Grant Details

​Arts Partners must offer diverse public programs and services and provide the people of West Virginia with the greatest public benefit possible. They must demonstrate efforts to expand audiences and increase West Virginians’ exposure to the arts, including but not limited to reaching people with limited access to the arts due to educational, geographic, ethnic, economic, physical or mental constraints. Their programs, opportunities, services and presentation of West Virginia artists must be exemplary, and they must offer new or increased opportunities for lifelong learning in and through the arts for all ages. Additionally, Arts Partners must forge new and expanded partnerships and collaborations that connect the arts to other sectors to more effectively address community issues and challenges, including, but not limited to economic development, tourism, social services, public safety, and health and healing.

To become an Arts Partner, applicants are evaluated for readiness through a pre-application process that is required of all first-time applicants.

If, in the opinion of the WVCA, substantive changes in the mission, artistic leadership or management or location of an Arts Partner alter the purpose for which the grant was awarded, the commission may require the organization to submit justification for continuing to receive grant funds under this program. The Director of Arts, in consultation with the Commission on the Arts, makes all determinations on an applicant’s inclusion or exclusion from the Arts Partners program. 

• IRS 501(c)(3) arts organizations that provide year-round programming, of which at least 75% is arts programming, in West Virginia for at least five years prior to application

Eligible organizations must:

• Have a minimum annual budget of $100,000

• Have a board of directors empowered to formulate policies and be responsible for the governance and administration of the organization, its programs and finances

• Have a mission statement that includes the arts and service to a broad and diverse audience

• Have a board-approved long-range plan of at least 3 years that includes budgetary planning that is updated annually

• Be a previous recipient of WVCA programmatic funding for at least three successful consecutive years

• Be in good standing with the WVDACH, having satisfied all administrative requirements of other grants awarded to it by the WVCA, including final reports

Additional eligibility requirements:

• Organizations with budgets of more than $250,000 must have qualified full-time staff

• Organizations with budgets of less than $250,000 must have qualified part-time or full-time staff

• Organizations with budgets of more than $750,000 must present a financial audit of the most recently completed fiscal year

• Organizations with budgets of $750,000 or less must present a financial review of the most recently completed fiscal year that includes clear divisions between the operating and capital aspects of the organization 

• Organizations with endowments or permanently restricted funds from which the earned income is used to support operating expenses must describe such funds in the budget narrative and documents. The audit or review must include operating revenues, which includes grants, contributions and earned income to support the related year’s operating expenses. It does NOT include in-kind donations or money raised for capital purposes, significant debt reduction or endowments.