TACA Arts Accelerator

ELIGIBILITY:

• Verified 501c3 organizations OR fiscally-sponsored organizations with an explicit organizational focus on providing significant arts and/or cultural programming
  • Fiscally-sponsored organizations should intend to formalize their 501c3 status by the end of 2025
• Organizations whose primary activities take place in Dallas County
• Organizations able to commit to their executive and board leaders attending all 10 program sessions (see full list of dates in Timeline section) AND to completing program assignments

INELIGIBILITY:

• Colleges/Universities/High Schools/Elementary schools
• For-profit arts organizations
• Government entities or “Friends of” organizations
• Nonprofit organizations that do not have an explicit focus on arts programming
• Religious institutions
• Festivals/Fairs and other “one-time” special events

Some characteristics of organizations best positioned to benefit from this cycle of the Arts Accelerator include:

• Expense budgets under $500,000
• In Operation from two to seven years
• Transitioning from working on a project-basis to a long-term or annual work cycle
• Hiring additional staff to support the founder
• Organizations experiencing a significant shift in size, scope, or activity levels

We recognize that small and/or emerging organizations may mean different things to different applicants, and this list of characteristics is not exhaustive or exclusive. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact Anne Kogan, TACA’s Director of Programs, at anne.kogan@taca-arts.org to discuss your organization.

In 2023-2024, the Catalyst Grant program will offer a single, annual grant cycle for funding, with a pre-application cycle in Fall 2023 and the full application available in Spring 2024. Funding will be awarded once in May 2024.

SPRING 2023 CYCLE (outstanding deadlines)

CATALYST GRANTS ANNUAL CYCLE (2023-2024)

Pre-Application Form:

Organizations interested in applying for a Catalyst Grant are required to submit a digital Pre-Application Form prior to the Full Application process. The digital Pre-Application Form can be accessed by visiting the TACA Grants Portal at https://taca.smapply.org. Before you can access the Pre-Application Form, you will need to login to or create an account in the portal with your own username and password (if you have not already done so in a prior year’s application).

The digital Pre-Application Form consists of the following elements:

• Basic organizational information (e.g. mission, history)
• Board of Directors/Trustees list
• Staff and Board demographic summary
• Schedule of public arts programming
• Profit & Loss (P&L) Statements for the organization’s current and most recently completed fiscal year*
• IRS Form 990/e-postcard from most recent filing (if organization is unaudited)
• Current Balance Sheet
• Current Fiscal Year Operating Budget

(*) Where applicable, audited financial statements are preferred. If your organization is not audited, you may submit unaudited financial statements.

PRE-APPLICATION INTERVIEW:

As part of the Pre-Application Process, the TACA Grants Committee reserves the right to meet with any organization that submitted a Pre-Application Form if they are new to TACA’s Grant process or if there are any questions/concerns about the organization’s eligibility or organizational health.

ELIGIBILITY REVIEW & NOTIFICATION:

Pre-Application Forms are reviewed by TACA staff and the TACA Grants Committee to determine if the applicant organization meets the eligibility criteria. Based upon the Pre-Application Process, organizations that submitted a Pre-Application Form will be notified of their eligibility to apply for a Catalyst Grant. Eligible organizations will subsequently be given access to the Full Application.

The application will be available from April 8 to May 17, 2024, on TACA’s Survey Monkey Apply portal – https://taca.smapply.io/.

If you do not already have an account in our portal, please create one to access the application. You will receive an email from Survey Monkey Apply with directions for accessing your new account.

The application asks for some standard information about It also contains a series of narrative questions to better understand your organization’s programs, goals, and challenges so that we can do our best to understand your organization’s current position and assemble a cohort of participants well-positioned to benefit from the Arts Accelerator.

Each applicant organization will have a one-hour conversation with TACA staff, Suzanne Smith, and/or other program stakeholders. A sample list of questions will be provided. The conversation will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions about the program and how it may best serve your organizational needs.

How do I complete the digital Application?

To access and complete the digital Application:

• Visit the TACA Grants Portal at https://taca.smapply.org/
• Select “Register” (or “Log In” if you already have an account) and follow the prompts
• Under “Programs”, select the Arts Accelerator program and click the red “Apply” button
• Complete the eligibility quiz and the Application Form tasks, and submit the application

Who counts as a small or emerging arts organization? 

Generally, an organization with an expense budget under $500,000 and/or an organization under 10 years old. Eligible organizations can have their own 501c3 status or operate with a fiscal sponsor. However, we recognize that the description of small and emerging is inherently vague, so if you would like to determine if your organization may be a fit, please contact Anne Kogan, TACA’s Director of Programs, at anne.kogan@taca-arts.org.

How much work is the Arts Accelerator?

Please expect an in-person time commitment of our once-a-month sessions from 9:30am-4:30pm, and additional work with your team of 5+ hours per month, depending on your organization’s needs and working style.

What is the outcome of the Arts Accelerator?

Each organization produces a strategic plan informed by the organizational assessments and learnings presented throughout the program. Additionally, participants will learn extensive frameworks and methodology to potentially implement with their organizations, build networks and relationships, and be presented with opportunities to analyze their organizations’ infrastructure.