You did it! You have succeeded in making it through a very competitive process. We hope that you will leverage your Arts Commission grant for future funding opportunities. In the meantime, please take a close look at the information on this page, which includes important next steps in your grant process. Please remember that as a Grantee, you are solely responsible for all taxes incurred on your award. Also, please be mindful that all correspondence and documents submitted to the Arts Commission are public record and can be requested by any member of the public at any time. If this happens, rest assured that all vital information, such as social security numbers and phone numbers will be redacted.
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Arts Commission Acknowledgement
Payments
Ownership of Results, Intellectual Property and License
Final Report Instructions and Forms
Arts Commission Acknowledgement
As noted in grant agreements, all grantees are required to acknowledge funding from the Arts Commission in promotional materials tied to the funded project using the following or similar language: "Supported by the San Francisco Arts Commission." Please refer to the grant agreement for further instruction (Section 4.4 (f)), which may include additional acknowledgements for grantees receiving funding from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. You also have the option of using the Arts Commission logo in your promotional materials. Download the logo and our style guide, which outlines its proper usage in your collateral.
Payments
Initial grant payments are made upon completion and approval of all required grant paperwork (progress report, final report, expense report and back up documentation, photo, documentation, and current insurance certificates). Payments cannot be made earlier than the start of the grant window. It may take a few weeks after the grant window for checks to be sent out, so please plan accordingly.
Eligible grant expenses must fall within the grant window. Expenses taking place before or after the window (without an approved extension request) should be excluded from the final expense report and reimbursement.
Final grant payments are made on a reimbursement basis upon completion of the grant project and approval of a complete Final Report by staff. Grantees must submit third party proof of payment (receipts, canceled checks, etc.) for all expenses as part of their Final Report excluding amounts listed under admin/indirect. Individual artists do not need to submit proof of payment for the portion of the grant going toward their own artistic fee.
The original, signed copy of your invoice is required to authorize payment, so please drop off invoices, or mail them to Community Investments, San Francisco Arts Commission, 401 Van Ness Ave #325, San Francisco, CA 94102, when requesting grant disbursements.
A copy of the blank invoice is included in grant agreements, see Appendix E. Remember that final invoices will not be processed until we approve a complete Final Report.
Ownership of Results, Intellectual Property and License
- The Grantee owns all interests and retains all copyrights in the work that is created during the grant period;
- The City maintains a perpetual license to distribute limited documentation of the artistic work that was created and may request copies or documentation of the funded project for publicity, reporting, and archival purposes;
- This does not grant the City the right to include the reproductions on three-dimensional merchandise, such as tote bags, T-shirts, coffee mugs and similar merchandise. Such reproductions may only be created pursuant to Grantee’s separate permission.
Final Report Instructions and Forms
All grant award recipients are required to submit a Final Report to the San Francisco Arts Commission upon the completion of the awarded project. Final Reports are due to staff within 30 days of the close of the grant window, as specified in the Grant Agreement. If a report is not received within 30 days, the Grant Agreement has been breached and the grantee will be at risk of default. For more information about this process, please refer to the Offset Policy. A reminder will not be sent at the end of grant periods. Individuals and organizations in default are not eligible to receive the remaining balance of a grant award. See step by step below for further instructions.
Report forms can be emailed to your designated program officer. Invoices with original, “wet” signature must be submitted by mail to Community Investments, San Francisco Arts Commission, 401 Van Ness Ave #325, San Francisco, CA 94102 to process payment. Please contact your designated program officer if you would like to be resent the final reporting packets that were sent by email following the grantee orientations.
Final Reports Packets have five primary components, which are outlined below:
Grant Plan Progress Report Form
A soft copy of your Gran Plan Progress Report Form is provided to you by email following the grantee orientation. This progress report form is directly associated with what is outlined in your grant agreement. If you are prepared to submit your Final Report (for one-year grantees) or Interim Report (for two-year grantees), you must also report on the progress or outputs of the activities outlined in the grant plan.
