| Question 1 |
What is the Tote Board Arts Grant? |
| Answer: |
The aim of the Tote Board Arts Grant is to subsidise the cost of quality arts education programmes, endorsed under the National Arts Council Arts Education Programme (NAC-AEP), to schools so as to promote arts appreciation among students. |
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| Question 2 |
How much grant does each school receive? |
| Answer: |
The Tote Board Arts Grant offers schools an annual grant of:
$10,000 to Institute of Technical Education
$15,000 to all Primary and Secondary Schools (government, government-aided, independent and specialised independent schools), Junior Colleges and Centralised Institute
$30,000 to all Polytechnics
Up to 40% of the grant can be used to purchase endorsed arts programmes and performances by foreign arts groups. |
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| Question 3 |
What can the Tote Board Arts Grant be used for? |
| Answer: |
This Arts Grant can be used by schools and polytechnics to:
subsidise 60% of the cost of arts education programmes booked under the National Arts Council Arts Education Programme (NAC-AEP)
subsidise 60% of the cost of tickets to performances which are endorsed by the NAC (Polytechnics are currently not eligible for this ticket subsidy) |
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| Question 4 |
FOR SCHOOLS: Does my school need to apply for this Arts Grant? |
| Answer: |
There is no need to apply for the grant unless the school has opted out of the scheme and wishes to re-join the scheme. All government and government-aided schools will receive the $15,000 grant in their schools account through the Integrated Financial Accounting and Administration System (IFAAS) in January each year. Independent and specialised independent schools, centralised institute, polytechnics and ITEs can make claims for re-imbursement on their annual NAC-AEP expenditure (see Q.9). |
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| Question 5 |
FOR SCHOOLS: How does the NAC-AEP benefit my school? |
| Answer: |
The NAC-AEP offers a wide range of quality arts education programmes covering the literary, performing and visual arts. These programmes selected by a panel of experts aim to raise arts participation and appreciation among students. Refer to Q.6 for more details. |
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| Question 6 |
FOR SCHOOLS: As a new teacher/administrative officer in charge of the arts, what do I need to prepare to benefit from the NAC-AEP? |
| Answer: |
Visit the NAC-AEP programme directory to select programmes categorised under Exposure, Experience and Excursion that best meet your objectives and desired outcomes. Do consider factors like the artists track record and the suitability of the programme for the target age group. Funding subsidy is available from the Tote Board Arts Grant. Refer to Q.2 and Q.3 |
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| Question 7 |
FOR SCHOOLS: How do I book and pay for an arts education programme? |
| Answer: |
Go to NAC-AEP Programmes for a list of programmes
Contact the NAC-AEP Provider directly
Sign contract/agreement letter issued by the NAC-AEP Provider
Make payment upon receipt of invoice from the NAC-AEP Provider. Refer to Q.9 and Q.10. |
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| Question 8 |
FOR SCHOOLS: What should I do if my school wishes to put in place a broad-based arts development plan to integrate the arts into the lives of its students? |
| Answer: |
Please refer to the National Arts Education Award framework as a guide to developing a broad-based arts development plan. Schools with extensive and comprehensive plans can also refer to the Artist-In-School scheme. |
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| Question 9 |
FOR SCHOOLS: How do I go about claiming the 60% subsidy from the Tote Board Arts Grant? |
| Answer: |
Government and government-aided schools can charge the NAC-AEP programmes or endorsed public performances to the Tote Board Arts Grant account in the IFAAS.
Independent and specialised independent schools can make claims for re-imbursement by submitting an account of NAC-AEP expenditure for the year, verified by the Principal, to the Finance and Development Division in the Ministry of Education, while Centralised Institute, Polytechnics and ITEs make their submissions directly to Tote Board. |
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| Question 10 |
FOR SCHOOLS:
FOR SCHOOLS USING THE IFAAS: What project code should I charge NAC-AEP expenditure to? |
| Answer: |
Schools should charge expenditure on endorsed local arts programmes and productions to the STB* Arts Grant (Local Only) project code (799021) and expenditure on endorsed foreign arts programmes and productions to the STB Arts Grant (Foreign and Local) project code (707001). Schools can also choose to charge expenditure on endorsed local programmes to 707001 when 799021 has reached its annual cap of $9,000 (60% of grant).
