2019-20 Stories: YES Award from Museum on Main Street Request for Proposal

Last updated 6/5/2020 1:27:01 PM

Request for Proposal

The EAST Initiative, in collaboration with Museum on Main Street at the Smithsonian, is pleased to be able to offer a grant opportunity for all EAST programs through the Stories: YES initiative. Any EAST Program in good standing is eligible to apply for the Stories: YES Award. Museum on Main Street (MoMS) is a project of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service with the mission of engaging with and promoting the revitalization of small rural communities. MoMS partners with small towns to bring national educational resources and programs to their local museums. MoMS partnered with the EAST Initiative to award chosen program applicants up to $1,000 for projects that meet the following requirements.

Grant Timeline:

Friday, May 17, 2019	Grant Announcement
Monday, May 20, 2019, 3:00 PM	EAST will begin accepting submissions (link opens)
Monday, July 1, 2019, 3:00 PM	Deadline for submissions (link closes)
EAST Seminar	Award Announcement

EAST 2019-20 Stories: YES Award from Museum on Main Street Website Link

The EAST 2019-20 Stories: YES Award from Museum on Main Street will officially open for applications on May 20, 2019 at 3pm. All applications must be submitted digitally through the EAST 2019-20 Stories: YES Award from Museum on Main Street submission link. The link will not open until 3pm on May 20, 2019, and then will close at 3:00 PM on July 1, 2019. You will receive an upload verification email. Any applications received after the submission deadline or via fax, email, or mail will be not be accepted.

Instructions for Submission

Download the file found below.
Rename the file by typing your school name at the front of the file name.
Open the file with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (a free download.)
Fill in the form. Save as needed.
Be sure to fill in the application completely BEFORE you start getting signatures. Once a signature is added, the form will be closed to editing.
Click "Fill & Sign" for signatures (in the right column of Acrobat Reader DC.) Then click on the pen nib icon that says "Sign" (at the top of the form) to create a signature.
Save the completed form.
Upload the form through the EAST 2019-20 Stories: YES Award from Museum on Main Street.

Click Here to Download RFP in PDF Format

Budget FAQs

Should I include taxes and/or shipping into my budget?

Taxes, shipping and handling should be figured into the total.

If selected, when will I receive funds from the award?

Selected EAST environments are written into Museum on Main Street grant cycle. Due to the nature of grants, we cannot guarantee that the program will be funded next year. If the grant funding is approved, you and your partner museum will receive the grant awards in early 2020 (January or February). We encourage you to use this opportunity to build a relationship with your partner museum in creating a local exhibit. In addition, we encourage you to seek additional funding resources (i.e. other grants) utilizing this project.

What materials can be purchased with the award?

Suggested items that could be bought with the award are pieces of equipment which increase the capabilities of your program. (An example would be purchasing a high quality microphone to compliment your existing video equipment.) Please consider items that would be needed to complete the project.

Application FAQS

If I am a school outside of Arkansas am I eligible?

Yes! All EAST environments are welcome and encouraged to apply.

What is the 2019-20 Stories: YES Award from Museum on Main Street Link? Where do I find it?

We are requiring all grant applications to be submitted digitally through the grant submission link. The link will be active starting at 3:00 PM on May 20, 2019. The link will then close at 3:00 PM on July 1, 2019. Any applications received after the submission deadline or via fax, email, or mail will NOT be accepted,

The grant submission link is located on the EAST Initiative Website. Click on “Grants” in the “Library” section of your myEAST dashboard. From there click on the “2019-20 Stories: Yes Award from Museum on Main Street” and the submission link will be on that page.

How will I know my application has been received?

You will receive a confirmation by email once your submission has been received. If you did not receive a confirmation email, your submission was not received.

Deliverable FAQS

What kind of projects are you looking for?

The Museum on Main Street staff encourages our EAST environments to bring technology into the “traditional” museum atmosphere. As a student, would you wish to visit an exhibit that is static paragraphs on the wall or something you could interact with? Interaction, of course! How can you turn the traditional upside-down? Would you include video? VR? 3D objects you can pick up and touch? Think outside the box and bring your exhibit to life!

What technical equipment are we required to use?

Technical equipment should be used to help tell a story that meets one of Museum on Main Street’s themes. What type of equipment is at the EAST environment’s discretion. We highly encourage you to use the equipment that you already have.

What are the expectations of the local community partner?

We expect for an EAST environment to estimate the number of volunteers the community partner will complete. We highly encourage EAST environments to include the local community partner into the planning process, the curation of materials and interviews with local experts, and the exhibition design. Working collaboratively with your museum partner will create a meaningful project for both of you.