New York Technical Assistance Program (NYTAP)
Regrant Opportunity for New York State Literary Publishers

Deadline: November 18th
Grants Awarded: December 9th

CLMP and the New York State Council on the Arts Literature Program (NYSCA) invite your nonprofit literary magazine, online publication, or small press to apply for grants between $500 and $1,500.

Who's eligible to apply?

This regrant program is available to non-profit, non-commercial literary publishers incorporated in New York State who did not receive funding directly from NYSCA in 2005 (FY2006). While preference will be given to publishers who have not previously received a regrant from CLMP, even publishers who have received a regrant in the past can re-apply—so long as they did not receive any funds directly from NYSCA in FY2006. The predominance of work in the publication must be fiction, poetry, literary non-fiction (including writing about writers or writing) or drama.

The program has been devised to promote organizational capacity building and to allow NYSCA funds to support publishers whose budgets are too small to allow them to effectively apply directly to NYSCA. Requests to NYSCA may be for no more than 25-50% of the cost of a project's budget, and the minimum NYSCA grant is generally no less than $2500. (Some examples of requests are: layout/design consultants, purchasing of software, web design expenses, paying of author or guest editor fees, print accessibility projects for the blind, marketing efforts, or fundraising mailings.) It is recommended that projects be conceived as an interim step toward applying effectively to NYSCA directly, but participation in the CLMP program is not a guarantee of future NYSCA funding. To that end, substantial participation in CLMP-NYTAP programs will be expected of grantees.

Eligibility:

• Available to non-profit literary publishers incorporated in New York State who did not receive funding directly from NYSCA in 2005 (FY2006).
• Projects must start by January 1, 2006 and be designed to be completed within six months (or by June 30, 2006).
• Applicants must have published at least one title or issue within the past 18 months.
• Those applicants who are not already CLMP members must include CLMP membership in their request budget (see "To Apply" for more details).
• Evidence must be provided that the project can be completed in its entirety within the grant period and with the granted funds.
• A final report and follow-up interview will be required.
• Organizations with budgets from $35,000 to $100,000 must match the grant on a 1:1 basis. Request amounts cannot exceed 50% of an organization's operating budget.

How To Apply:

First, If you plan on applying, we ask that you please respond to this notice ASAP to notify us of your intention. Please Note: There is no online application form. Simply mail the following materials to CLMP to arrive by November 18th:

• A proposal narrative of no more than three pages that clearly states: A) the requested amount, B) the purpose of the requested funds, and C) the expected impact of the granted funds and how the success of the project can be evaluated. Be specific about how this project addresses organizational capacity building (funds may not be used for routine publishing). Please don't exaggerate-as previously stated, these are modest grants of $500 - $1,500 that we hope will nonetheless be used effectively.
• A clear project budget, showing expenses and income.
• A complete general operating (organizational) budget for the current (projected) and past (actual) completed fiscal years (one budget with two columns comparing the two).
• One recent publication (or appropriate URL for on-line publications).
• One copy of 501(c)3 letter, NYS charities registration or fiscal sponsor information.

Proposal writing tips:

• Use headings ("Request," "The Project," "Evaluation") in preparing your proposal.
• Clearly state exactly how funds will be used in the "Request" section.
• Give concrete examples where possible—be specific.
• Aim for a focused and concise proposal—don't spend time on extraneous information.
• Make your budget real and reasonable.
• Arrange your general operating budget years in columns—use a program like Excel, if possible (double-check your math!)
• Make sure your proposal includes a contact name, address, and exactly how a check should be made out (particularly if using a fiscal sponsor)—you may include this information in a cover letter.
• Make a copy of your proposal for your files.

Again, if you plan on applying, we ask that you please respond to this notice ASAP to notify us of your intention.

If you have any immediate questions, or should you need assistance in preparing an application, please contact Thom Didato, NYTAP Director at tdidato@clmp.org or (212.741-9110 x12). Note that more extensive proposal-writing and budget preparation guidance can be found on the CLMP website, particularly as part of the LJI Toolkit. Applicants unfamiliar with NYTAP, the New York Technical Assistance Program, may also refer to www.clmp.org for more information.

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