Seeking Arts Stimulus Money

In the stimulus package $50 million was allocated for the arts, money put back in after our own Senator Schumer initially voted against it (Gillibrand in favor). It was put in because many people across the nation sent lots of letters, emails, faxes and phone calls to Congress. Thus far applying for those funds has been anything but easy. First, if you had not applied to the National Endowment for the Arts in the past four years you were not allowed to apply to them for stimulus funds. Why, to make the NEA's job easier in vetting who is worthy. Thanks for your mail, but sorry - try your local arts agency (assuming it still exists). 

Let's say you have applied in the past but you need to update your data. First make sure you have a DUNS number. That takes 2 days. Then there is the scary part, registering with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) or modifying your data. The amount of data is vast, repetitive and the instructions are filled with jargon, bad English and red herrings. Also you learn later it must be entered and saved in 3-minute bursts. You find yourself filling out forms not needed and missing those that are. Try calling the help desk. An hour wait is fast. Not being able to reach a person by phone for 2 days not unusual, and often from another agency as the regular people are too swamped. Good news is when you get through you get an ID number, told you will be put on a fast track and that you will be called back. They never do. Along the way you have to create a new pass code and remember you are required to change it once every 4 months.

After a week or two of wasted hours and days on hold, frustration and curses, you get your CCR ID. Then it is on to step three, Grants.gov. You need your DUNS and CCR number to enter, where you get to register all over again, all this before even seeing an application form. Grant.gov can take a week, doesn't recognize certain Word documents or server platforms, and so on. The whole process is demeaning, painful, confusing, poorly organized and seems designed to discourage people from applying.

To its credit the NEA did extend some deadlines a week, but event that wasn't enough (nor is their site as easily navigated as they like to think it is). Their advice, complain to your Congressperson.