GRANT APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & PROCEDURES

The Kulas Foundation uses Grant Application Forms for consideration of applications for grants. The applicants must complete and submit the proper application form before it will be submitted for consideration. There are three different forms of which two are for special requests; i.e., 1) Student Ticket Plan Requests and 2) Music Therapy Requests. The third form, "Application for Grant," is to be used for requests that do not fall into either of the special categories. Each form explains the information needed as well as designates the number of copies required. The applications should not include notebooks, binders or plastic folders.

The Trustees meet four times annually to consider grant applications. Generally these meetings are held in March, June, September and December, but these dates are subject to frequent changes. All applications for grants are acknowledged when received and the applicant is then informed at which meeting consideration will be given. All applicants are notified within two to three weeks after a meeting concerning the action taken by the Trustees. The deadline for each of the distribution meetings is approximately six weeks before the meeting. Application forms and information on meeting dates may be obtained by telephoning, or writing, to the Foundation:

President, Kulas Foundation
50 Public Sq., Ste. 924
Cleveland, Ohio 44113-2203
Telephone: (216) 623-4770 or (216) 623-4771
Fax: (216) 623-4773

FOUNDATION GUIDELINES

Listed below are the general guidelines which the trustees consider in making grants. This list is not complete as the trustees may establish allocations of total distribution for certain categories of requests and, from time to time, may desire to emphasize certain types of grants. All guidelines are subject to change within the discretion of the trustees, who are wholly responsible for the distribution of the income and preservation of the assets of the Foundation.

A. GENERAL

1. Only requests from organizations properly classified by the Internal Revenue Service as being eligible to receive grants from private foundations will be considered. Furthermore, it is mandatory that each applicant have on file with the Foundation its most recent I.R.S. letter of classification.
2. Only requests from organizations residing in Cuyahoga County or its contiguous counties will be considered.
3. No loans will be made by the Foundation.
4. Any grant awarded must be expended in accordance with the request, or as modified in the grant. If any monies are not spent as requested or as granted, such money shall be returned to the Foundation, or the Foundation must be asked for further instructions.
5. Any publicity on a grant, unless specified by the grant, is the responsibility of the grantseeker. The Foundation would appreciate receiving copies of any printed publicity that might result from an award.
6. Any request must be submitted on the proper request form. (See Grant Applications)
7. If between the time of making a grant and the payment(s) thereof any event of a substantial nature changes the grantseeker's organizational structure, operations, tax or legal status or competitive environment, the Foundation may, at its discretion, advance, postpone, reschedule or cancel any future payment.

B. STUDENT TICKET PLAN

1. All general guidelines (see above) apply.
2. The Foundation will select those institutions that shall participate in the annual awarding of grants under this plan, which permits students of local colleges and universities to enjoy the finer cultural activities of the region.
3. The awardee's responsibility is to select the cultural events, obtain the tickets and distribute them to their students.
4. The Foundation requires an annual reporting of the general use of the funds provided.
5. The Foundation's only responsibility is the awarding and paying of the grant.

C. MUSIC THERAPY

Throughout her life, Mrs. Kulas was fascinated with the beauty and power of music and became an early advocate of music therapy. Before her death in 1957, she helped establish the Department of Music Therapy at the Cleveland Music School Settlement. She would be rightfully proud of what that department has accomplished in assisting individuals in need of such therapy and in the training and certification of music therapists.

The science and practice of music therapy has grown from its infancy of dreams to a profession of accomplishments. Annually, more and more dedicated and trained musicians choose to pursue a degree in music therapy from institutions of higher learning and become certified to practice music therapy. Some even receive master's and doctorate degrees. And annually, more of the professionals working in the medical, surgical, psychological, sociological and related fields are finding their patients can be helped by music therapists.

Following the death of Mrs. Kulas and until the early 1990's, the Foundation's support of music therapy generally took the form of grants assisting the establishment of new music therapy departments in a variety of institutions, or providing for research; one such project was to prove the positive value of music therapy in assisting juvenile offenders to regain meaningful direction of their lives.

Since 1990, the Foundation has concentrated support of music therapy in research grants. Under this current policy, meaningful research has been performed in the fields of 1) patients suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's Disease, 2) psychiatric patients suffering from schizophrenia, and 3) abused and abandoned children suffering attachment disorders. In each case, the research has uncovered increased value to be gained from properly applied music therapy. Four new research projects are underway: 1) music therapy with prematurely born infants, 2) music therapy in a hospice dealing with the homeless, 3) use of music therapy on patients suffering from severe burns and 4) music therapy with patients recovering from cardiac surgery or treatment.

To qualify for support of the Foundation, all research must:

1. Be done within the Foundation's territorial limits: i.e., Cuyahoga County and its contiguous counties in Ohio.
2. Be conducted under the supervision of a degreed music therapist who is a qualified researcher.
3. Be ascertained to be of a nature not previously researched - or of a nature that more research is needed to clarify or expand previous research.
4. Be phased so that the proposed research will be completed in three or fewer years, during which time quarterly reports are to be sent to the Foundation for evaluation.

The project leader must:

1. Be willing to publish or otherwise disseminate the results of the project.
2. Be monitored by Foundation consultants.
3. Return unspent funds if the proposed project is not carried to completion, or fails to comply with the original proposal, unless it is mutually agreed to be amended.

The Foundation was honored in 1996 with a Presidential Award from the National Association for Music Therapy for the Foundation's "support of the music therapy profession."

Before submitting an application, a full discussion of the research project should be held with the President of the Foundation.

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