PowerPoint Slides from the presentations that were done around the State of Minnesota which feature: the purpose of the grants program, recent legislative changes to the program and the new MHS Grants Portal.

1. Successful Grant Projects in the New Biennium Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants

2. Background to legacy amendment Experience from the last biennium Programmatic changes for this biennium Grant Proposal Review Roll out of the new MHS Grants Portal Opportunity for Q & A and any feedback Today’s Agenda

3. Constitutional Amendment in 2008 “may be spent only for arts, arts education, arts access and to preserve Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage.” “The dedicated money under this section must supplement traditional sources of funding for these purposes and may not be used as a substitute.” One of many programs funded was the Minnesota Historical & Cultural Grants Guided by a citizen advisory committee Legislative Background

4. Minnesota History Coalition Council for Minnesota Archaeology Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums Minnesota Archaeological Society Minnesota Digital Library Minnesota Genealogical Society Minnesota Historical Society Minnesota History Advocates for Research Minnesota’s Historic Northwest Preservation Alliance of Minnesota History Community Response

5. Transparent, Accountable Legacy – an enduring value to the public Competitive Project based Projects meet professional history criteria Clear need and rationale Measurable outcomes Sustainable, “no tails” Expectations Background

6. Enthusiastic Response 882 applications in 13 months 474 funded (54%) At least one awarded in each county History report held up as an example Biennial Final Report Completion Rate: 96% Results in MHCG

7. Increased funding Completion dates New HRAC New deadlines Mandatory pre-application New MHS Grants Portal powered by Fluxx Changes for Second Biennium

8. FY 2010-2011 (immediate past) ACHF: $93 million History: $22 million (23.7% of ACHF) MHCG: $6.75 million (30.7% of history, 7.3% of ACHF) FY 2012-2013 (current) ACHF: $105.3 million (13.2% ) History: $24.1 million (9.5% , 22.9% of ACHF) MHCG: $10.5 million (55.6% , 43.6% of history, 9.9% of ACHF) https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/?id=6&doctype=Chapter&year=2011&type=1 Change: Funding

9. Change: Completion Dates

10. Follows the 2009 language New solicitation Self-nominations due September 9 Letter of interest Brief resume References Grants Office Historic Resources Advisory Committee Minnesota Historical Society 345 Kellogg Blvd. W. St. Paul, MN 55102 or mnshpo@mnhs.org Change: HRAC

11. Based on usage in first biennium Fast Track: September 16, 2011 October 21, 2011 January 13, 2012 February 17, 2012 March 23, 2012 June 15, 2012 Mid-, Large-Size, and Partnerships Mandatory pre-application: October 7 Final application: November 18 Change: Deadlines

12. Grant Proposal Review

13. What are you doing? How are you doing it? What do you want to accomplish/what are your goals? Be as specific as the space allows. (~3200 words) Project Description

14. Why are you doing this project? Consumer Demand Presence in a report or plan Timeliness (often, anniversaries) Meet a standard Complement or update preexisting historic resources Need and Rationale

15. Be specific Sequence of work Time needed to complete each step Is there enough time allotted for each task? Do the math! For example, how many objects can you realistically get cataloged in an hour or a day? Try doing a test. Did you allow time to evaluate your project? Do a survey, for example, to measure your outcomes. Work Plan and Timetable

16. MHS Executive Council/Committee has to approve all grants. Take this into consideration for your project start date. Fast Track: roughly 45 days after deadline Mid-, Large, and Partnership 5 months after pre-application deadline Letters informing you that you received a grant go out a day or two after they meet. It will still be at least a month after that before you receive money. And it could be even longer if you are slow getting your paperwork back in. Work Plan and Timetable

17. Who is going to work on the project? Regular staff? Full-time or part-time?—be sure to state that. Volunteers? Consultant(s) or other hired worker(s)? What are the qualifications for the tasks that each person will be performing? If you are hiring a consultant or worker(s), how do you plan to recruit them? Or, if you already have someone in mind, how did you decide on them? Project Personnel

18. Evaluation – Measuring Success How will we know if your project was successful? Did you complete your project? Did you reach your stated goals? Did you accomplish what you wanted to? SMART success: Specific – to your project. Measureable – accurate and complete. Actionable – helps correct or validate decisions. Relevant – can’t measure everything. Timely – have data when you need it. Outputs let you quantify your success. Outcomes let you qualify your success.

