What to Remember If Your Project Wasn't Funded

Didn’t Get Funded by One of Our Grants?

Here Are Some Tips for Bouncing Back

The recent Lake Region Arts Council Legacy Grant round made history. Not only did we have the most funds to award than we’ve ever had in a single grant round, but also the most applicants in a single grant round. LRAC’s Board of Directors had the difficult task of determining which applications best fit the review criteria, and ranking them accordingly. Funds were then awarded according to these rankings, with ties being broken by application submission order, as per our review policy.

We were able to fund many wonderful projects, but at the same time, many projects were not funded—not because they weren’t good, but because we ran out of funds. If you or your organization fell into the latter category, you may find yourself disappointed.

It can be difficult to put a lot of time and effort into an application, to not get the grant in the end. However, all is not lost, and just because you were not funded this time, doesn’t mean that you won’t get funded next time. In fact, the only way to 100% guarantee that you won’t be funded is to not apply.

Tips for Moving On After an Application Wasn’t Funded:

A lot of projects don’t get funded, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth looking elsewhere.

1. Don’t take it personally.
   Thanks to our policy of allowing corrections to incomplete applications, we have seen a drastic reduction in the number of ineligible applications. This means that the majority of the applications we receive are approved for funding during the grant review. Unless your application was declared ineligible, you likely would have been funded if there had been enough funds to go around.

2. Keep in mind that LRAC’s funding ratio numbers are pretty typical for arts funding.
   Most of our grant rounds in the last year have been competitive. Demand is high for arts funding in the region, which is great! We love being able to report such a strong demand back to the sources of our funding, the State of Minnesota and the McKnight Foundation. With high demand for a limited supply, not everyone will get funded, just like with many other granting organization’s programs.

3. Consider your next steps.
   With most LRAC grants, if you are not funded in one round, you are more than welcome to try again in a future round. Our online grant system’s Copy Feature makes re-applying a breeze. You can also check with the office for any feedback that we might have for you on ways to improve your rankings in a future grant round.

   You can also take your project elsewhere. The monthly LRAC Arts Newsletter features funding opportunities from a variety of other sources, including the State Arts Board and the McKnight Foundation. Though we are your local source for arts funding, we are not the only source for artists and organizations within our region.

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Look Forward to Submitting Your Next Application!

Whatever the outcome of your grant application, the Staff and Board of LRAC are happy that you applied. While planning your next application, don’t forget to check the guidelines for anything new, stay up-to-date with LRAC opportunities through our monthly newsletter, and submit your arts events to our arts calendar. See you for the next grant round!