Guidelines & Application

Projects supported by Dane Arts must:

• Culminate tangible activities presented to the Dane County community that directly benefit Dane County citizens and residents
• Be conducted in Dane County, Wisconsin
• Allow universal public access to the project or program

*Dane Arts rarely provides primary financial support. Grants are designed to help leverage additional funds from other sources and foster applicants' success in securing diverse funding.

The Commission has a two-step review process that takes up to eight weeks:

1. Panels of knowledgeable citizen advisors evaluate applications for Project Grants, Short-Order Project Grants, and Special Grants. The Commission always welcomes nominations of individuals possessing knowledge, experience and expertise to serve on grant advisory panels. The Commission's Executive Committee evaluates applications for Capital Grants.
2. Commission members, using recommendations of the panelists and/or Executive Committee, ultimately make grant award decisions.

The following criteria are applied in the Dane Arts grant application review:

• Quality and creativity of proposed project
• Level of community impact and public benefit
• Evidence of thorough and realistic financial planning
• Ability of applicant to successfully complete project
• Impact and influence of grant award to the overall success of project

*Announcement of grant award decisions are made by phone or email within a week of the Commission's grant review meeting. Grant award materials are mailed to applicants shortly thereafter. Grant terms are documented in a legal contract of agreement signed by a representative of Dane County and the grant recipient. If awarded a grant, a Certificate of Insurance providing proof of a comprehensive general liability insurance policy naming Dane County as an additional insured is required.

Listed below are model applications from 2021 Cycle II for your review as you begin your application:

• Cultural Connections - Club Express
• UW Community Arts Collaboratory - Performing Ourselves 2021-22 School Residencies

• Dane Arts Panel Rubric

All applications are accessed and submitted via WebGrants. Full instructions for navigation and use of online grants system are provided within WebGrants, and can also be found in this Quick User Guide.

Free registration is required to use WebGrants. Registration is fast, simple, and does not obligate you to complete an application. Your information will not be used for any other purposes or shared with anyone else. If you submit grant applications on behalf of an organization or other entity, the account you create should represent the organization, not you personally (you will be considered the primary contact for organization). If you submit applications on behalf of several organizations, you will need to create an account for each organization you represent.

• FAQs

• Qualities of Successful Grant Applications

• WebGrants

• WebGrants Quick Start User Guide

• Dane Arts Grant Review Recordings 

• Dane Arts Cultural Affairs Grant Policy

• Updating Budget in WebGrants | 2024 Cycle 1 Awards