If you have questions about this form or need a copy, please contact your designated program officer.
Expense Report and Documentation
Please complete Appendix E: Expense Report following these instructions:
- Please refer to Appendix C: Approved Budget Narrative for the detailed authorized expense items. Each expenditure should be listed under the appropriate heading of the Expense Report.
- Back-up financial documents are not required with the Expense Report. It is ok for two-year grantees to have spent more than the advance payment or less than the advance payment at this point. You will still be able to request the amount identified in Appendix F: Disbursement Schedule.
- For final reports, supporting documentation is required for your full grant amount
- Please collect invoices from your payees (vendors and artists) and proof of payment (canceled checks, payroll service sheets, bank statements). The date of the payee invoices should fall within grant window. Proof of payment should indicate that the payment cleared the bank, so we need photocopies of canceled checks, not photocopies of the check issued to the payee.
- Organize the invoice and proof of payment (if possible) by expense line. Group all of your Salaries together, Production and Exhibition invoices together, Contracted Expenses together, and so on.
- Please collect invoices from your payees (vendors and artists) and proof of payment (canceled checks, payroll service sheets, bank statements). The date of the payee invoices should fall within grant window. Proof of payment should indicate that the payment cleared the bank, so we need photocopies of canceled checks, not photocopies of the check issued to the payee.
- These items may be emailed to the program officer.
- If you foresee that you will have trouble meeting the deadline to submit all final report items including proof of payment, call your program officer.
TIPS:
- As you receive invoices from your vendors and artists that will be paid with SFAC funds, make a copy of it and save it in a separate folder
- Note the check number on the invoice so that you can more easily find either the canceled check or bank statement that includes the payment
Eligible Expenses:
- Cannot be incurred before the start of grant window;
- Must be paid by Grantee prior to the submission of the final invoice;
- Must be within the scope of the approved budget line items.
Ineligible Expenses include:
- Expenses related to meals or catering;
- Penalties, late charges or interest on any late payments; and
- Taxes on wages and salaries that were accrued outside the grant window
Final Report
The final report is a set of narrative questions that must be submitted alongside other required documentation. Download the report form that corresponds with your grant category and email the complete report to your designated program officer.
Final Report FormsCultural Equity Initiatives
Creative Space - Facilities
Creative Space - Planning
Individual Artist Commission
Organization Project Grant
TIPS:
- Final Reports are due 30 days after the end of your grant window (usually July 30 in the year the grant window ends).
- All other required documents must be received before payment will be approved.
The Invoice
Please complete Appendix D: Invoice in your grant agreement following these instructions:
- Please submit a signed, hard copy invoice for your interim or final payment. We cannot accept invoices by email or fax.
- All other required documents must be received before payment can be approved. This includes: Grant Plan Progress Report, Expense Report, Back Up Financial Documentation, Final Report, Photo Documentation
- Date: make sure that the date falls within the grant window
- Payee Address should reflect the address that we have on file. If you or your organization has moved contact your program officer
- Total of All Grant Funds Disbursed Prior to this Request refers to the money you have already received on this specific grant
- Amount of this Disbursement refers to the amount you are requesting. If you are not sure of the amount, please refer to the disbursement schedule in your grant agreement
- Balance of Grant Funds Available After this Request refers to any remaining funds (subtract the total grant funds disbursed and the amount you’re requesting from the original grant amount)
Photo Documentation
- At least one image should be provided electronically that highlights the public presentation or the project that is being funded.
- Print quality JPG or TIFF, emailed to us (not an a card reader).
- Remember to include a photo credit and caption. A place is designated in the Final Report form for this information.
Our peer review panel process was designed to ensure transparency of our grantmaking and to reflect our agency values of cultural equity. Panelists will review grant applications, meet in a publicly-accessible setting to discuss, score, and, ultimately, make funding recommendations to the commission.