATION.

Make sure your application is legible. Typing is preferable to handwriting; use a simple font, such as Times Roman, no smaller than 12-point.
Formulate a reasonable budget and double-check the addition. Make sure it reflects the plans mentioned in your narrative.
Have someone unfamiliar with your project read it and make suggestions for revision and clarity.

DETAILS.

Prepare quality work samples. Video images or audiotapes must be clear and cued for review.
Slides or digital images should be outstanding.
Do not send originals or master copies of work samples.
Send only what is requested.
Proofread, proofread, proofread.
Make sure the application is complete and signed by all required parties.
Save a copy of your application for your files.

MEET THE DEADLINE.
SEND IN THE REQUIRED FINAL REPORT