The 2011 Economic Opportunity Fund Interim Reports are in!

The 2011 grants were distributed in December 2011 and Interim Reports were due April 2, 2012. In just three months, our grantees have already seen results! Currently, 62% of our grantees have reported earned income as a result of their funded opportunity.
Our grantees are…
Earning Income
“I am nearly half way through my inaugural workshop made possible ... read more →

Reports and Program Changes

Economic Opportunity Fund 2011 Interim Reports are due Monday, April 2nd, and they are already trickling into our office. The good news is that some of our 2011 grantees are already experiencing new earned income as a result of their funded opportunities. Keep up the good work 2011 grantees! We look forward to reporting full ... read more →

2011 Economic Opportunity Fund Grantees

LCEF is excited to announce our 2011 Economic Opportunity Fund grantees. Funding was awarded to 13 Nonprofits, 6 Businesses and 13 Self-Employed Individual Cultural Producers. A total of 183 applications were submitted. We congratulate our complete list of grantees  below and look forward to their reports and progress on their opportunities!
Here are our grantees with ... read more →

Our Review Process

If you are curious as to how our review process works, this is it in a nutshell:
The LCEF office reviews all applications and screens them for eligibility.  All eligible applicants are then forwarded to a team of cultural economy experts from around the state for round two review. All reviewers score applications and give ... read more →

Our Numbers are In! LCEF-EOF has a Significant Impact on Louisiana’s Cultural Economy

After months of information gathering, we can finally look at the true impact of our Economic Opportunity Fund and tell you definitively that LCEF is making a difference for the cultural economy of Louisiana. A survey was sent to all of our past EOF grantees (2008-2010). The completed surveys were analyzed by the University of ... read more →

Have You Received a Grant From Us in the Past? Plan on Applying Again?

If you received a grant from the LCEF Economic Opportunity Fund in 2008 or 2009 and plan on requesting funds in our next grant round, please contact Dorian at dorian@culturaleconomy.org to make sure you are current with your reporting requirements. As long as  your final report is submitted before the Fall 2011 deadline, your new ... read more →

Deadlines

The deadline for the submission of our 2012 grant applications will be announced in our newsletter. To sign up for our monthly newsletter click here.

The purpose of the EOF Grant

Innovation & Increased Income
The Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation Economic Opportunity Fund (LCEF-EOF) is designed to increase the entrepreneurial capacity and economic health of cultural economy stakeholders. Grants through this fund are made to individual cultural workers, nonprofit cultural organizations, and cultural economy businesses to increase income or earned revenue through an innovative, specific, unique opportunity ... read more →

Who can apply?

Individual Cultural Economy Workers:
Individuals must be professionally active in their discipline (artistic or cultural), earning income through their talents, and reside in Louisiana. If awarded a grant, individuals must provide a valid social security number. Originating and/or interpretive cultural work will be considered. Students are not eligible.
Nonprofit Cultural Economy Organizations:
Organizations must provide evidence of ... read more →

Who is NOT eligible to apply?

Individuals, businesses, or nonprofit organizations that are not based in Louisiana
Students
Government entities/municipalities

Eligibility of Past LCEF Grant Recipients

Individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive a grant award from LCEF  once per year.

EOF Supports:

The following are  examples of the types of opportunities that would qualify for funding through this initiative. These  are general examples and we encourage applicants to think  creatively and not be limited by these suggestions. Also, if you apply for one of the types of opportunities on this list, you are not guaranteed funding.   ... read more →

EOF Will NOT Support

The following list outlines some, but not all, activities ineligible for support:

regular, recurring expenses involved in establishing, maintaining, or administrating an organization or company; this includes any fees that are part of your normal operations (i.e. subsidies for artist fees are not fundable)
applicant’s own artistic fees
costs involved in real-estate purchase or new construction
purchase of equipment ... read more →

Helpful Hints for Writing a Successful Grant Application

Applicants should exercise creativity to develop an innovative solution for generating a new income stream.

Identify and define the opportunity clearly and concisely.

Justify what makes the opportunity new and unique (describe how is it different from what you normally do).

Address specifically how this unique opportunity will directly increase your income ... read more →

Required Attachments

The submitted online application must include the following documents in electronic format (Word, Excel, PDF). Applicants must have these documents ready for upload.
Individual Cultural Workers

Current resume indicating you are a working artist

Cultural Economy Businesses

Financial statement or profit and loss statement for most recently completed fiscal year

Nonprofit Cultural Economy Organizations

Detailed program budget that includes specific line ... read more →

Range of Grant Amounts

Individual Cultural Workers: $250 – $2,500
Nonprofit Cultural Organizations: $500 to $5,000
Cultural Economy Businesses: $500 to $5,000
Collaborative Applications: $1,000 to $7,500 (Amount awarded depends on number of applicants involved in the collaborative endeavor, scope of opportunity, and ability to earn new income)

Additional Funding Consideration: All grant amounts are subject to change, depending on availability or restriction ... read more →

Examples of Fundable Activities

The following are very general examples of the types of opportunities that would qualify for funding through this initiative. These examples are by no means comprehensive. Also, if you apply for one of the types of opportunities on this list you are not guaranteed funding. Applicants are encouraged to develop their own unique ideas. EOF ... read more →

Grant Payment

Grants will be paid in a single payment upon execution of the grant agreement. All grant agreements must be completed and returned within 30 days of award notification to receive payment. The original grant agreement with the original signature of the applicant should be mailed to:
LCEF
1540 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70112
Failure to return the grant ... read more →

Reporting

Grant recipients are required to submit an Interim Update and a Final Report to LCEF. You will receive an email reminder when these reports are due. All reports will be submitted online.
A final report must be submitted online within 30 days of the ending date of the grant period specified on your grant agreement (no ... read more →

LCEF-EOF Online Application Web Seminars

LCEF hosts free webinars that walk applicants through the online application process. Applicants will call in to a conference call number provided by LCEF and log in online to watch LCEF-EOF Program Director Lisa Picone go through the LCEF-EOF applications, provide detailed instructions, and offer tips on how to submit a competitive application. All applicants ... read more →

Deadlines

The deadline for the submission of our 2012 grant applications will be announced in our newsletter. To sign up for our monthly newsletter click here.

2011 EOF Round

Application submission deadline is [eofdeadline] 5pm CST.
The Grant period falls between [grantperiodstart] – [grantperiodend]