CAHA Announces CARES Act grants for the Arts community

CAHA is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the CAHA CARES Emergency Relief Funding Program. This grant program is open to eligible nonprofit organizations and individuals who were impacted or had programming interrupted or cancelled due to the COVID19 pandemic.

CAHA recognizes and thanks her sister organization, Humanities Guahan for developing the grant program that CAHA is using for the CARES Act Emergency Relief Funding Program.

This program is funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, in recognition of the importance of the nonprofit arts industry to the economy. The National Endowment for the Arts received $75 million in CARES act funding to assist nonprofit arts organizations across the country to help these entities and their employees endure the economic hardships caused by the forced closure of their operations due to the spread of COVID-19. These funds are intended to help save jobs in the arts sector and keep the doors open to the thousands of organizations that add value to the economy and the creative life of our communities.

CAHA is encouraging eligible organizations and individuals to apply for one of three grant lines:
 

• CAHA CARES Act for Arts & Cultural Nonprofit Organizations
• CAHA CARES Act for Other Nonprofit Organizations
• CAHA CARES Act for Individuals

 

Funding limits are $10,000.00 for nonprofit organizations and $5000.00 for individuals.

Each grant line has specific eligibility requirements but all organizations and individuals must demonstrate that they have been impacted by the COVID19 pandemic.

Eligible applicants may apply online at: http://guamcouncilontheartsandhumanities.submittable.com

 

 

Eligibility Requirements for Arts & Cultural Nonprofit Organizations

 

Who is Eligible?

Organizations that are eligible for the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Program:

1. ?Are based in Guam
2. Are recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit by the Government of Guam, the U.S. federal government, or both
3. Have a DUNS Number - If you have submitted a request for a DUNS Number but it has not yet been processed by Dun & Bradstreet, you may still apply to our grant program. Please prepare to upload PDF or screenshot of an email or other confirmation that Dun & Bradstreet received your request. You must have a DUNS number prior to the distribution of any grant funds.
4. Have an EIN
5. Are an arts/culture - based organization
6. Are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
7. Have Board of Directors
8. Have a Fiscal Agent

 

Those who are not eligible to apply for this grant line include:

1. ?Individuals 
2. For profit organizations
3. Political or advocacy organizations
4. Other nonprofit organizations and those solely focused on the humanities [We recommend seeking funding opportunities with Humanities Guahan for humanities-based organizations]
5. Government agencies, universities, colleges, academic departments
6. Organizations that have been suspended or debarred by the federal government
7. Organizations that are delinquent on federal debt

 

These funds may not be used for:

1. Overlapping costs with other sources of grant relief or support
2. Purchase of land or facilities, construction or renovation
3. Partisan objectives or advocacy

 

 

Eligibility Requirements for Other Nonprofit Organizations

 

CAHA CARES Grants for Other Nonprofits provide support for nonprofit organizations that are not Arts & Cultural cultural-based nonprofit organizations in Guam that have arts-based programming  scheduled for 2020 and are experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Potential grantees may apply for up to $10,000 in relief funds. These funds do not require a match.

 

Who is Eligible?

Organizations that are eligible for the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Program:

1. Are based in Guam
2. Are recognized as a nonprofit by the Government of Guam, the U.S. federal government, or both
3. Have a DUNS Number - If you have submitted a request for a DUNS Number but it has not yet been processed by Dun & Bradstreet, you may still apply to our grant program. Please prepare to upload PDF or screenshot of an email or other confirmation that Dun & Bradstreet received your request. You must have a DUNS number prior to the distribution of any grant funds.
4. Have an EIN
5. Have arts programming scheduled for 2020
6. Are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
7. Have Board of Directors
8. Have a Fiscal Agent

?