19. Outputs will support your project goals. Outputs are usually easy to measure – it’s counting widgets! How many objects did you catalog? What percentage of your collection did you inventory? How many oral history interviews did you conduct? How many people came to your program? Does it or doesn’t it meet Secretary of the Interior Standards? Evaluation – Measuring Outputs

20. Evaluation – Measuring Outcomes An outcome is a change in knowledge, behavior, or status A simple example: How many people took your genealogy class is an output; how many people actually learned to trace their family tree is an outcome. Don’t just assert something, substantiate it. Call the Grants Office for help if you get stuck on how to measure outcomes: 651-259-3467

21. Enduring Value: What “legacy” does this project provide for future generations? What outcomes or results will continue after the project is completed? Sustainability: Are there ongoing costs to sustain the project after the end of the grant period and can you pay for them? Are there continuing staffing needs and can you maintain them? Are there yearly fees or maintenance contracts and can you pay for those? Enduring Value & Sustainability

22. Project Budget Line items in the budget detail costs of goods or services. Articulate the budget for reviewers to understand your project. Don’t use vague descriptions such as “supplies.” Don’t forget to fill out the bottom section describing how you came up with those figures. Did you comparison shop? Is there a state or local contract you need to follow? Budget

23. Optional Matching Funds Don’t forget to include your time, other staff time, and volunteer time working on the project. On the Final Report – don’t forget to send in documentation of match. No documentation = doesn’t count. Budget

24. Financials for non-government entities with projects over $25,000. YES: 990, 990-EZ, Audit, Year End Financial Report NO: 990-N, Budget, Bank Statement, Balance Sheet Category-specific requirements: Be sure to Read the Guidelines! Example: Historic Properties require a Scope of Work form and photographs. Example: Digitization requires metadata samples. Not including required material can jeopardize your application. Required Attachments

25. Projects… are undertakings that require detailed planning are designed to accomplish prioritized goals or objectives have a purpose that supports the applicant's mission have a distinct beginning, and end with a product Fit more than one category? Split into phases. One or two sentence answers are insufficient. Remember, this is a competitive grant program. Indirect costs are not allowed. Do not hire a consultant, enter into a contract, or make purchases before receiving your “ok to proceed” letter. General Tips

26. MHS Grants Portal Instructions Online: http://bit.ly/nIRAur

27. MHS Grants Portal

28. MHS Grants Portal

29. MHS Grants Portal USERNAME: pat@acmehistoricalsociety.org PASSWORD: uyE4cki3

30. MHS Grants Portal USERNAME: pat@acmehistoricalsociety.org PASSWORD: uyE4cki3

31. MHS Grants Portal USERNAME: pat@acmehistoricalsociety.org PASSWORD: uyE4cki3

32. MHS Grants Portal USERNAME: pat@acmehistoricalsociety.org PASSWORD: uyE4cki3

33. MHS Grants Portal USERNAME: pat@acmehistoricalsociety.org PASSWORD: uyE4cki3

34. MHS Grants Portal USERNAME: pat@acmehistoricalsociety.org PASSWORD: uyE4cki3

35. MHS Grants Portal USERNAME: pat@acmehistoricalsociety.org PASSWORD: uyE4cki3

36. MHS Grants Portal USERNAME: pat@acmehistoricalsociety.org PASSWORD: uyE4cki3

37. MHS Grants Portal USERNAME: pat@acmehistoricalsociety.org PASSWORD: uyE4cki3

38. MHS Grants Portal

39. MHS Grants Portal

40. MHS Grants Portal

41. MHCG Manual: www.mnhs.org/legacygrants MHS Grants Portal grants.mnhs.org MHCG General Questions: grants@mnhs.org 651-259-3467 Ready reference links

42. Feedback: Like

43. Feedback: Please Improve

44. Please stick to global questions of broad interest to whole group Staff will stay to answer project specific questions after the presentation General Q & A

45. David Grabitske, oral history, interpretation, publications 651-259-3460, david.grabitske@mnhs.org Melinda Hutchinson, program questions, museum curation 651-259-3459, melinda.hutchinson@mnhs.org Joe Hoover, digitization, technology and the web 651-259-3461, joe.hoover@mnhs.org John Fulton, film and libraries 651-259-3467, john.fulton@mnhs.org Bob Herskovitz, museum environments, conservation 651-259-3465, bob.herskovitz@mnhs.org Natascha Wiener, historical architect 651-259-3462, natascha.wiener@mnhs.org Initial Help