New Requirements for FY24

1. Arts organizations must have a designated accessibility coordinator.  This requirement must be met prior to submitting an application.

An Accessibility Coordinator is an individual who serves as an organization’s primary contact for ADA-related inquires and requests and is responsible for completing an organization's ADA Self-Evaluation.  This individual must be a member of the paid staff, or if your organization is all-volunteer, then this individual must be member of your board/team.

2. An applicant must complete an ADA Self-Evaluation to receive grant funds. The ADA Self-Evaluation is not due at the time of application.

Completing an ADA Self-Evaluation is the first step that an organization takes to evaluate the accessibility of its public facilities and its programs/services and activities. It is a basic tool to assist an organization in improving access for people with disabilities.  In addition, an ADA Self-Evaluation can help legally protect an organization against grievances as it helps to demonstrate that an organization is on a path towards ADA improvement.

COA will provide SAP applicants with an ADA Self-Evaluation on its e-grant Apply portal. Applicants will receive notification once the ADA Self-Evaluation is available. Organizations will have an option to upload a recently completed ADA Self-Evaluation of their own or to complete the ADA Self-Evaluation provided by COA.

Grant funds will not be disbursed to an organization that does not fulfill the ADA Self-Evaluation requirement. 

Americans with Disability Act (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, access to government programs/services, and last but not least, arts-making and arts participation.

The Connecticut Office of the Arts is a grantee of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which means we receive federal dollars through the NEA.  We disburse these federal funds to arts organizations through our grant programs, including Supporting Arts. When your organization receives a grant from a program supported by federal funds, your organization is a sub-grantee of the NEA.

The NEA requires all grantees and sub-grantees to be in compliance with Section 504 and all applicable requirements of the American Disability Act. Your organization must ensure that its facilities and its programs/services and activities are conducted in compliance with Section 504 and all applicable requirements of Americans with Disabilities Act. If it is discovered that your organization is in noncompliance, COA has authority to suspend and/or terminate funding.