Those who are not eligible to apply include:

1. Individuals
2. For profit organizations
3. Political or advocacy organizations
4. Organizations solely focused on the humanities [We recommend seeking funding opportunities with Humanities Guahan for humanities-based organizations]
5. Government agencies, universities, colleges, academic departments
6. Organizations that have been suspended or debarred by the federal government
7. Organizations that are delinquent on federal debt

 

These funds may not be used for:

1. Overlapping costs with other sources of grant relief or support
2. Purchase of land or facilities, construction or renovation
3. Partisan objectives or advocacy

 

?How Do I Prepare to Apply? [Nonprofit Organizations]

1. ?Make sure you are eligible. Please carefully review the eligibility criteria above.
2. Register for a DUNS number if your organization does not have one already. A DUNS number is a unique 9-digit number that helps the federal government track how federal money is allocated. A DUNS number may take up to two business days to obtain. Please register as soon as possible. If you have submitted a request for a DUNS Number but it has not yet been processed by Dun & Bradstreet, you may still apply to our grant program. Please prepare to upload a PDF or screenshot of an email or other confirmation that Dun & Bradstreet received your request. You must have a DUNS number prior to the distribution of any grant funds. You can get started here: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html
3. Have your organization’s most recently filed Form 990 handy . This form will help us understand more about the financial status of your organization. Your organization’s Form 990 can also help you answer questions about your EIN and 501(c)(3) status. A digital version of your Form 990 is required as part of your online application and will be uploaded and stored on Submittable’s secure platform. Learn more about Submittable’s security certifications and features here: https://www.submittable.com/security/. Learn more about the Form 990 here: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-990
4. Choose your team members. Choose the Primary Contact, Authorizing Official, and Fiscal Agent for your application. Please provide at least two names with contact information for this application. The Primary Contact may be the same person as the Authorizing Official or the Fiscal Agent. If the Primary Contact and Authorizing Official are not the same person, they will both be required to electronically sign the online application. The Primary Contact receives communications and any follow up questions from us. The Authorizing Official is a person authorized to sign legal agreements for your organization. The Fiscal Agent has financial experience with the organization’s accounts and is able to submit financial reports for this grant program.
5. Review your organization’s connections to the arts. In the application, we’ll ask you to describe the cultural or arts-based work your organization does for our community.
6. Review your organization’s financial situation . We’ll ask about the ways in which your organization has been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ll also ask for the amount of your annual operating budget and the size of your paid staff. 

 

 

Eligibility Requirements for Individuals

 

Who is Eligible?

Individual artists eligible for the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Program:
 

1. Must be at least 18 years of age
2. Must be a Resident of Guam based in Guam for at least 1 year
3. A U.S. Citizen
4. Have a demonstrated professional commitment to the arts.
5. Have a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
6. Are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

 

The following types of individual artists are not eligible to apply:

1. Individuals enrolled in high school or any type of undergraduate or graduate degree-granting program at the date of application 
2. Individuals who have been physically located or residing out of Guam for less than 1 year immediately prior to the date of application opening 
3. Artist groups including bands, artist collaboratives, and artist collectives
4. Guam CAHA grantees with an outstanding final report or placement on a department Funding moratorium

 

These funds may not be used for:

1. Building renovation, maintenance of facilities, or capital expenditures
2. Off-island travel
3. Purchase of permanent equipment
4. Projects completed prior to application
5. Replacement funds normally budgeted for the project.
6. Tuition replacement for college/ university study
7. Scholarships
8. Deficits incurred from past activities
9. Entertainment or refreshments
10. Printing of Publications

 

Review Criteria

Eligible individual artist applications will be reviewed. To maintain equitable access to available funds, the following funding priorities will be considered:
 

1. Demonstration of need and loss of opportunity
2. Demonstration of activity as a Guam artist or arts worker engaged directly in the production of works of art or arts and cultural events 
3. Evidence of an artistic career
4. Order of submission

 

Matching Requirements

There are no matching requirements

 

Award Amounts

Awards may be up to $5,000

 

 

Requirements for CAHA CARES Act Grant

 

 

 

After Award Notification for all grant lines: If you are awarded funds and accept them, we will notify you when the check is ready. In accepting funds, you agree to submit interim and/or final grant reports to CAHA online via the Submittable platform. We will ask for brief narrative and financial reports, as well as submission of communications material and collateral for programs and events that use CARES Act Emergency Relief funding from our grant program. Deadlines for these reports will be given to you in your acceptance materials. If your organization is raising additional funds for relief, we may ask you to provide information on these funds in final reports. In accepting funds, you also agree to acknowledge  the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency, National Endowment for the Arts, and the CARES Act, and use CAHA and NEA logos, in written and promotional materials related to CARES Act grants and grant-funded programs.