Decentralization Grant Resources

Please contact our Grant Coordinator, Chelsea Provost, with any questions about the Decentralization Grant Program.

Click here for information on the 2020 Grant Cycle

How to submit your application: 

All grant applications must be submitted electronically through our online application system at, Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts Submittables.

For technical questions about Submittables, please contact their support directly: 

Phone:  (855) 467-8264, ext. 2

Email: support@submittable.com 

Grant Writing Tips:

In addition to attending a DEC Information Seminar, please read the updated Community Arts and/or Arts Education Guidelines in their entirety. These guidelines are amended each year to meet NYSCA's requirements. 

Download this Brainstorming Worksheet to organize your thoughts into a competitive grant application. 

Project narratives should be thorough, clear, and concise. Any narratives regarding your budget, should match your budget form and any large or questionable expenses on your budget form should be explained in your budget notes. 

Suggested information to include in your project narrative:

• Detailed project summary: The who, What, When, Where, and Why

• Goals for the project, specifically what you hope to achieve through the project

• The project's feasibility, accessibility, management, and evaluation

• Explain the project's need and importance to the community, think about whether you are filling a specific void in your community

• Why you chose the artists and their qualifications

• Your marketing plan, using multiple media outlets

• Detailed funding requests reflecting everything in the budget

• How you will adapt your project and/or budget if you receive partial funding 

Templates for Download: 

Community Arts Budget Template 

Arts Education Budget Template 

Arts Education Lesson Plan Template 

Grant Informational Seminars:

The Decentralization grant application process begins by attending one of the many informational seminars scheduled throughout the Quad-County service area. The Arts Center offers free informational seminars to provide prospective applicants with instructions on how to apply for Decentralization grants. At these seminars the Grant Coordinator will review changes in the grant guidelines from the previous year, answer questions, and provide feedback and technical assistance. In order to receive funding, applicants are required to attend one of these seminars before completing the application. The seminars are free and open to the public. All applicants (new and returning) must attend a seminar or arrange for a consultation with the Grant Coordinator. Please note, the contact person, the grant writer, and the person who attends the seminar must be the same person.

For specific questions about your eligibility, please contact Grant Coordinator, Chelsea Provost.

Eligible Applicants

• Must have a permanent address in the same county the project is taking place
• Nonprofit organizations, NYS incorporated nonprofits, agencies of local government (not New York State agencies)
• Individual artists, groups or collectives, unincorporated entities must have a fiscal sponsor or community partner (see specific program guidelines)
• Private Colleges/Universities
• Must be over the age of 18

Ineligible Applicants

• Public or private schools districts, State universities
• Departments or agencies of New York State (including BOCES)
• Applicants with outstanding final reports from prior years
• Applicants living outside of the county in which the grant project is taking place without a fiscal sponsor
• Organizations or Individuals that have applied directly to the New York State Council on the Arts for the 2018 grant cycle, regardless of funding status

Crediting Your Grant

It is mandatory that all Decentrlizatin grantees credit the DEC program appropriately. It helps raise awareness for funding programs like DEC, and shows your Legislators and NYSCA council members how valuable these funds are. Please use the following language on all DEC Grant-Sponsored program materials:

This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts.

Find your local legislatures and elected officials.