International Partnership Program

PLEASE NOTE: This program is not currently reviewing any more applications for this fiscal year. Please speak with your program coordinator about applying after June 1, 2008 for funding in our next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

What the Program Supports
Examples of Eligible Activities
Who May Apply
Grant Range
Program Requirements
Additional Information
How to Apply
Support Materials
Evaluation/Scoring Process

View a list of Application Questions for International Partnership.
OAC reserves the right to alter application narrative questions at any time. Please refer to the OnLine Grants Application system for the most up-to-date questions, as well as definitions, formatting details and character limits.

PDF of International Partnership (23K)
PDF of Legal Requirements (67K)
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Why the OAC Supports the International Partnership Program

The International Partnership Program builds Ohio economically, educationally and culturally by bringing together people from diverse cultures to encourage greater international understanding through the arts. As organizations and individuals experience the arts, they explore their commonalities as well as their differences. To understand one another’s culture is to respect one another. Mutual respect builds community and provides positive context for global, cultural and human relationships.

Deadline: Anytime

What the Program Supports

The International Partnerships Program provides a limited number of small grants to assist Ohio nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and universities and colleges to develop exemplary international arts projects and innovative partnerships in countries where the OAC has signed agreements or established collaborative partnership projects. OAC’s international funding priorities are focused on Argentina, Chile, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Korea and Estonia. The list of partnerships may change from year to year. Contact the Ohio Arts Council for the most current list of partnership agreements.

Examples of Eligible Activities

An Ohio theater company collaboratively produces a theatrical production with a similarly sized theater company in Chile.
An Ohio university brings in an Argentinean ballet master for a six-week master class series for dance students, culminating in a performance for the university and surrounding communities.
An Ohio museum curatorial team researches contemporary art in Central Europe in preparation for an international exhibition exchange with a museum in Hungary.
An Ohio film festival invites a Mexican filmmaker to speak at the screening and a series of community lectures.

Who May Apply

Ohio nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and universities and colleges.

Grant Range

An organization may request up to $10,000; a 1:1 match is required. The Ohio Arts Council’s fiscal year runs July 1–June 30; the OAC will review only applications for activities that take place during the current fiscal year.

Program Requirements

All applicants should read “Legal Requirements and Ohio Arts Council Rules” and “Grants Process for Organizations” before applying to this category.

Additional Information

Grants are paid after the grant activities are complete. The grantee must successfully complete the project or program and submit the OAC Final Report Form for Office of Grants Administration approval before payment is made. The Ohio Arts Council must receive the Final Report within 30 days of the end date of the project or program; otherwise, the grant may be canceled. Requests for extensions are reviewed case by case and may be granted if a written request is submitted before the due date of the Final Report. The Final Report Form is linked to the application and Grant Agreement. Applicants should refer to both documents as they prepare the Final Report, or payment may be delayed.

How to Apply

Call the OAC before preparing and submitting an application to this program. The OAC will accept one application per organization per year. Applications must be received at least eight weeks prior to the project start date and must be submitted via the OAC’s online application system, OLGA. See “Grants Process for Organizations.”

Support Materials

One set of the following support materials is required:

For applicants applying for a performance-based project, a sample video tape, DVD or CD documenting previous performances, rehearsals or workshops, if available; applicants for an exhibition-based project must provide past exhibition catalogs or slides.
For grant requests to attend an international festival or workshop, any available print materials.
Budget breakout.
One-paragraph biographies of key artistic personnel and administrators and outside personnel mentioned in the application, e.g. consultants, artists, curators, jurors.
Letters of commitment from partner organizations mentioned in the application, e.g. social service agency, school district, local business, another art organization.

Evaluation/Scoring Process

In general, the International Partnerships Program uses the same funding criteria used in the “Sustainability” section of the guidelines. In addition, the Ohio Arts Council will consider the following criteria when reviewing grant applications for this program:

Project involves one of the countries listed under “What the Program Supports.” Higher priority is given to projects involving one of those countries.
Project has a direct impact on Ohio audiences. If an organization’s project involves travel to another country, how will the organization incorporate the experience abroad into future work in the community?
Project demonstrates capacity to increase artist and audience understanding of the art form and cultures involved.
Plan is in place to notify the appropriate U.S. and foreign officials that project is taking place with or in a given country.

International Partnership Program applications are reviewed internally by OAC staff. Representatives from organizations that receive a International Partnership Grant will be required to attend a meeting with OAC staff in advance of the grant activities.

This section of Guidelines is available as a PDF for you to download and print out if you prefer to read it offline. You must also read Legal Requirements if you plan to apply for OAC funding. A PDF of the complete version of the Guidelines is available in the Introduction.
PDF of International Partnership (23K)
PDF of Legal Requirements (67K)
Right Click the file and choose Save Target As: to download the file.