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Program Description
The Management Consulting Fund program offers grants of up to $1,200
to provide consultants for groups to complete small projects to
strengthen the management or administration of the group.
Such management consulting projects must 1) strengthen the management
or administration of nonprofit arts groups, 2) advance the mission
of the group, and 3) have the potential for significant or long-term
impact.
It is not the intent of this program to fund 1) an ongoing need
or activity of the group; 2) current staff (paid or volunteer) for
work considered within the scope of the group's usual and customary
management; 3) continuation of organizational development work already
underway; or 4) supplemental matching dollars within a significantly
larger organizational development project funded through other resources.
Program Requirements
Requirements listed here are intended to give a sense of the program.
For full description of requirements and eligibility rules, see
guidelines. Also in the guidelines is a guide to finding, selecting
and working with consultants.
Oversight
Your group must have a board of directors or an advisory committee
that provides input on your project.
Nonprofit status
Your group must be incorporated as a nonprofit. If you are incorporated
but do not have tax-exempt status, you must apply using a nonprofit,
tax-exempt organization as a fiscal agent (for definition, see
guidelines, page 2).
You must be able to furnish proof of your organization's IRS
tax-exempt status -OR- furnish a letter of agreement with your
fiscal agent AND proof of your fiscal agent's IRS tax-exempt status.
Personnel
Before submitting an Management Consulting Fund grant application,
your group must select the personnel who will participate in the
project.
Eligibility
To ensure eligibility, all applicants are strongly encouraged to
discuss proposal ideas with MRAC staff before beginning an MRAC
application. All eligibility requirements are fully outlined in
the guidelines. For general eligibility, see the Eligibility
page.
Who does the Management Consulting Fund grant fund?
- Incorporated nonprofit arts groups located in the seven-county
metropolitan area with annual operating budgets under $300,000
and at least a two-year history of programs/services.
- In certain cases, nonprofit non-arts groups (such as human service
agencies) with independent and sustained arts programs may be
eligible if the sustained arts program targets primarily an underserved
community (for definition, see guidelines page 2). To determine
eligibility, all non-arts groups must call MRAC staff for written
approval before applying.
- Nonprofit arts groups with annual operating budgets under $300,000.
An organization that does not have nonprofit status may apply
using a fiscal agent. For more information on finding and working
with a fiscal agent, call MRAC.
What does the Management Consulting Fund grant fund?
Management Consulting Fund grants may be used to conduct an assessment,
resolve an issue or create and/or implement a plan in areas such
as the following. This list is intended to help you understand the
grant program's purpose; it is NOT a complete list.
| Board governance |
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Bylaws revisions, recruitment plan, board development plan |
| Resource development (fundraising) |
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Shaping an individual donor campaign, developing a fundraising
team |
| Organizational strategy development |
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Prioritizing organizational development issues at a facilitated
retreat |
| Access for people with disabilities |
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Completion of ADA plan |
| Volunteer management |
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Developing a volunteer services manual or volunteer resources
plan |
| Audience development |
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Shaping a communications plan, establishing systems for
mailings |
| Preparation for OD Project
grant |
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Developing a planning process to undertake a major strategic
planning or marketing project |
How many Management Consulting Fund grants and/or Organizational
Development grants may a group have per year?
The following policies cover concurrent grants in Management Consulting
Fund and Organizational Development and Capital programs.
- Groups within the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul may receive
one Management Consulting Fund grant AND one Organizational Development
OR Capital grant per MRAC fiscal year (July 1 - June 30)
- Groups within suburban Hennepin county, suburban Ramsey county,
or within Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott or Washington counties
may receive two Management Consulting Fund grants AND one Organizational
Development OR Capital grant per MRAC fiscal year (July 1 - June
30)
For a description of what the Management Consulting Fund grant
does not fund, see the guidelines and the Eligibility
page .
Deadlines
Applications are reviewed on a monthly basis. MRAC must receive
your application by the last business day of the month. Grants will
be considered in the following month. For example, to be considered
for a project beginning June 1, you must submit your application
on or before 5 p.m. on the last regular business day of April.
Help
MRAC staff is available to answer your questions and help you with your application.
Contact us at 651-645-0402 or by email at mrac@mrac.org.
Application Materials
Click the links above to download the grant guidelines and form(s) in PDF format.
You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or the commercial Adobe Acrobat
installed on your computer to view these files. Click
here to download Acrobat Reader. If you have trouble downloading or reading
these forms, call the MRAC office at 651-645-0402 and ask them to send you the
application materials by U.S. mail.
Read the instructions carefully before filling out the grant application.
You may fill out the grant application electronically by filling in the
fields and printing.
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