2006 Norfolk Arts Innovator Awards

 

 

The Norfolk Commission on the Arts and Humanities seeks to encourage and highlight creative innovation in business practices among cultural organizations. To this end, the Commission announces the Norfolk Arts Innovator Awards.

 

GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA

The number of awards and the amounts of awards will depend on the number and quality of applications received. Consideration for awards will be based on innovation, creativity, and documented financial benefit of initiatives. Up to $6,500 in total awards may be made.

 

•  Applicant organization must be a current (FY06) Norfolk Arts Commission grantee.

•  The innovative initiative must have started, or provided results, in 2005. If the initiative is on-going, consideration will be given to those initiatives providing convincing interim results.

•  Two separate applications may be made by each grantee for initiatives in the following categories:

•  creative revenue enhancement

•  creative cost containment

•  resource leverage through successful collaboration

•  creative marketing initiatives

•  Applications must be received by 5:00 pm , December 30, 2005 .

•  Applications can be submitted as a simple email or a Microsoft Word attachment to an email to mark.watson@norfolk.gov, OR as a hard copy delivered to the Norfolk Commission on the Arts and Humanities, 500 East Main Street, Suite 1500 , Norfolk , VA 23510 , OR faxed to 664-4315. Receipt of applications will be made through December 29 th .

 

For more information, please contact Mark Watson, Arts Manager, at 664-4330.

 

APPLICATION

Provide all information requested below in the order listed. Applications should not exceed TWO 8½” by 11” pages (excluding support documentation) typed on one side, using a typeface of 12 points or larger.

 

Type “ FY06 Norfolk Arts Innovator Awards ” at the head of the page.

  1. Applicant organization name
  2. Name, title, telephone number, e-mail of contact person for more information about application.
  3. Category of initiative (revenue enhancement, cost containment, collaboration, or marketing)

•  Title and brief summary of initiative. Title should specify the nature of the activity, and summary—of 3-4 sentences—should include nature of innovation as well as start and end dates of initiative.

•  Description of the project (no more than ¾ of a page). Include specific information on the innovative nature of the activity and the resulting financial benefit to your organization. Information may include the following: origin of the initiative (what led your organization to a new approach); hurdles overcome in instituting innovation; financial results of innovation; unforeseen or unexpected beneficial results (financial or otherwise); efforts to include or reach underserved, niche, or new audiences.

  1. Evaluation: Describe how the effectiveness and impact of the innovation is evaluated and measured by your organization. Information may include the following: manner in which innovation furthers core mission of organization and whether the results have led your group to continue/expand/or try another innovative initiative. Provide evidence of effective, appropriate, objective evaluation and evidence of improvements based on evaluation.

•  Attach supporting documentation. Information may include the following: financial reports documenting results; print collateral used in support of initiative; section of business plan that initiative implemented or bolstered.

•  Please type the following statement: “I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge, all information, including the budgetary information, in this application is true and correct and that the governing body of the applicant has duly authorized the filing of this application.” Below this statement please type the name and title of the person applying.