Questions

In the LOI guidelines, there are four areas listed where outcomes are sought. does our project need to address all four areas? Or can it be one?

Thank you for your question. The project needs to address at least one of the four areas but it can address a combination of two or more. One question on the form asks you to designate which of the four areas your project is focused on, and it also gives you the option to select "combination of the above" instead.

I have a two-part question:
1. Is a Media & Technology department eligible for diversifying museum management?
2. Could we locate our project across museum departments, e.g. curatorial, media & technology, and education?

Thank you for your questions. Yes, the Media & Technology department is eligible to be considered as part of diversifying museum management, and yes, you can locate your project across museum departments.

What would be the start date of Year 1 for awarded projects?

Thank you for your question. The start date of Year 1 for awarded projects is October 1, 2017.

A question regarding the matching requirements and their impact on the total project budget:

If the foundations award a $150K grant for a three-year project, would the museum be responsible for matching the $150K 2:1 in the first year ($300K) and 1:1 in subsequent years ($150K each) for a total project budget of at least $1,050,000?

($1,050,000 = $450K year 1 + $300K year 2 + $300K year 3)

OR

Would the museum be responsible for matching the $50K INSTALLMENTS of the three-year $150K grant at 2:1 in the first year (100K) and 1:1 in subsequent ($50K each) for a total project of least $350K ?

($350,000 = $150K year 1 + $100K year 2 + $100K year 3)

Thank you for your question. If your museum is awarded $150,000 in total for three years, program management staff would work with you to figure out how the funds would be disbursed over each of the three years. One example could be one $50,000 disbursement each year for three years. Following that example, the museum would be responsible for raising and/or contributing from unrestricted funds an additional $25,000 in funds during year one and an additional $50,000 each in years two and three to the project, for a total of $125,000 in matching funds over three years.

Please note that the 2:1 match in the first year means that for every $2 awarded to the museum, the museum needs to raise $1, not the other way around.

The overall amount of the project budget should include the amount of the grant request plus matching funds but can be larger if the museum is contributing other things such as staff time. So, following the example above, the project budget would include the $150,000 grant plus $125,000 in matching funds, but the total project budget could be larger than $275,000. Please do let us know if you have further questions on this.

Our museum is in the middle of a very significant capital campaign for expansion and endowment. Diversity amongst staff has been identified as a leading priority for the endowment portion of the campaign. Will the grant application be considered if it proposes a structure of a gift of endowed funds over three years (to be matched with endowed funds) to sustain a position permanently?

Thank you for your question. This program is intended to help museums make progress on diversity *during* the term of the grant, so your application must outline strategies you will undertake during the next one to three years to diversify senior curatorial and/or management staff. You may propose using grant funds to establish an endowed fund for a permanent position, but how this would result in progress towards diversity in the near-term (i.e. one to three years - the proposed duration of the grant) must be made clear. Please feel free to pose further questions if you'd like more clarification on this.

Two questions for you:
1.) Can the Morgan use operating funds to cover all or a portion of the match?
2.) Do you expect to see internal costs, such as staff salaries and overhead, in our total budget?
Thank you!

Thank you for your questions. Here are the responses.

1) For this initiative, matching funds must be either new funds raised specifically for this project or funds drawn from previous unrestricted income but not ongoing operating funds.

2) At this LOI stage of the application process, we don't need to know staff salaries or overhead costs, but we may ask for this information from those invited to submit full proposals.

Are pre-award costs acceptable?

Thank you for your question. The program does not have a strict rule on this issue. You may make the case for reasonable pre-award costs to be covered. Those costs must clearly relate to the purpose of the program and be integrally important to the success of the work during the proposed grant.

At my museum, curators, educators and conservators often fill upper management roles. We consider all three of these paths to be part of the pipeline of museum leadership. A previous Q&A response indicated that educator internships were acceptable. Are conservation internships acceptable as well? We’d like to submit a proposal for a curatorial/education/conservation internship program.

Thank you for your question. Yes, conservation internships are welcome and acceptable for this initiative.

We are considering asking for salary support for a graduate student position to help advance the project we will propose. Would tuition for this student also be an allowable cost for the request?

Thank you for your question. Yes, tuition support can be included as an allowable cost for this request provided that some articulation is made of how this kind of support would enable the student to take the position and propel her/his ability to stay in the field.

Following on Question 12, an applicant would be required to raise at least half the grant amount in new funds to meet the match requirement (ratio of 2:1) in the first year, and an equal amount (1:1) in subsequent years. My question is, may we designate funds already in hand? For example, if we have available funds from an endowment or other gifts that we know we can designate, can we use those funds toward the match requirement?
Thank you for taking our questions.

Thank you for your question. Yes, you can use designated funds already in hand for the match requirement, including those from an endowment or other gifts.

