Grant Guidelines

Application Deadlines
There are two application deadlines:

January 31st – Mini Grants and Technical Assistance Grants
August 31st – Annual Grants

Funding Categories

  1. General Operating Support
  2. Project Support
  3. Arts in Education
  4. Arts in Underserved Communities
  5. Technical Assistance
  6. Mini-grants
View more on Funding Categories

VICA reserves the right to make final determination under which funding category applicant is qualified.
Applicants can receive only one grant per fiscal year.


General Eligibility Criteria

Organizations

NOTE: Organizations which have not received non-profit status (or are pending confirmation of non-profit status) may apply under an “umbrella” non-profit agency for a maximum of three years.

  1. Must be in existence and active in the V.I. for a minimum of two years at time of application
  2. The project must be V.I. based
  3. Must have current, non-profit status registered in the office of the Lt. Governor
  4. Must have an active Unique Entity ID registered on SAM.gov
  5. Must have a Tax Exemption Identification number
  6. Must have submitted Final Report if previously funded by VICA
  7. Program must display some level of artistic merit

Individual Artists
  1. Must be in residence and active in the V.I. for a minimum of two years at time of application
  2. Must provide a resume when applying for funding
  3. Must have an active DUNS number registered on SAM.gov
  4. If project is to take place in or on a school campus, a letter of endorsement from school Principal must be included in grant application
  5. Department of Education applications must be endorsed by the Insular Superintendent of applicant’s school district
  6. Must have submitted Final Report if previously funded
  7. Program must display some level of artistic merit
  8. Must Attend How To Apply Workshop.

VICA does not fund:
  • Organizations without non-profit status
  • Completed or in progress projects
  • Grantees who have not submitted Final Reports from previous grants
  • Building renovations or capital expenditures
  • Bad debts
  • Entertainment costs
  • Fines and Penalties
  • Scholarships
  • Legal Fees
  • Purchase of instruments/equipment with a lifespan to exceed 1 year
  • Individual after-school tuition
  • Full year tuition
  • Individuals traveling with an organization; individuals must all apply under organization
  • Food

Matching Funds

All grants must be matched with a combination of cash and in-kind services.
In-kind services may be a percentage of the following:

  • Space rental
  • Loan of equipment
  • Contribution of services
  • Contribution of materials

In-Kind Services must be based on fair market value and have direct value to the project.


How to Apply Workshops

All applicants are REQUIRED to attend VICA's “How to Apply” workshops which are offered on each island each summer. Please contact VICA for locations and dates of workshops.


What Happens to your Grant Application

Applications and supporting materials are integral to the grant award process. They are reviewed for completeness and submitted to the Board of Directors within two weeks after the deadline. The Board meets within 30 days to review applications and determine funding. Vouchers and other documents are submitted to the Department of Finance for processing of checks. Pursuant to federal and local procedures, the entire process takes approximately three to four months.


Grant Review Criteria

Funding decisions are made based on, but not limited to, the following:

  • Submission of Final Report for previously funded projects
  • Artistic merit and quality of project
  • Professional nature and stability of organization or individual
  • Applicant's ability to match funds
  • Demonstration of sound financial planning, management, and allocations of funds
  • Community interest in and/or demonstrated need for project
  • Accessibility of project to the elderly and disabled
  • Completeness and clarity of grant application form
  • Submission of lyrics and demo of CD
  • Submission of trailer for videos

When Awarded a Grant

Grantees will receive a package that includes:

  • Grant Award Letter for your files
  • Payment Voucher – must be signed by you and returned to VICA immediately for processing grant.
  • Grant Award Contract – initial as applicable, return original to VICA and keep one for your files.
  • VICA Logo Page – Use for promoting your project as required.
  • Final Report - to be completed and submitted along with cancelled checks and/or receipts on or before August 1st. Pursuant to federal and local procedures, the entire process takes approximately three to four months.

Credit and VICA Logo Requirement

Grantees are required to include the following on all promotions, publicity, advertising and press releases.

“This project is funded in part by Virgin Islands Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.”

VICA's logo must be clearly present on all marketing and publicity generated for project. Logo can be downloaded here (Internet Explorer, right-click, Save Target As...)

In the event there is no printed material for the project, it is the grantee’s responsibility to make a verbal announcement of credit.

Failure to credit VICA and the National Endowment will jeopardize future funding.

On-Site Review Evaluation

The Board and staff of VICA will conduct on-site evaluations of grantee’s projects to assess the quality of operations and caliber of artistic presentations.

Grantees are required to provide the Board and staff with free admission to presentations and fully cooperate with VICA by providing schedules of rehearsals and performances.

Appeal Process

Applicants who are denied funding may appeal the Board’s decision by:

  1. Submitting a written request for an appeal directly to the Executive Director with copies to each Board member.
  2. The written request must be submitted within 30 days of receipt of denial notification.
  3. The appeal must clearly demonstrate why the Board’s decision should be reversed.
  4. The Board will convene upon receipt of applicant’s appeal request.

NOTE: Applicants may not appeal amounts awarded unless they can clearly show the Board's misrepresentation or misunderstanding of the information submitted. The appeal process does not guarantee funding.