(1) The secretary may appoint review panels consisting of members from various art and cultural disciplines and programs to assist the council in the grant review process. Each panel member shall be appointed to a 1-year term. Each panel shall consist of practicing artists or other professionals actively involved in the specific discipline or program for which the panel has been appointed. Each panel shall review and score grant applications and recommend to the council the applicants to which grants should be awarded. The panels shall submit lists of eligible applicants by score. The division shall adopt rules establishing a formula for such scoring.
(2) The council and each panel shall provide a forum for public comment before voting on any grant application.
(3) After the council reviews the lists of eligible applicants submitted by each review panel, it shall develop two lists, one of which must consist of eligible applicants for general program support funding and one of which must consist of eligible applicants for specific cultural project funding, and submit the lists to the secretary. The secretary shall review the council’s recommendations and, beginning July 1, 2010, include the lists of approved applicants in the department’s legislative budget request submitted to the Legislature.
(4) Project grants shall be funded from the secretary’s approved list by score until all appropriated funds are depleted. If specific project grant funds are returned to the division, it shall award such funds to the next grant applicant on the secretary’s list of approved applicants. General program support grants shall be awarded to applicants on the secretary’s list in amounts determined by rule.
(5) The division shall fund:(a) Grants for general program support for science museums, youth and children’s museums, historical museums, local arts agencies, state service organizations, and organizations that have cultural program activities in any of the art and cultural disciplines defined in s. 265.283. (b) Grants for specific cultural projects for arts in education, museums, Culture Builds Florida, or nonprofit public or private organizations having cultural project activity in any of the art and cultural disciplines.
(c) Grants for a touring program that has a selection procedure that ensures the maximum opportunity for Florida artists and cultural groups.
(d) An individual artist fellowship program. The division shall establish a selection procedure that identifies individual artists of exceptional talent and demonstrated ability and distribute grant appropriations as provided by rule.
(e) Other programs consistent with the purpose of this act.
(6) The division shall adopt rules establishing:(a) Eligibility criteria for the award of grants, which may include, but need not be limited to, application requirements, program quality, artistic quality, creativity, potential public exposure and benefit, the ability to properly administer grant funds, professional excellence, fiscal stability, state or regional impact, matching requirements, and other requirements to further the purposes of this act.
(b) Particular grant programs, categories of grants, and procedures necessary for the prudent administration of the grant programs.
(c) The panel review process, including, but not limited to, criteria for reviewing grant applications to ensure compliance with applicable federal and state law, including those related to discrimination and conflicts of interest. The division may not award any new grant that will, in whole or in part, inure to the personal benefit of any council or review panel member during the member’s term of office if the council or panel member participated in the vote of the council or panel recommending the award. This paragraph does not prohibit the division from awarding a grant to an entity with which a council or panel member is associated.
(7) The division shall award grants:(a) To supplement the financial support of artistic and cultural activities and programs that, without the assistance, may otherwise be unavailable to Florida residents.
(b) To activities and programs that have substantial artistic and cultural significance and emphasize creativity and professional excellence.
(c) To activities and programs that meet the professional standards or standards of authenticity of significant merit, regardless of origin.
(d) For other reasons consistent with this act.
(8) Eligible grantees must:(a) Be a nonprofit, tax-exempt Florida corporation; or
(b) A local or state governmental entity, school district, community college, college, university, agency of state government, or artist engaged in or concerned with arts and cultural activities.
(9) In order to equitably distribute limited state funding, applicants may apply for and be awarded only one grant per annual grant cycle, except for cultural facilities, a cultural endowment, or touring program grants and individual artist fellowships.
(10) Of the total amount of grant funds available from all sources for grants, except cultural facilities and cultural endowments, 70 percent shall be awarded on at least a dollar-to-dollar matching basis. Up to 50 percent of the grantee’s match may consist of in-kind funds. Up to 30 percent of all grant funds may be awarded on a nonmatching basis, including individual fellowships.
(11) The division shall adopt rules to administer and implement this section.
