Lifecycle of a Grant Application

SEPTEMBER: Guidelines Available

Application guidelines are posted on the New Mexico Arts website in early September. The online grant application goes live in September.

OCTOBER: Advance Review Deadline

Advance Reviews must be submitted online no later than 5:00 p.m. on the published deadline. An Advance Review is offered prior to the Final Application deadline to help applicants improve their applications and check for mistakes that might cause ineligibility. An Advance Review is required for all new applicants, if an applicant was declared ineligible or did not receive funding in the past year, or if an applicant has not applied in the past two years. Advance Review feedback is returned to applicants in time to make changes prior to the Final Application deadline in December.

DECEMBER: Final Application Deadline

All New Mexico Arts applications must be submitted online no later 5:00 p.m. MST on the published deadline in December.

WINTER: Staff Review

Staff review applications for completeness and eligibility and may contact an applicant for clarification and additional information.

MARCH/APRIL: Panel Review

Application review panels, comprised of peers from the field, review applications online in March. Each application is reviewed and scored based on the published evaluation criteria for each funding category. Scores are posted on the New Mexico Arts website after the panel review process.

MAY/JUNE: Arts Commission Approval

Grant award amounts depend on the amount of funding requested, the applicant's panel score, the total amount of funding available from the state and National Endowment for the Arts. The Planning and Budget Committee of the Arts Commission reviews funding recommendations in May and forwards its recommendations to the full Arts Commission, which meets in June for final review and approval.

JUNE: Notification & Contracts

Contracts are uploaded to the organization's online grant account in June, organizations will be notified via email to the Project Director on file. Grantees should return the completed contract to New Mexico Arts at least two weeks before the first funded event and no later than September 1st. The effective (start) date for the contract is the date of Dept. of Cultural Affairs Cabinet Secretary’s signature, or July 1st, whichever is later.

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