California Documentary Project - California Council for the Humanities

Grant Name: California Documentary Project

Funding Organization: California Council for the Humanities

Grant Cycle: October 3, 2011. For electronic submission of online application with attached proposal narrative and budget and for receipt of work samples at CCH’s San Francisco office.

Address:

California Documentary Project Production Grant
California Council for the Humanities
312 Sutter Street, Suite 601
San Francisco, CA 94108

Website: http://www.calhum.org/guidelines/cdp_2011_production_guidelines.htm

How to Apply:

A complete application requires both electronically submitted and mailed materials (if applicable). All must be received by 5:00 pm on MONDAY, OCTOBER 3.

1. Electronically submitted:
• Online application form
• Proposal narrative
• Budget (Excel template)
2. Mailed (if applicable):
• Two copies of a single previously completed work on DVD/CD (Internet links to an online sample should be included in the proposal narrative)
• Two copies of the work-in-progress for which you seek funding on DVD/CD (Internet links to an online sample should be included in the proposal narrative)

Send work samples to:

California Documentary Project Production Grant
California Council for the Humanities
312 Sutter Street, Suite 601
San Francisco, CA 94108

Work samples on DVD/CD must be clearly labeled with the name of your sponsor organization, project title, and project director. Test any AV samples before mailing them. Sample materials will not be returned.

If submitting links to online work samples, please provide clearly identified and complete URLs in section 10 of the proposal narrative and in the online application form.

Application Materials:

In your application, please address each of the following sections in this order using the numbered headings at the start of each section. All responses should be in one document, single spaced, and in 12 pt. font.

Proposal Narrative

1. Project Description (maximum length: three pages)
• Synopsis: Provide a brief project synopsis, include anticipated length and format (100 words maximum).
• Topics, issues, and themes: What is the story your project will tell? What topics, issues, and themes will your project address? How will these topics enhance our understanding of California and its cultures, peoples, and histories? How will this story be relevant and of interest to both California and national audiences?
• Treatment: Provide a short treatment detailing the style, structure, content, and interactive elements (as applicable) of your project.
• Status: Describe the current stage of the project. Provide an estimated completion date.
2. Humanities Content and/or Approach (maximum length: one page)
• How will the humanities inform your project? E.g., how will you use the humanities to frame the questions you want to raise or develop the broader social, cultural, or historical context for your subject? What sources will you consult to provide insight and context? What strategies will be used to research and frame the topic?
• Explain the role the two (or more) humanities advisors will play and how they will be involved in the design and implementation of the project (e.g., content advisor, research consultant, interview subject, rough cut reviewer, etc.).
3. Humanities Advisors
• Provide brief, one-paragraph bios for each advisor describing area of expertise; relevant scholarship, research, or writing; and position and institutional affiliation, if applicable.
4. Project Personnel
• Project Director: Provide a half-page bio and a list of production credits and/or major broadcast, screening, exhibition, and award information.
• Key Project Personnel: Provide one-paragraph bios and email addresses for confirmed personnel (technical staff, producer, writer, cinematographer, editor, web designer, etc.). Bios should include information about relevant technical or substantive expertise and explain the individual’s role in the project.
5. Goals and Impact (maximum length: half a page)
• What specific goals do you have for this project?
• What impact do you hope this project will have?
• How will these be evaluated?
6. Outreach and Audience Engagement (maximum length: half a page)
• Describe the target audience(s) for your project, including any underserved audiences.
• Describe plans for outreach and audience engagement, including potential partnerships, educational materials, and social media strategies. Film and radio: Please specify plans for securing national broadcast and/or distribution. Describe plans for theatrical, festival and/or community screenings.
7. Fundraising Strategy (maximum length: half a page)
• Describe the strategy for raising additional funds necessary to complete the project.
• Provide information on all sources and amounts of project income received to date. List the status of other sources of funding currently under consideration, whether to be applied for or pending.
8. Sponsoring Organization (maximum length: one paragraph)
• Provide a brief description of the sponsoring organization. Please include the name of the executive officer.
• Explain the sponsoring organization’s role in the project.
9. Timeline (suggested length: one page)
• Provide a timeline detailing major project activities (e.g., meetings with humanities advisors, production schedules, anticipated post-production dates, etc.) from the beginning of the grant period, March 1, 2012, until completion. Please note that project activities for which you seek CCH funding cannot occur prior to funding notification and that the maximum term of this grant is three years (funded project activities must conclude by February 28, 2015).
  
  Please provide the timeline in this format:

TIME PERIOD	ACTIVITY
March 2012	o   Project team meeting with humanities advisors, Los Angeles; consult with advisors on research strategy and interview approach o   Preliminary interviews with potential subjects
April – May 2012	o   First round of interviews, Los Angeles o   Archival research, Huntington Library
July 2012	o   Second round of interviews, San Francisco
July - September 2012	o   Transcribe and begin rough cut edit
	etc.

10. Required Sample Work and Explanation of Selection (maximum length: half a page) Explain the selection of prior work and briefly outline what role(s) the project director played in its creation. Provide any necessary background information or context for the work-in-progress.
    
    Required sample materials:
• Two copies of a single previously completed work on DVD/CD, or Internet link(s) to an online sample
• Two copies of the work-in-progress for which you seek funding on DVD/CD or Internet link(s) to an online sample. (Suggested work-in-progress length: 10 minutes.)

