APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
This ONE-YEAR guide should be used for deadlines beginning January 2010-2012. Information and forms are also available at the Application page. Applications must be on the appropriate form, typed in 12-point, or neatly handwritten.

Forms can be downloaded in PDF or Microsoft Word. You can download a pdf of the application, print the document, fill it out and mail it. Or you can download your application as an "online" PDF. This form will allow you to fill the information on your computer, then print it and mail it to the agency. Or you can use an application saved as Word Documents.

Do not use application forms from previous years.

Review the checklist carefully because the panel will review your application 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 return.

For a step-by-step outline of the Grant Processvisit the Grant Process page . Every grant and award program has a section on How to Apply and a list of required forms and materials to guide you. The choice of work samples, such as recordings or images, is determined by the program or discipline in which you apply.

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
Late Applications Will Not Be Accepted.
Mail or hand-deliver your completed application packet, with all required supplemental materials, by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date to the Idaho Commission on the Arts:

Street Address: 2410 N. Old Penitentiary Rd.; Boise, ID 83712
Mailing Address: PO Box 83720; Boise ID 83720-0008

Please do not use staples, folders, plastic sheets, or ring binders to hold materials.

The Commission does not accept applications or support materials submitted by fax or other electronic methods because original documents and signatures are required.

Want Your Work Sample Back?
Include a large, self-addressed mailer with sufficient postage in your application packet. Please do not send original or master copies of your work.

The Commission will make reasonable attempts to properly handle and promptly return work samples but cannot be held liable for damage or loss. The applicant is advised to insure the work samples against damage in the mail. Application forms will not be returned so keep a copy for your files.

Application Notification
Download response card here. Upon receipt of your application, it will be mailed to you.

PREPARING WORK SAMPLES
Work samples are the means by which panelists evaluate the artistic quality and aesthetic merit of your work. Therefore, presenting your work in a professional manner is a major consideration and 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 (This does not apply to TRAap applicants.)

DVD or VIDEOTAPE should be used by applicants in Dance, Theater, Performance Art, Media Arts (filmmaking, media installation, and video), and Oral and Performance Traditions.A DVD with excerpts is an effective way to present a variety of works. Submit one or two DVD’s that represent examples of your work and identify preferred track(s). Label case with applicant’s name, title of work, and date written, produced, or performed.
INFORMATION LIST: Include a work sample description with 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 case with applicant’s name, title of work, and date. Promo tapes are not appropriate.
INFORMATION LIST: Include a work sample description and explain your responsibility in the work; for example, whether you are the performer or the composer.

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

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 your work is going and draw attention to your most significant pieces.

Send ten images of at least eight different works. (Two of the ten may be detail shots.)

DIGITAL images will be accepted on a Windows readable CD. Images must be JPEG format, 1920 pixels maximum on the longest side, 72 dpi with compression settings resulting in the best image quality under 2 MB file size. (You may have to resize your images.) Clearly name each image with the number and title of the work that matches the information list. (No PowerPoint documents please.)

The disk should be labeled with your name, date, and the grant or award program to which you are applying. Include a full-color hard copy, no smaller than 3” of each of the images submitted. This protects you if the files on the disk are not readable.

IMAGE 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. Comments are optional. (Maximum of two pages, 12 point font.) They will be presented in the numerical order given.

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

Manuscripts should include a title page with your name, address, and year the work was completed. All pages must be numbered. 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. Instead, 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 or CD with up to ten minutes of the applicant reading aloud from his or her own work. The case 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. (Work samples will not be returned.)

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

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

How to Photograph Your Art Using Natural Light is an instructional DVD on the main elements necessary to produce quality images or slides of your artwork. ($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 to collaborate with a producer to create quality videos for grant submission or promotional uses. ($10 includes tax and postage.)

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SUCCESSFUL GRANT WRITING
READ THE GUIDELINES THOROUGHLY.

Allow plenty of time.
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.
Review panel comments from a previous application.
Three weeks before the deadline, make an appointment for 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.
Do not assume that the granting agency or panelists know anything about the applicant.
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.
Make your application reader-friendly.
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.
Answer all the questions.
Send only what is requested.
Proofread, proofread, proofread.
Have your completed application signed by all required parties.
Save a copy of your application and all pertinent correspondence.

MEET THE DEADLINE.
SEND IN THE REQUIRED FINAL REPORT