In regards to raising new money for the match, must gifts be secured after a certain date or are raised funds with no designation acceptable to use? For example, if a museum has unrestricted donations or an estate gift to draw on for future transformational projects are these funds allowed?

Thank you for your question. For this initiative, both existing, already raised funds with no designation as well as gifts secured after a certain date are acceptable to use. So, yes, a museum can use unrestricted donations or estate gifts as matching funds.

Would this initiative support curatorial work for Public Programs at an art museum? For example, would an art museum be eligible to request support for a Curator of Public Programs or a graduate fellowship in curatorial work for Public Programs?
Thank you kindly—

Thank you for your question. Yes, this initiative would consider supporting a Curator of Public Programs or a graduate fellowship in curatorial work for Public Programs provided that your museum could articulate a strong case for how this would contribute to diversifying art museum leadership.

Regarding the question about potential sources to help match a grant: Is cost-share (value of staff time, for example) considered an acceptable match, or are we expected to raise new money to meet the match?

Thank you for your question. For this initiative, museums are required to raise new money or use existing, undesignated funds in hand for the match. In other words, there need to be actual funds involved in the match, not cost sharing.

I began an LOI last week, but did not click the 'finish this later' link when I closed out. Is there a way to access my saved LOI?

Thank you for your question. To access your saved LOI, click “view a previous submission or resume a draft” link on the main application page. On the page that follows, enter your email address. Then, you will receive an email with further instructions. If Screendoor (the online platform) finds a response (i.e. the submission you began) in the system connected to your email address, the email you receive will include a link to it. If you cannot find the email in either in your spam folder or inbox, please email support@dobt.co for further assistance.

Hello!

I have a few questions related to this initiative.

1. At what level does this initiative classify management leadership? Would this be senior level staff only or can it departmental managers who are in charge of organizing programs, exhibitions, and outreach?
2. How would a museum’s education department factor into this initiative? While it is not focused directly on curatorial and leadership growth, education departments offer an accessible way for many to become interested with, and engage in, art museum roles.
3. Are projects encouraged to work with individuals already preparing for work in the arts or may we extend the scope to other fields of study?

Any information you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Best,
Morgan

Thank you for your questions. Here are responses:

1. For the purposes of this initiative, management leadership may include departmental managers in charge of organizing exhibitions, programs and outreach.

2. Proposals focusing on diversifying leadership in museum education departments are welcome and eligible for consideration.

3. Both projects working with individuals already preparing for work in the arts as well as those in other fields of study are eligible provided that they ultimately contribute to the larger aim of diversifying art museum leadership.

Would a museum internship program for high school students be eligible for funding? We are an art museum connected to a university that serves as an Educational Partnership Organization (EPO) for a local high school with a student population that is racially and socioeconomically diverse. We aim to introduce students to museum careers as they start planning for their higher education.

Thank you for your question. Yes, a museum internship program for high school students will be eligible for funding.

We are an art museum at a university. We are eligible for grants from most public and private entities including the federal, state, and local governments; public and private foundations and individuals. The sentence in the guidelines that is confusing to us the one about governing boards: it states "Eligible institutions must be administered by a professional staff and governed by a body that sets general policy and is legally and financially responsible for the museum.” We have a full-time staff of more than 20 people as well as an active advisory board, but ultimately the Board of Governors of the university is responsible for “general policy, and is legally and financially responsible for the museum.” Are we eligible to apply?

Thank you for your question. Yes, you are eligible to apply.

Our institution would like to submit an LOI for this exciting new initiative. Would it be possible to see the full grant proposal application/questions beforehand?

Thank you for your query. Questions for the full proposal cannot be made available in advance. Generally, though, they will ask the applicant to described the proposed project in more detail.

Thank you for your response. One more question please - what if the application was submitted from the Historic House, which functions as a museum and is open to the public for seasonal tours - and partnered with the College? I imagine this depends on how one defines an “art” museum. Having worked for a variety of museums, it’s often a puzzling distinction as to the difference between an art and history museum.

Thank you for your question. This initiative is focused on diversifying the curatorial and management leadership of art museums. If your history museum has an extensive art collection, and focuses on art history as a strong part of your curatorial and programming work, please make a case for consideration. Institutions with singular focus on history are unlikely to be competitive.

Can you please tell me whether an eligible expense would be a 3-year minority curatorial fellowship program?

Yes, this is an eligible expense.

You require both the director and the board chair to authorize this LOI. I am the director of a University Art Museum, which has an advisory board, but not a board of directors. I report to the Dean of the College of the Arts, not to the board chair. Should the Advisory Board chair, or the Dean authorize this grant with me?

Thank you for your question. In this instance, both the Advisory Board chair and the Dean should authorize the grant.