Creative Communities Grant Recipient Toolkit

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Congratulations on receiving a Creative Communities (CC) grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board this year! We have sent an award letter​ to the primary contact listed in your application through the SmartSimple grant platform. If you wish to view the panel’s discussion of your application, you will find that recording in the Grant Review Panel Meetings playlist on the Arts Board's YouTube channel. 

Questions?

For general questions, please contact WAB via email (artsboard@wisconsin.gov​) or phone (608-266-0190). 

For Arts Education or Folk and Traditional Arts related questions, please contact Kaitlyn Berle via email (kaitlyn.berle@wisconsin.gov) or via phone (608-266-8106). 

For Local Arts related questions, please contact Karen Goeschko via email (karen.goeschko@wisconsin.gov) or via phone (608-267-2026). 

For SmartSimple, technical assistance, or accessibility related questions, contact Amelia Schaetzke via email (amelia.schaetszke@wisconsin.gov) or phone (608-264-8191).​​

What Comes Next?

1. Complete your grant agreement - this is required

Login to SmartSimple.

Access your grant agreement by selecting In Progress under the Requires Attention section of your SmartSimple home page.

Open the item that says Grant Agreement in the Activity Type column.

If your grant award is less than your original requested amount by more than $100, click the Open Grant Revision Report​ to complete, scan and upload this report.

Complete, scan and upload the Credit Line and Logo Use Form​.

Click Open Grant Agreement. Print and sign the grant agreement, then scan and upload the signed document as a PDF file. Upon receipt, we will add our signature and upload a copy of the final completed contract back to that site for your records.

2. Notify your stakeholders (board, staff, members, etc.) - this is something we strongly recommend 

 Social Media Toolkit

​Send an email to your board of directors and let them know you have received this grant. 

Gather your staff and celebrate your success.

Notfiy your members and supporters.

Share news of your award online via social media.

Invite WAB to your grant supported arts event. Contact WAB via email (artsboard@wisconsin.gov​) or phone (608-266-0190)​.

3. Notify your government officials (governor/senator/representative) - this is something we require (sample letter below)

Sample Legislative Letter  

Write a letter of thanks to the Governor. Explain the importance of state support and how that support not only helps you/your organization but also the state as a whole. 

Write a letter of thanks to your state senator and state representative. Explain the importance of state support of the arts and how this grant will affect you (individual) or your organization. Check if your legislator is on the Joint Committee on Finance (2025 - 2027) and if they are, make sure to explain in your letter the importance of state support of the arts and how that support benefits not only you/your organization but also the state as a whole.​

At least annually, send personal invitations to your organization’s state legislators – both your WI Assemblyperson and your WI State  Senator (optional - your U.S. Congressional representatives) – to attend/participate in grant-related programming, or interact with audiences and staff of the organization. Your letter of thanks can also include your invitation.​

Optional - you can also include your State Assembly/State Senate/Congressional WAB Grant Impact Report within your legislative letters.

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4. Notify your local media - this is something we strongly recommend

Sample Press Release

Send out a media release announcing your grant award. Explain the importance of state support of the arts, how this will impact your community and the significant role the Wisconsin Arts Board plays in the state's artistic health. 

Issue a photo release of yourself/your team with th​e check you received. Share the enthusiasm and great need to continue to have state arts support.

Submit your arts event to WAB so we can share the word through the daily newsletter, the Wisconsin Arts News, and other networks.

5. Acknowledge the award on your website/print collateral/signage - this is something we require 

Place the Wisconsin Arts Board logo on your site in a prominent location (like the footer of your website or your donor page) and explain what the Arts Board is and that you have received support for your work. Access the logo and boilerplate message.

Insert the Wisconsin Arts Board logo on all print collateral of the project supported by the grant. 

Insert the National Endowment for the Arts logo on all print collateral of the project supported by the grant. Access the logo. 

The credit line language to use is: "This [project/program] is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts."​​​

6. Track the impact of your grant - this is something we require

Throughout the year, track the number of people that your project serves, including youth. If possible, track the social/economic impact of this grant within your community (including its impact on youth, elders, within communities of color, within the disability community, etc.). Americans for the​ Arts has developed a helpful tool for tracking this data. WAB also has a list of evaluative tools​.

Track exactly where the funds were used (personnel, marketing, production costs, etc.). This information will be required for your final report. Doublecheck the list of ineligible expenses for this grant​ (check the guidelines).​

Document people engaging with your artistic work (feel free to adapt the Sample P​hoto Release form).

​Sh​are photos and media and also explain that this is supported through a grant of the Wisconsin Arts Board.

Share photos online and link/tag the Wisconsin Arts Board.

Gather photo credit information, when available. 

K​eep track of program successes or areas where improvements could be made.​​

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7. Submit your final report for this project by the date specified within your grant agreement - this is something we require​

After you login to SmartSimple​, you will see the home screen with two sections. The top section titled Welcome shows the in-progress and approved/declined applications. The section titled Requires Attention shows the in-progress and submitted activities associated with your applications. The final report is one of these activities.