GOS II is a highly competitive and rigorous category. Rather than simply focusing on the grant award, applicants are encouraged to consider organizational capacity, financial stability, and right-sizing. When determining which funding opportunity is the most appropriate fit, applicants should also consider which category will allow the organization to grow their organizations in a healthy, protracted manner, strengthen sustainability and create strong partnerships in the community. Applicants are always encouraged to contact AHCMC staff for guidance before the application deadline if it is unclear which grant category represents the best fit.

Updates to AHCMC guidelines are iterative and developmental. The FY21 changes are intended to more equitably distribute the county’s finite resources with the least amount of harm to the fewest number of organizations.

GOS II grants are a multiyear funding opportunity, offered every two years. During each 2019 “Listening Session”, constituents expressed the need for two-year awards to reduce administrative burden, allow for long-term budget planning, and afford greater financial stability.

Applicants will be required to complete a full application for panel review in FY21. Grantees will submit a mid-year report and final report. In FY22, the administrative process will repeat except grantees will not submit a full application. Instead, grantees will simply provide updated financials, including their FY20 audit and 990. Grantees will also be required to submit a FY22 mid-year and final report, providing updates on organizational changes, progress made toward achieving organizational goals, other successes, and/or organizational challenges.

Each year, all grant funding is subject to fiscal appropriation, including possible reduction or termination, by the Montgomery County Government. For FY21 and FY22, GOS II base awards will consist of a percentage of the organization’s average total allowable cash expenses and/or allowable cash income during the past three completed fiscal years.

Each grants cycle, in FY21 and in FY22, AHCMC will calculate the allowable financial figure for each of the past three fiscal years based on the organization’s audits. The base awards will incorporate allowable cash/income calculations as well as the current county allocation. While the base award percentage may shift due to county allocation budgetary shifts, AHCMC’s budget advocacy is aimed at ensuring that base awards do not fall below 5% to avoid causing financial instability for grantees.

A grantee’s score will remain the same for both FY21 and FY22, until the grantee submits a full application for FY23 panel review. A more in-depth explanation can be found on page 9 of the guidelines.

The competitive excellence awards will be provided if funds remain after the minimum 5% base awards have been calculated for all GOS II grantees. As detailed on page 10 of the guidelines, the competitiveness excellence awards factor in the organization’s panel score, the average panel score of all organizations that are recommended for a grant, and the mean. Grantees receive an excellence award if their score is above the mean. Grantees who receive an excellence award in FY21 will also receive an excellence award in FY22. The higher the grantee’s score and the further away from the mean, the higher the grantee’s excellence award. The score earned in FY21 will be carried forward in FY22.

Since 2012, the guidelines for organizations that meet the eligibility requirements have remained constant in that all GOS II awardees will receive a minimum 5% base award. Should funding allocations from the county increase in accordance with increased demand and growth in the budget size of organizations in this category, the base awards will continue to fluctuate, based on overall budgets, demand, and the county’s appropriation.

No. Scores awarded in FY21 will be used for funding allocations in both FY21 and FY22. If an organization scores below a 60 and is not funded in GOS II in FY21, that organization may apply for a GOS I Grant, a Programming & Capacity Building Project Grant or Advancement Grant in FY22.

The appeals process remains unchanged from prior years. The guidelines provided to the field in FY20 contained the same appeals process.

AHCMC has instituted a funding cap for GOS II to more equitably distribute the county’s finite resources to the majority of our funding portfolio. In the process of revising the grant guidelines, AHCMC staff researched the grantmaking practices and reviewed guidelines created by a significant number of arts/humanities funders across the country, paying special attention to counties comparable to Montgomery County in size.

Some arts/humanities funders set firm caps for their general operating grants, for example, Fairfax County’s cap is $50,000. Other funders use a regressive funding formula. For example, San Antonio uses a regressive formula; organizations with operating expenses over $10 million receive up to 3% of their operating budget.

Communities are unique. What helps to grow the arts sector in one community in one part of the country will differ from what helps the sector to thrive in another. AHCMC is fortunate to serve a multicultural community with a vibrant arts scene and strives to nurture a broad and varied portfolio of artists, scholars, and arts/humanities organizations.

We reviewed the most recent grant awards, the eligible budget for grantees, and determined that capping grant awards at $600,000 will ensure the equitable distribution of the county’s finite resources to the greatest number of eligible applicants with the least amount of harm to the fewest number of organizations.

No. The cap is per year and applies to GOS II only. Applicants may also be eligible to seek additional funding in other categories.

Considering that AHCMC’s goals differ from that of MSAC, our approach to funding calculations also differs.