Iowa Great Places Grantee Handbook

The Grantee Handbook provides an overview of program requirements related to your Iowa Great Places grant award. Find information on how to manage your grant including project revisions, reporting requirements, taxes, acknowledgement, logo usage, legislative correspondence, sample press releases and how to keep in touch with the department throughout the funding period. The Iowa Great Places Program is administered by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

Revisions to Funded Activity

Any significant revisions to implementation, use of grant funds, or changes in contact information must be reported immediately to program staff.

Return of Grant Funds

Grantees must contact program staff prior to returning grant funds. Do not mail funding back to the department without first contacting a staff member to discuss the situation.

Designations Expections

Designated communities are expected to be active members in the Iowa Great Places network. To demonstrate activate participation and continued commitment through the re-designation application process, communities must have participated in more than two qualifying Great Places meetings, events or professional development opportunities as determined by program staff within the five-year designation period. Such opportunities may include an annual meeting, regional networking opportunities, webinars, or sponsored state conferences hosted by partner state agencies. All designated Iowa Great Places must be willing to be active participants in the Iowa Great Places mentoring program for potential or newly designated communities as needed. Designated mentors and mentees will be matched by program staff based on community similarities or geographic proximity. The mentorship structure will be flexible based on the needs of the mentee and can include but is not limited to application advice, visioning best practices, in-person visits, or conference calls.

Reporting

Reporting for Iowa Great Places Designation and/or Funding

Completion of a report at the end of each annual year is a requirement of the MOU designation agreement. Designees who submit a late annual report will be put on a funding moratorium of no less than one year. Designees with an outstanding report are not eligible for any Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs grant programs until the report is completed and submitted. Designees who have also received grant funding must complete a final project report at the conclusion of the project and no later than the end of the state fiscal year in which funded activities occurred.

Annual Report Forms

Annual reports must be submitted via SlideRoom, an online application portal. Annual Reports will not be accepted in any other format. Designees can access current report forms at iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com.

Payment Request Forms

Designees who have received grant funding may request payment through the Iowa Great Places Reimbursement Request Form available at the Slideroom portal at iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com. Grant payments are made on a reimbursement basis and must be requested within the state fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) that they were incurred. The department will accept reimbursement requests for approved project expenses once per quarter on the following schedule:

January – March
April – June
July – September
October – December

Reimbursement Request Forms

Reimbursement request forms must be submitted via SlideRoom, an online application portal. Reimbursement request forms will not be accepted in any other format. Designees can access current forms at iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com.

Taxes

Reporting Grant Payments on Taxes

Grant payments are processed as non-taxable payments by the State of Iowa. Program staff is unable to provide tax advice regarding how to report the grant payment on taxes. Grantees should consult a tax advisor regarding the implications of the grant payment on taxes.

Project Endorsement

Designees who have received project endorsement are eligible to receive scoring bumps from other State of Iowa funding programs, where available, within the eligible endorsement timeframe.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledging the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’ support in all materials and announcements, audio and visual, for all grant funded activities is a requirement of your designation and funding agreements.

Logo

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs logo and Iowa Great Places logos are available online in multiple forms for download.

Logo Usage

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs logo has been designed to be used in a variety of situations; however, graphic standards must be followed to preserve the integrity of the logo. If you have any questions, please contact the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs communications team at iowa.culture@iowa.gov.

Credit Lines

Support for (name of your project) provided by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.
The project is supported, in part, by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

Oral Credit

When written or logo credit is not applicable, oral credit must be given thanking the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

Keeping in Touch

Grantee Promotional Information

Let us know when Iowa Great Places activity is happening by sending us images and event details to the Arts Opportunity Submission Form - Community Event option. The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is dedicated to communicating the impact and value of designee activity through department communication platforms and networks. We will highlight grant activity in our event calendar, blog, newsletters and social media.

Newsletters

Facebook

Like the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs on Facebook at facebook.com/IowaCulture.

Use the hashtag #IowaGreatPlace and #IowaCulture to promote your efforts.

Twitter

Follow the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs on Twitter at @iowaculture.

Use the hashtag #IowaGreatPlace and #IowaCulture to promote your efforts.

Instagram

Follow the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs on Instagram at iowaculture.

Use the hashtag #IowaGreatPlace and #IowaCulture to promote your efforts.

Project Visits

Invite department staff, board members, and legislators to your Iowa Great Places activities. You can find your legislators’ contact information on the Find Your Legislator webpage. Grantees are required by contract to provide complimentary access to the Iowa Arts Council for appropriate departmental representation and/or observation at the funded activity upon timely request by the department.

Legislative Correspondence

You can help communicate the value of the Iowa Great Places Program and tell the story of its impact in Iowa. Your elected officials are responsible for state appropriations to the Iowa Great Places Program and it's important they hear from Iowans like you who are working in and passionate about their community. Learn how to contact your elected officials and communicate the value and impact of the funding you have received using the resources below.

Find your State Senators and Representatives
Find your Federal Senators and Representatives

Sample Letter to Your Legislators

(Letterhead)
(Date)

(Organization Name)
(Organization Address)
(Organization City, State ZIP)

The Honorable (Name of your State Senator or Representative)
(Iowa House of Representatives OR Iowa Senate)
(Home Address of State Senator or Representative) (City, State Zip)

Dear (Senator________ or Representative __________),
I am pleased to inform you that (Name of Organization) has been awarded an Iowa Great Places Grant by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. As a grantee recipient, we wish to thank you for your support of the Iowa Great Places Program through annual appropriation from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure and State General Funds.

This Iowa Great Places Grant will support (Brief summary of Project). (Describe the positive impact on the quality of life or cultural vitality of Iowa, public value and number of people who will be served by your project. Describe the value of public funding to your project and community.)

On behalf of (Name of Organization), I would like to invite you to experience (Name of Iowa Great Places Designee). For more information, please contact (Organization Contact Name) at (Phone, Fax, Email Address, and/or Website).

Sincerely,

(Signature)
(Typed Name)
(Title within Organization)

Sample Press Release

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs sends out press releases to announce Iowa Great Places Grant recipients. You can do your part to bring awareness to your project by sending press releases to the media. You may use the following sample press releases for guidance in publicizing the designation and any related activity.

Sample Press Release to Publicize Grant Award

(Letterhead)
(Organization Name)
(Organization Contact Address)
(Organization City, State Zip)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Date)
Contact: (Contact Name, Phone, Fax, and E-mail Address)

(Press Release Headline)

(CITY NAME) - The (Name of Organization) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded an Iowa Great Places Grant by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and Iowa Great Places Citizens Advisory Board. The award supports (Name of Organization) for (project).

The Iowa Great Places Program seeks to recognize places that take action to enhance their local assets while staying true to the qualities that makes them unique. (Describe the positive impact on the quality of life or cultural vitality of Iowa, public value and number of people who will be served by your project. Describe the value of public funding to your project and community.)

(Quote from project or organization leader, board member or legislator to express thanks for the designation, value of public recognition, encourage people to participate, or elaborate on the significance of efforts, etc.)

The Iowa Great Places Program was established in 2005 and funding is made possible by an annual appropriation from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. More information on the Iowa Great Places Program is available by visiting iowaculture.gov.

# # #

(Insert your organization’s boilerplate information. See example below.)

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and its three divisions – the Iowa Arts Council, Produce Iowa - State Office of Media Production and the State Historical Society of Iowa – empower Iowa to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities by connecting Iowans to the people, places and points of pride that define our state. The department’s work enables Iowa to be recognized as a state that fosters creativity and serves as a catalyst for innovation where the stories of Iowa are preserved and communicated to connect past, present and future generations.