Challenge America

Grant
A Letter of Intent
April 16, 2015

Kayla Hof
Meghann Kuhlman
Grace Peterson
Davis Steen

INTRODUCTION
Our group would like to create a proposal to develop an art program specifically for
disabled children within the Fargo-Moorhead area. Through the National Endowment
of the Arts (NEA) Challenge America Grant 2016, we would like to create an arts
event that would further our community through art. By joining another organization,
such as The Arts Partnership (TAP) or Fargo Public Schools, we believe that we can
create a program that can be inclusive of all children in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
The Challenge America 2016 grant focuses on giving money to areas where art is
underrepresented in the community. It has two objectives: that the project engages
the community through diverse and excellent art and strengthens community through
said art. This grant will give the HeARTS collective the opportunity to extend artistic
opportunities to a demographic of the population that is easily passed over. This
grant will give our group the financial means to use art to enrich of the lives of
children.
After some moderate research, our group noticed that there are no art programs
available exclusively for disabled students. This is a serious oversight; all children
deserve access to a multitude of recreational programs. After seeing the lack of
representation in the Fargo-Moorhead community, our group found the Challenge
American 2016 grant, which would give our group the funds to create these
programs. These children will benefit from having an art program especially for them,
as will parents. This will create a secure space for the children to express
themselves. Art is also a therapeutic pastime, which can benefit children of all
disabilities.
By linking with another organization to match the Challenge America 2016 grant, the
HeARTS collective will be able to use art to enrich the lives of children and the
Fargo-Moorhead area.

OBJECTIVES
One of our main objectives with this grant is to enhance the emerging arts scene in
the Fargo-Moorhead area. While the arts are definitely an integral part of the
community, we as a group feel that there is a lot of room for development and have a
strong desire to help incorporate art into the daily lives of our fellow community
members. The arts are a wonderful way to bring people together through expression
and shared aesthetic value. By providing people with the foundations to explore their
creative interests, we hope to inspire people find passion and pleasure in the everchanging world of art. In doing so the community will be bonded through various
mediums regardless of social or cultural background and it will be stronger as a
result.
Another one of our objectives is to support a demographic that is often underserved,
specifically children with physical or mental disabilities. We strongly believe that art
has powerful therapeutic qualities. It is a very positive way to express oneself while
creating something beautiful in the process. We hope that by starting a program that
allows these children to create art they will not only feel connected to each other, but
also to both the FM community and the world of art. On a more simplistic level,
making art is an enjoyable experience for most. By providing these children with a
fun way to express themselves we feel that this program will benefit them greatly.

METHODS
The HeARTS Collective noticed the disparity of arts-related events, classes, and
activities for handicapped or disabled children and wanted to make a difference
within their own community. We plan to change this by creating classes through artsrelated organizations that benefit this group of people. We have looked into working
with The Arts Partnership, since they would also qualify for this grant, and trying to
use their vast connections to further this cause.
Other methods that the HeARTS Collective would look into would be to employ
volunteers or workers who would know how to work with people that fall into this
group. Unfortunately, some children with disabilities can be difficult to work with,
should we not know what to do. So, by employing these types of people, that
specialize in this type of care, we would be able to make the events and activities
very enjoyable for the kids while keeping them moving. We, unfortunately, do not
have a huge background in teaching and running of children, so this would be
needed for our program.
We would also like to look into making these events happen year round. There are
many arts events that pop up once and go away. They were really nice for the
people who went, but unfortunately, the people running them only planned for one
event. In order to make a influential change in our community, we would need to
ensure that these classes and activities continued, hopefully the grant money would
ensure that we would have the funding, but we could look into community donations
to keep this program running.
Our final method is research of our community. We feel that this would very much
benefit our community, but it would be important to learn whether there was backing
for this type of movement within the community. There would be no way for us to
move forward with this if we had no backing for it. This would be a crucial first step
for us in discovering just what we need to do for this and just how extensive we
would need to go.

GRADING RUBRIC
Rhetorical situation:
Responds to the audience (or RFP) with carefully constructed arguments
develops a logic that shows relation to each section to the next
Fits all generic slots (situation, objectives, methods, qualifications, costs,
benefits) or all slots asked for in the RFP.
Responds to hot button issues and has these developed as themes
throughout the document
Employs effective transitions
Incorporates information that reflects careful research on the topic.
/90 points
Visual Design:
Professional design choices employed via C.R.A.P
All design choices show attention to consistency
Charts and graphs are used when appropriate
Professional Presentation is clear and present
/45 points
Grammar/Mechanics and Usage:
Point of view remains consistent throughout the document
Lists are employed when relevant
Professional language and tone is used throughout the document
Demonstrates careful attention to editing and proofreading
/15 points

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