Registration deadline: March 3
Application deadlines: May 1, July 1, September 5

Support is available for renovation, expansion, or restoration projects, subject to the eligibility limitations previously outlined. Support is not available for equipment or for the construction of entirely new facilities.

The Council will award up to 50% of the costs of construction materials and labor. The maximum grant is $50,000; the minimum grant is $5,000. Organizations may not include other New York State funds in their project budgets. Project budgets may include in-kind goods and services.

Loans of up to $100,000 are made for a term of up to 10 years at a fixed interest rate of 3% with no pre-payment penalty. Groups may apply for both a grant and a loan for a maximum combined amount of $150,000.

Application Instructions

The on-line application form includes the following questions, and a project budget. Required support materials are listed below.

Application Narrative Questions
(Capital Grants, Capital Grants and Loans)

1. Facility Use
Describe the program activities and services that take place in the facility that your organization plans to renovate.

2. Project History
Establish the need for the project and explain the planning process that resulted in the identification of this project as meeting the defined need. Describe the artistic and financial impact of the completed project on your operations.  

3. Construction Work
Provide a detailed description of the work to be performed by the contractors. Who will manage the construction project, someone on your staff or a hired construction manager?

4. Consultants Qualifications
Briefly describe your architect or engineer's qualifications as they relate to the project for which support is requested. List some similar projects that he/she has recently completed.

5. Capital Campaign
Describe how you will raise the funds necessary to complete the project. If this project is part of a larger construction project, describe the overall plan. Identify any fundraising consultants used for either the planning or implementation stages of the campaign.  

6. Long-range Capital Plans
Describe other facility-related projects planned for the next three to five years, if applicable.

7. Facility and Program Accessibility
Describe how this capital project will help make your facilities, programs, and activities more accessible to people with disabilities.

8. Maintenance
If appropriate, describe the ability of the organization to operate and maintain the facility after improvements are made.

9. Certified Minority and Women-owned Contractors
Describe any efforts made to obtain estimates from certified minority and/or women-owned construction contractors.

Support Materials

Site Control documents
A copy of documents reflecting the organization's ownership (deed) or control of the property (lease) is due at the registration deadline in March. If the organization owns its building and has applied to Capital Projects since March, 2001, it does not need to submit the title/deed to the facility.

The following support materials must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the program by the application deadline. If you want support materials returned, provide a self-addressed stamped envelope.

1. One set of full construction documents in biddable form (blueprints and specifications or project manuals). These materials should be prepared by licensed architects or engineers. Materials for larger projects should be as complete and detailed as possible. The construction documents are reviewed by panelists who are licensed architects and engineers. Capital Projects rarely supports projects with plans in a "design/build" format.

2. At least two comparable contractors' written estimates based on the construction documents

3. Estimate summary form: summary of contractor' estimates

4. Capital budget summary form: Spreadsheet containing organization's total capital contributions or grants and expenses for the request year and two previous fiscal years.

5. Letter from an architect, engineer, or contractor stating the useful life of the proposed capital project. See examples excerpted from NYS Finance Law.

6. Most recently completed financial statement, preferably an audited statement.

7. Feasibility study, business plan, and capital campaign plan for the project, if available.

8. Up to 12 slides or CD-ROM images providing a "virtual tour" of the facility and programs and up to 4 images of the consultant's work with a script.

Proposals for combined grant and loan requests must also include the following for the purpose of a credit review.

1. Audited financial statements for the applicant's last three fiscal years as well as actual and projected current-year statements

2. Complete borrowing history

3. Contact information for legal counsel, accountant and bank references

4. Loan repayment plan

Capital Project Budgets  

Applicants to Capital Projects complete a different budget form from the one used for other Council requests. Although NYSCA Capital Project funds are used for construction expenses only, certain project expenses, such as consultant's fees, filing fees, and administrative overhead, are included in the project budget form to accurately reflect the total cost of the project.

Applicants requesting support for installation of elevators, wheelchair lifts, boilers, and HVAC systems should apply under this category and include those items on the "materials" line of the project budget.

Use the budget notes box at the end of the Capital Projects budget form to detail "Other Income" sources in the budget and indicate whether funds are projected, pledged, or secured. The value of in-kind contributions must be reflected on both the income and expense side of the budget.