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2 <br /> The OCAC grant review and awards process: <br /> 1. The grant application process is open for one month. Two virtual training sessions <br /> occurred, and the OCAC director was available for one-on-one meetings. <br /> 2. After the due date, OCAC staff conducted an initial compliance and eligibility review. <br /> Applications found noncompliant or outside of the grant requirements are considered <br /> disqualified. Eligible organizations were given a compliance score (1-10) based on prior <br /> year adherence to grant requirements such as logo usage and reporting. New applicants <br /> automatically receive a "10" Compliance Score. <br /> 3. Qualified applications are forwarded to members of each review panel for initial review and <br /> scoring. Grant panels in the visual, performing, and literary arts are composed of OCAC <br /> Board Members with relevant experience and guest artists from the community. Guest <br /> panelists are compensated for their time. <br /> 4. Non-governmental Grassroots Arts Program (GAP) applicants were also evaluated by a <br /> Financial Review Panel who examined submitted financial documents to determine <br /> financial solvency and stability. <br /> 5. Each panel met virtually to evaluate the assigned applications. Feedback, first strengths <br /> and then challenges, was offered by panelists and recorded by OCAC staff. After <br /> discussion, each panelist submitted a score through the online platform for each of the <br /> categories below. After all scores were submitted, the Arts Commission Director recorded <br /> the final score per applicant. <br /> 6. The scoring rubric for this year's grant program was as follows: <br /> GRASSROOTS ARTS PROGRAM - ORGANIZATIONS <br /> Artistic Merit — 30% <br /> Community Impact — 25% <br /> Program Management — 15% <br /> Financial Review— 10% <br /> NC Arts Council Priority of Funding — 10% <br /> Compliance score — 10% <br /> GRASSROOTS ARTS PROGRAM - SCHOOLS <br /> Artistic Merit — 40% <br /> Integration in curriculum/enrichment— 40% <br /> Free and Reduced Lunch Percentage — 20% <br /> ARTIST PROJECT GRANTS (APG) <br /> Artistic Merit — 40% <br /> Community Impact— 30% <br /> Program Management — 20% <br /> Compliance score — 10% <br /> 7. Funding decisions were made at the August 2023 Advisory Board meeting. For the GAP <br /> program, the Advisory Board prioritized high scoring program requests, programs hiring <br /> multicultural artists, and schools. For APG, the Advisory Board approved funding <br /> applicants with scores above 80 at their full request amounts. <br /> 8. All applicants were notified of the panel's decisions. All declined GAP applicants received <br /> panel feedback (approved GAP and APG applicants could receive feedback upon request). <br /> FINANCIAL IMPACT: A total of $106,116.32 was awarded through eleven (11) artist grants, <br /> twelve (12) organizational grants, and nine (9) schools during the 2024-25 grants cycle. With this, <br /> $15,000 is allocated towards the Title 1 Artist-in-Residence Program, a partnership of the OCAC, <br /> the ArtsCenter, and Orange County Public Schools. Available funds of $47,140 were from the <br /> North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Arts Program. The remaining $58,511 was from Orange <br />