Grant Resources

Before you apply

Before you apply, carefully review all of the resources on this page, including

  • the complete guidelines

  • the requirements

  • the scoring matrix

  • the timeline

We also strongly encourage you to go through:

  • the FAQs

  • the grant writing tips

All grants are general funding!

Organizations will be considered for a grant of up to 50% of their annual operating budget or a maximum of $30,000. No grants will exceed $30,000. Norman Arts Council will not make awards of less than $10,000. If your organization's annual operating budget is less than $20,000, please consider applying to our Small Grants Projects - Available July 1, 2024

All applicants will be invited to a meet and greet with the grants review panelists after the grants deadline.

Requirements

  1. Eligible organizations for general funding include

    1. Norman-based 501C3 organization with a mission in the arts or humanities

    2. Norman-based 501C3 organizations with a mission other than arts or humanities but with year-round arts programming 

    3. University of Oklahoma arts or humanities departments producing year-round Norman-based community arts or humanities programming 

  2. Organizations must be located in Norman

  3. Projects and programming must take place in Norman

  4. All projects and programming must be publicly accessible

  5. Applications will only be accepted via the online application portal

  6. While any University of Oklahoma units that meet the qualifications may apply, the NAC will only award a maximum of six (6) OU grants in FY25.

Timeline (VIEW HERE)

Scoring Matrix (DOWNLOAD HERE)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Hotel Room Tax Grants?

In 1980 a proposition was voted on by the people of Norman which levied and assessed an excise tax of 4% of the stays in Norman hotel rooms. 25% of the proceeds collected would go the arts via a grant program managed by the Norman Arts Council. In 2013, the tax was raised to 5%. To date, the NAC has granted over $4.3 million dollars in funds from the Hotel Tax.

What is the timeline?

View the grant timeline in its entirety here.

Who allocates the grant funds?

Each year, the Norman Arts and Humanities Roundtable (an advisory committee to the NAC) nominates grants review panelists. There are nine panelists, and they represent the Norman community from the sectors of Arts, Education, Business, and Hospitality. These panelists review the grant applications and make award recommendations to the NAC Board of Directors.

How are applications evaluated?

All grants are evaluated on a scoring matrix — you can download the matrix here — that correlates with the questions asked in the application. All panelists score all grants based on the matrix. Grants review panelists are each assigned as a lead reviewer on x-number of applications (final number to be determined based on amount of applications). Panelists will present their overview of the applications that have been assigned to them and then through further discussion, the panelists will agree on an allocation.

How much money is available to grant?

The amount varies from year to year. This year, the Norman Arts Council will make grants of up to $30,000 each. At this time, we do not know how many grants we will be able to make. Applicants may not receive the full funding request and/or may not receive funding at this time. Often our requests exceed total funds able to award.

How much money can my organization request?

For FY24/25, organizations will be considered for up to $30,000 or up to 50% of their annual operating budget.

What may grant funds be used for?

Organizations may use grant funds for general funding, including administrative costs (salaries and overhead), program costs, and/or capital improvements.

What does “accessible to the public” mean?

Projects and programming should be accessible to the public through process, presentation, or publication. Grant applicants can and should define the community with they wish to connect and then build relationships with this audience. This community could therefore be large and abstract or small and defined.

How many applications can an organization submit?

Each organization can submit up one application.

When will I get my funds if awarded?

Organizations will receive 25% at the signing of the grant contract in July, another 25% of the annual funding after submitting a mid-year report in December, and 50% of the annual funding after submitting a final report by August 15, 2025.

What if there are significant changes to our organization after the grant is awarded?

Changes happen! Simply email the NAC and let us know what has changed. We will navigate together as to whether these changes constitute a significant departure from the intended use of the grant funds.

What if my budget gets reduced and now the grant is more than 50% of the budget?

Your final payment will be reduced to the maximum allowed. Remaining funds will go into the NAC’s small grant pool.

Grant Writing Tips

READ IT ALL

All too often, applicants rush through the process of grant-writing and miss important details. Pay close attention to eligibility requirements, the items you will need to upload, the application question instructions, the questions themselves, and our scoring matrix to guide you. Go through all of the information on our Grant Application page. Draft, read, check the matrix, read, write again. Build your case for funding!!

PROOFREAD

Grammatical errors will reflect poorly on your application. Well crafted applications speak volumes to your organization’s excellence. Read your application out-loud to yourself, listen to your words, then have someone else read it.

COMMUNICATE CLEARLY

Explain your organization’s mission clearly and concisely. Demonstrate how your projects and programming are in line with and supports your organization’s mission. The language you use should be universal and easy for people of various backgrounds to understand. Remember – the panel is made up from people of arts and non-arts backgrounds!

GRANTS ARE COMPETITIVE

There is never enough money to fully fund every application. Make your case for why your organization deserves full funding! That said, if you don’t get full funding, don’t be discouraged. AND we will give you feedback as to why you received the award you did.

STAY ORGANIZED

Deadlines, lists of items needed to submit, label your attachments clearly, keep a copy of your application in draft form on your computer – just in case you need to re-submit for some reason!

ASK QUESTIONS

Set up a meeting with Norman Arts Council staff before the deadline if you need further assistance! We are happy to help!

SUBMIT EARLY

Look, we WANT to give your organization funding. If you submit early, we will double check that your application has everything filled out correctly and all the proper attachments. We can’t do that if you submit at the deadline.

CHECK YOUR REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS

Especially that Secretary of State Certificate. This certificate MUST be renewed annually and will have an expiration date on it. If the certificate you upload doesn’t have an expiration date – it is not the right one! Also, double check your grant budget forms. If you have questions – ASK!