Iowa Community Cultural Grant

Review Criteria

Each grant is scored on the degree to which the proposed project clearly addresses the following areas. There are 110 points possible, which include up to 10 bonus points for projects not funded in the previous fiscal year or significantly enhanced and/or expanded.

Scored Criteria:

Historical, Ethnic, Cultural and Tourism Value and Quality of the Proposed Project (20points, 30 points for projects not funded in the previous year)
Number and/or Impact of Full- or Part-time Jobs that the Project Creates for Current Iowa residents (20 points)
Use of ICCG funds (10 points)
Innovation of the Proposed Project (20 points)
Collaboration and Partnerships with other Interested Entities (20 points)
Financial Need of the Applicant for the Proposed Project (10 points)
Evaluation and Follow-up Activities(10 points)

Grant Recipient Requirements

Grant funds are distributed to grantees subject to the terms set forth in a contractual agreement between the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and the grantee. The contract includes terms and conditions of the grant award, the grant amount, matching funds requirement, timetable for completion and other terms and conditions as determined by the DCA. Grantee must expend all awarded funds and all cash and in-kind match within the state of Iowa’s fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).

Credit Line:
Grantees must include the following credit line in all promotions, publicity, advertising and printed lists of contributors: "This program is funded, in part, by a grant from the Iowa Community Cultural Grant program administered by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

Notification to Legislators:
Grantees must notify their district state legislators of the receipt of the grant and submit copies of those letters with their final reports.

Auditing Requirements:
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs reserves the right to request an audit of the expenditures of any ICCG funded project at the expense of the grant recipient and may also require the grantee to submit copies of expense documentation.

Final Report:
All grant recipients are required to submit a Final Report outlining the details of the project, including revenue and expenditures within 30 days of the end date of the funded project. Failure to submit a Final Report will jeopardize future requests for DCA funding. Applicants must include with the final report copies of notifications sent to legislators.

Appeals Process

An informal appeals process is available only to those applicants whose applications were declined on procedural impropriety or error as evidenced by one or more of the following reasons:

Application declined on the basis of review criteria other than those appearing in the guidelines.
Application declined based on influence of the advisory committee willfully failing to disclose conflicts of interest.
Application declined based on highly erroneous information provided by staff or advisory committee members at the time of review despite the fact that the applicant provided the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs with accurate and complete information on the application form.

Incomplete, ineligible, or applications that fail to meet the deadline are specifically denied any appeals process.

All requests for appeal must be submitted in writing and postmarked within 30 days of notification of the decision. The applicant will be notified of the appeal decision within 30 days from the receipt of the appeal. The decision of the Director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is final except as provided for in Iowa Code sections 17A.19 to 17A.20.

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