Please contact our Grant Coordinator, Fred Balzac, with any questions about the Decentralization Grant Program.
Check back later in 2020 for information about the 2021 grant cycle.
Click here for information on last year’s grant cycle (2020)
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 Applications (for reference only):
2020 Community Arts Grant Application
2020 Arts Education Grant Application
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:
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Detailed project summary: The who, What, When, Where, and Why
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Goals for the project, specifically what you hope to achieve through the project
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The project's feasibility, accessibility, management, and evaluation
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Explain the project's need and importance to the community, think about whether you are filling a specific void in your community
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Why you chose the artists and their qualifications
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Your marketing plan, using multiple media outlets
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Detailed funding requests reflecting everything in the budget
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How you will adapt your project and/or budget if you receive partial funding
Templates to Download:
2020 Community Arts Budget Template(Required to use for the Community Arts application)
2020 Arts Education Budget Template(Required to use for the Arts Education application)
Lesson Plan Template - Arts Education Grants
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.
Prospective applicants must register for the seminars in advance by contacting the Grant Coordinator. Seminars are due to take place later in 2020—if possible, in various locations throughout Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton counties and/or in online seminars such as via Zoom. The tabs below for the seminar schedule and registration are from last year. The seminar schedule and registration access for this year will be available once the 2021 application guidelines are published.
DEC Informational Seminar Schedule
Register now for an Informational Seminar
Applicant Eligibility
For specific questions about your eligibility, please contact the Grant Coordinator, Fred Balzac.
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.
