Non-Discrimination

Grantees as well as their employees, contractors and volunteers shall not discriminate against any employee, applicant for employment, contractor, subcontractor or patron because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, pregnancy, age, bankruptcy or bad debts, genetic information, or veteran status.

Grantee shall adhere to acceptable affirmative action guidelines in selecting employees and contractors and shall ensure that employees and contractors receive fair treatment during employment or agreement, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, pregnancy, age, bankruptcy or bad debts, genetic information, or veteran status. Such action shall include, but not be limited to, the following: employment, upgrading, demotion, or transfer, recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff or termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, including apprenticeship.

Contracts and Payments

Northwest Aurora Arts Grants require grant awardees to enter into an Agreement with the City of Aurora which will require awardees to agree to various terms and conditions (for example use of funds, non-discrimination, indemnification, etc.) and to monitor, document and report on processes and outcomes. Awardees will receive the full award amount within 30 days of submitting the required Agreement with the City.

Acknowledgment of City of Aurora Funding

All grantees are required to acknowledge the city of Aurora in printed materials, publications, advertisements, and signage related to the funded programs and/or services.

Grantees are prohibited from acknowledging the city of Aurora as a funder, sponsor, contributor, or any other type of supporter for any program or service other than those specifically set forth in the application and agreement.

Acknowledgments may take the form of a statement such as “Financial support for [name of organization or project] is provided in part by the City of Aurora.” The logo for the city of Aurora may be used in addition to a statement or instead of a statement when space is limited. The city emblem may be found at the following link: https://www.auroragov.org/MediaKit

How to prepare and submit your application:

1. Please complete the fillable PDF applicant profile form.

2. Answer the following three (3) grant questions in no more than FOUR (4) PAGES TOTAL.

3. Include the questions in your responses.

4. For formatting, use Calibri or Times New Roman font, with a type size of 12 and margins of 1-inch all around in your document.

5. You are required to attach your organization’s current year budget or project budget (income and expenses).

6. You are encouraged to attach additional materials like charts, graphs, infographics, brochures, photos, past event programs, and Board rosters (if applicable).

7. Combine the fillable PDF applicant profile form, your answers to the three grant questions, and all attachments into ONE (1) PDF FILE.

8. Email the ONE (1) PDF FILE to Aurora Cultural Affairs Commission at culturalservices@auroragov.org @auroragov.org

Most common mistakes made on submitted grant applications:

• Incomplete answers to questions.
• Missing required attachments.
• Budget errors, such as incorrect calculations.
• Lack of specifics (e.g., artists, locations, dates, times).

Application Workshops

The Aurora Cultural Services Commission offers a workshop to aid all applicants and answer questions about the grant application process. Applicants who complete the workshop will receive one (1) additional point in the application scoring. 

Workshop will take place via Zoom Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. To attend, RSVP at culturalservices@auroragov.org and a link to the call will be provided. 

For more information, please contact us at culturalservices@auroragov.org.

GRANT QUESTION #1 – PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

For Operational Grants:

1. Organization Overview: Provide a summary of your organization’s mission, key programs, and services.

2. Operational Needs: Explain the specific operational needs (e.g., staffing, rent, utilities) that this grant will support and how these are critical to your organization’s mission.

3. Impact on ACAD: Describe how this funding will help sustain your organization’s ongoing operations and its contribution to the Aurora Cultural Arts District (ACAD).

4. Management and Sustainability: Detail how your organization will manage the operational funds and outline your plans for ensuring long-term financial sustainability beyond this grant.

For Project Grants:

1. Organization Overview: Provide a brief description of your organization’s mission and past work in the arts and culture sector.

2. Proposed Project: Describe the project you intend to carry out in the Aurora Cultural Arts District (ACAD), including when and where it will take place.

3. Mission Alignment: Explain how this project aligns with your organization’s mission and its potential impact on the community.

4. Project Management and Challenges: Outline how you will manage and produce the project, including key people, funding sources, and any challenges you anticipate, along with your plans to address them.

Attachments

You are required to attach your organization’s current year budget or project budget (income and expenses).

You are encouraged to attach additional materials like charts, graphs, infographics, brochures, photos, past event programs, and Board rosters (if applicable).

What we are looking for:

Your application will be scored based on the overall strength of your organization’s role in promoting and strengthening ACAD as a destination.