If submitting links to an online work sample, please provide clearly identified and complete URLs in this section of the proposal narrative. Sample work submitted on DVD/CD should be mailed directly to CCH’s San Francisco office to be considered for review and must arrive by 5 pm on October 3, 2011. Work samples should be clearly labeled with the name of the sponsor organization, project title, and project director. Sample materials will not be returned. Work samples are weighed heavily in the review, so be sure to submit your best work and to test your samples before mailing them. Sample materials will not be returned.

11. Full Project Budget (Excel templates to be uploaded separately)
    Film and radio projects may request up to $50,000. New media projects may request up to $20,000. The grant request must be matched by at least a 1:1 amount of cash or in-kind contributions from non-federal sources. All contributions must be reflected in your full project budget whether these funds are in place at the time of application or projected. Funds from NEH, state humanities councils, or other federally-assisted programs may not be used as matching funds. See the FAQ for in-kind details.
• The itemized project budget in Excel: Please download and use either the film/radio or the new media budget template provided on the CCH website. The budget should reflect ALL costs associated with the project including allocations of previously spent funds, CCH grant funds, matching funds and funds yet to be secured. Provide the names of other funders and include the amount of income received or anticipated. Give an estimate of individual support (names not necessary). For eligible costs covered by the grant, see the FAQ. Film and radio: Instructions for completing the budget are included in the Excel template: see tab on lower left of budget form.
12. Budget Narrative (to be included in proposal narrative)
• New media: Clarify any budget items that need a narrative explanation. For example, if travel is budgeted at $300, provide a breakdown of costs and explain here why this is necessary for the project (travel: 2 RT flights x $150 for project staff travel to LA for meeting with humanities advisors). The narrative should also be used to identify other project funders and sources of income. Give an estimate of individual support (names not necessary).
• Film and radio: A budget narrative is not required for film and radio submissions, however you may clarify any budget allocations in this section of the proposal if necessary.

Project Requirements:

• Be currently in production and have a work-in-progress sample (CD, DVD, or web-based) available for submission
• Document the California experience and explore issues of significance to Californians
• Approach the subject matter from a humanities perspective—for example, making use of existing or new scholarship and research on the topic, incorporating a variety of perspectives, seeking to foster critical reflection and thoughtful analysis on the part of the audience
• Actively involve at least two humanities advisors in significant phases of the project
• Be conducted by experienced film, radio, or new media producers and directors. A previously completed work sample must be submitted.
• Be suitable for national broadcast and/or distribution, meeting national broadcast requirements in terms of length, format, and technical quality (film and radio) or produce a publicly accessible interactive project. See FAQ for more information.

Background: The California Documentary Project (CDP) is a competitive grant program of the California Council for the Humanities (CCH). CDP supports the research and development, production, and public engagement stages of film, radio, and new media projects that document the California experience and explore issues of significance to Californians. Projects must approach subject matter from a humanities perspective; enhance our understanding of California and its cultures, peoples and histories; and be suitable for California and national audiences. The intent of the CDP grant program is to increase access to, understanding of, and awareness of the public humanities through the support of humanities-based documentary media productions.

CDP Production grants are designed to strengthen the humanities content and approach of documentary media productions and help propel projects toward completion. Projects must be in the production stage, have a work-in-progress to submit, and actively involve at least two humanities advisors to help frame and contextualize subject matter at a point early enough to make meaningful contributions to the production. Eligible projects may apply for funding up to $50,000 (film and radio) or $20,000 (new media).

The Role of the Humanities
CDP supports film, radio, and new media projects in which the humanities are used to provide context, depth, and perspective. The Council views the humanities as a set of practices springing from a fundamental interest in understanding the ideas and values that inform our lives; the need to reflect on the past and the present to make critical choices; and the desire to understand others’ lives and experiences as well as our own. They emphasize reflection, analysis, contextualization, interpretation, and the exchange of ideas. Humanities disciplines include, but are not limited to: history, literature, philosophy, folklore, ethnic studies, religious studies, ethics, jurisprudence, and qualitative approaches in the social sciences.

Eligibility
Eligible applicant organizations/project directors must:

• Have tax-exempt organizational status or a tax-exempt organization as fiscal sponsor
• Be in good standing with CCH (e.g., without unfulfilled reporting requirements), if a previous grantee
• Not have an open grant with CCH, unless a CCH-approved sponsoring organization (see FAQ for more information)

Note: All sponsor organizations are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number prior to submitting an application (see Application Instructions for more information)

Review Criteria:

Quality

·       Clarity and strength of concept, style and approach

·       California and national relevance

·       Depth of humanities content and approach

·       Experience of project staff and advisors

·       Strength of work-in-progress

·       Significance of project goals and impact

Capacity

·       Feasibility of budget, timeline, fundraising strategy, outreach, and evaluation

Eligible Costs
Include, but are not limited to:

• Salaries and professional fees for production staff and technical consultants
• Honoraria and stipends for humanities advisors
• Production and post-production expenses
• Travel, lodging, and per-diem expenses for staff, consultants, humanities advisors, and researchers
• Supplies and materials for production activities
• Equipment (rental, unless purchase cost is less)
• Administrative expenses directly related to the project, including phone, postage, photocopying and printing
• Publicity expenses, such as printing or mailing of announcements or flyers
• Public program expenses (e.g., rental of a venue for screenings)
• Fiscal sponsor or indirect administrative fees (up to 10% of your total CCH grant request)
• Project administrative salaries and fringe benefits (up to 25% of your total CCH grant request)

We Do Not Fund

• Institutional histories produced and/or partially funded by the institution itself
• Advocacy
• Projects that are primarily promotional in nature
• Projects at the research and development stage. (If you wish to apply for research and development support, please see the CDP Research & Development grant.)
• Projects already in post-production