Grant funds available to improve New Hampshire cultural facilities

New Hampshire arts and cultural organizations seeking funding to improve facilities that serve as venues for their programming are invited to apply for a N.H. State Council on the Arts’ Cultural Facilities grant.

Grant funding must support projects that provide long-term improvements to a New Hampshire venue the organization uses for cultural programming, including for the renovation or maintenance of a facility, or for the purchase of major equipment to improve the venue, including to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. 

Grants will be awarded for projects that will take place between April 1, 2024 and January 31, 2025. Funding requests may be made for $2,000 – $25,000. 

“New Hampshire is so well-known for the depth and breadth of cultural experiences available, including visual arts and crafts, music, dance, theatre, media and literary arts,” said Adele Bauman, director of the N.H. State Council on the Arts. “These Cultural Facilities grants will help ensure that the experiences that unite us continue to be accessible in our communities, and that they are more readily available to all who wish to participate.”

In order to be eligible for a N.H. State Arts Council Cultural Facilities grant, the facility that would receive project funding must be in full compliance with the ADA, the organization applying must have established goals to provide access to the facility for its programming and / or its services, or the organization must have a cultural access plan in place that outlines ADA accessibility goals for the facility.

Eligible organizations must have at least one year’s experience in providing arts programming for the general public. Among other requirements, they also must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS and be a registered not-for-profit organization in State of New Hampshire.

While the organization applying for grant funding is not required to own or purchase the venue where the project will take place, it must have established at least a three-year lease or the option to lease the venue for at least three years once the project is complete.

All applicants seeking funding for cultural facilities that are historic – defined as 50 or more years old – will need to submit a Request for Project Review form from the N.H. Division of Historical Resources to avoid any potential harmful impacts the project might have on the venue’s historic integrity.

Grant applications will be reviewed using the following criteria:
-    Cultural significance of facility
-    Quality of project
-    Public benefit and access
-    Administrative capacity to complete the project

The deadline to apply for a N.H. State Council on the Arts’ Cultural Facilities Grant is February 9, 2024. For more information, visit nh.gov/nharts.

The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, a division of the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, enhances the quality of life in New Hampshire by stimulating economic growth through the arts, investing in the creativity of students, making the arts accessible to underserved populations and preserving heritage arts. Learn more about the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts at nh.gov/nharts.

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