GRANT QUESTION #2 – DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI)

Please tell us how your organization is pursuing DEI in terms of:

1. How your organization is run,

2. How your organization “invites” and builds its audiences,

3. And how do you monitor and evaluate that work.

Attachments

You are encouraged to attach additional materials like charts, graphs, infographics, brochures, photos, past event programs, and Board rosters (if applicable).

What we are looking for:

The Commission believes that organizations that embrace the values of diversity, equity and inclusion are better equipped to help themselves and the greater community because each person has value to contribute, and we must address barriers and historical factors that have prevented them from doing so. Economists argue that organizations (and countries) that tap into diverse talent pools are stronger and more efficient, and therefore view discrimination as economic inefficiency – the result of a systematic misallocation of human resources. Audiences (and donors) are our customers, and they want to see themselves represented in the organizations that serve them, and diverse organizations are more likely to understand the needs of a diverse client base. Diverse nonprofit organizations, and the diversity of perspectives within them, will lead to better solutions to social and economic problems.

The Commission further believes that an organization that prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion creates an environment that respects and values individual differences along varying dimensions. In addition, inclusive organizations foster cultures that minimize bias and recognize and address systemic inequities, which, if unaddressed, can create disadvantages for certain individuals. This is not a human resources issue; it is a strategic issue. These efforts should be reflected in the organizational mission, vision, and values; incorporated into strategic plans; and cascaded throughout the organization.

Please consider the following DEI definitions:

Diversity includes ALL the ways in which people differ, encompassing the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. While diversity is often used in reference to race, ethnicity, and gender, the commission embraces a broader definition of diversity that also includes age, national origin, religion, ability/disability, sexual orientation, sexual identification, socioeconomic status, where a person sleeps, physical health, mental health, veteran status, education, occupation, marital status, language, physical appearance, experience with the criminal justice system, or any other characteristic that a group of people may use to help identify themselves. Our definition also includes diversity of thought: ideas, perspectives, and values. We also recognize that individuals affiliate with multiple identities.

Equity is the fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. Improving equity involves increasing justice and fairness within the procedures and processes of institutions or systems, as well as in their distribution of resources. Tackling equity issues requires an understanding of the root causes of outcome disparities within our society.

Inclusion is the act of creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued to fully participate. An inclusive and welcoming climate embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people. It’s important to note that while an inclusive group is by definition diverse, a diverse group isn’t always inclusive. Increasingly, recognition of unconscious or “implicit bias” helps organizations to be deliberate about addressing issues of inclusivity.

GRANT QUESTION #3 – KEY PEOPLE

Please tell us about the people who are involved in the planning, implementing, and reviewing what your organization does in more detail.

These persons may include:

• An executive director and/or business owner or manager (responsible for overall operations and business decisions),

• An artistic director (responsible for artistic decisions),

• Or marketing team, public relations, and outreach (or any person or team responsible for getting the word out about what you or your organization does and building your audience).

Also, identify the duties of key volunteers or others with important roles that are key to meeting goals.

Attachments

If your organization has a Board of Directors, include the Board Roster (dated) with short bios, as an attachment.

What we are looking for:

The Cultural Affairs Commission believes that successful arts and culture organizations pay as much attention to their management of personnel as they do to their production of programs and services. We are looking for organizations that have “competent” people in the key areas identified below.

Competency can be demonstrated through a combination of academic and/or professional training, on-the-job experience, and a demonstrated record of success. Competent individuals may be paid or volunteer, full-time or part-time. For example, you may have a volunteer board member whose profession is elementary school teacher, and she is responsible for your organization’s financial management. You could demonstrate her competency in this position by stating the following:

“Esther Mamadu, our Business Manager, has managed our finances for the past five years. Her activities include weekly meetings with the staff to ensure that revenues and expenses are being tracked and deposited properly and monthly finance reports using professional financial management software to the board. In those years, the organization has operated without debt or deficits, earned revenue has increased by 15%, contributed revenue by 25%, administrative expenses have been kept to less than 15% of total expenses each year, and Form 990s have been submitted on time each year to the IRS.”

An exemplary response to this question (like the one above) will provide information for the following “roles.” One person may be responsible for more than one of the following and/or responsibilities may be shared. We do expect, however, that you can demonstrate a level of competence for each responsibility that a person has.

Scoring System
The Commission has adopted the following criteria for scoring applications:

The Commission has adopted a Five Point Scoring System for each of the criteria:

If you have questions about these or anything else, please contact us at culturalservices@auroragov.org.