(a)

1. (1) Grant applications will be reviewed and evaluated as to their relevance to the mission and goals of the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program.
2. (2) The Black History Commission of Arkansas will make all funding decisions.

(b) The following criteria will be considered in reviewing grant applications:

1. (1) The degree to which the project preserves, commemorates, disseminates, or enhances the heritage of African Americans in Arkansas;
2. (2) The quality and amount of archival materials to be acquired or generated by the project and submitted to the Arkansas History Commission and Arkansas State Archives;
3. (3) The degree to which the project will create ongoing components (i.e., archival holdings, exhibits, displays, recurring events, etc.);
4. (4) New applicants and those who have not received funding during the previous year may be given priority;
5. (5) The relationship of the organization’s main mission to the grant program’s needs;
6. (6) The degree to which the project reflects the heritage of a community;
7. (7) The organization’s or individual’s relationship to the local community;
8. (8) The degree to which the project shows collaboration and cooperation among organizations or individuals in Arkansas;
9. (9) The likelihood that the project can be completed within the projected timeframe of the grant; and
10. (10) The likelihood that the project can be completed with available funds.

(d) The following activities are not eligible for funding from the program:

1. (1) Projects that exceed three thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500) in grant funds;
2. (2) Regular courses offered for credit, or associated costs (e.g., textbooks, tuition);
3. (3) For-profit projects or events;
4. (4) Fund state agencies or support groups of state agencies;
5. (5) Projects, events, or purchases occurring outside the established grant cycle;
6. (6) Operational expenses (i.e., salaries, rent, utilities, storage);
7. (7) Equipment (e.g., computers, cameras, digital recorders, furniture), unless applicant can demonstrate that such equipment will be utilized in an ongoing or permanent basis for the same or closely-related purpose or purposes of the grant;
8. (8) Purchase of property or real estate;
9. (9) Construction, preservation, or renovation of structures; and
10. (10) Contributions or donations to individuals (i.e., pass-through funds).