*Singapore Totalisator Board |
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| Question 11 |
FOR SCHOOLS: How do I pay for the remaining 40% of the programme cost? |
| Answer: |
Schools may use the Edusave Grant, Edusave Pupils Fund, School Operating Fund or other school funds, where available. They should comply with prevailing regulations governing the use of funds from these sources. |
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| Question 12 |
FOR SCHOOLS: Can my school accept discounted prices that vendors offer and still make the 60% claim out of the Tote Board Arts Grant at the discounted price? |
| Answer: |
Yes. As long as the programme is listed on the NAC-AEP programme directory and the vendor makes it clear in the invoice that a discount was given, schools can make a 60% claim out of the Tote Board Arts Grant at the discounted price. |
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| Question 13 |
FOR SCHOOLS: Can my school book the Arts Education Programme using school funds and not the Tote Board Arts Grant? |
| Answer: |
Yes. |
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| Question 14 |
FOR SCHOOLS: Do I book the programme through the National Arts Council (NAC) and is there a need to inform NAC of our school bookings? |
| Answer: |
Schools should contact the arts groups directly to book their programmes. Unless otherwise indicated, there is no need to inform NAC of your bookings. However, do submit your feedback to NAC upon completion of each programme. This feedback is crucial in our efforts to keep the standards of NAC-AEP programmes high. |
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| Question 15 |
FOR SCHOOLS: Are there programmes that do not qualify for the use of the Tote Board Arts Grant? |
| Answer: |
Yes. The following do not qualify for the subsidy:
a. Fund-raising events
b. Programmes rated R18
c. Shows with advisories due to themes that may not be suitable for students
d. School productions
e. Social dances, magic shows and pop concerts
f. Singapore Youth Festival activities
g. Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) |
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| Question 16 |
FOR SCHOOLS: Can we carry forward any unused portion of the Tote Board Arts Grant to the following year? |
| Answer: |
No. Schools can only make annual claims of up to:
$10,000 to ITE
$15,000 to all Primary and Secondary Schools (government, government-aided, independent and specialised independent schools), Junior Colleges and Centralised Institute
$30,000 to all Polytechnics
Unused portions will not be rolled over to the following year. Schools are therefore encouraged to utilise the Arts Grant by the end of each calendar year (financial year for polytechnics). |
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| Question 17 |
FOR SCHOOLS: Does my school need to ask for three quotes in order to book an Arts Education Programme? |
| Answer: |
Programmes valued at less than $3000 and are endorsed by NAC-AEP do not require three quotes. No Purchase Order is to be raised and schools can pay direct from the financial system after the completion of service. This is because NAC has already carried out the full process of evaluation and approval prior to listing them on this website, thereby fulfilling the Government Procurement principals of fairness and openness, transparency and value for money. |
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| Question 18 |
FOR SCHOOLS: When procuring AEP endorsed programmes that cost more than $3000, must my school use the GeBIZ platform? |
| Answer: |
As AEP-endorsed programmes have already been evaluated and approved by NAC, there is no need to go through the Invitation-to-Quote in GeBIZ. Schools can adopt a waiver on these procedures as these programmes were developed specially for NAC-AEP, and are hence unique.
However, schools will still need to get the Quotation Approval Panels (QAP) approval before raising a Purchase Order. The evaluation and approval will be done manually outside GeBIZ. |
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| Question 19 |
FOR SCHOOLS: How can my school justify that a particular programme is unique and no alternative provider exists? Can NAC verify that? |
| Answer: |
A panel of experts appointed by the NAC carries out a careful process of evaluation, looking at the quality of content and price, among other things. All programmes that meet the needs of the NAC-AEP are endorsed. These programmes are unique as they are tailored specifically to fit the requirements set out in NAC-AEP. |
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| Question 20 |
FOR SCHOOLS/ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS: Does the company/artist need to be GeBIZ registered? |
| Answer: |
Please refer to Q.16, Q.17 and Q.26. |
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| Question 21 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS: Is it necessary to submit booking reports and feedback from schools? |
| Answer: |
Yes. Arts groups and artists with endorsed programmes need to ensure that monthly booking reports and feedback from schools are submitted. Schools are also responsible for submitting feedback on the NAC-AEP programmes carried out.
The reports and feedback are important considerations in the assessment process for the future applications. |
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| Question 22 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS: How do we get our arts education programmes endorsed by NAC? |
| Answer: |
For the various application procedures, please refer to this page. |
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| Question 23 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS: Our programmes were endorsed for the previous year. Do we need to re-apply again for subsequent years? |
| Answer: |
Yes, you will still need to re-apply for subsequent years. Assessment will include considerations such as reviews from NAC-AEP assessors, feedback and response from schools.
NAC-AEP will gradually phase in a 2-year application and endorsement period for all NAC-AEP endorsed programmes. Please refer to Q.30. |
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| Question 24 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS: If we are submitting a programme previously submitted in the year before, must we fill in the application form all over again? |
| Answer: |
When you click on "New Application" in the artists' console, you will find an icon for 'COPY' at the bottom of page 1 of "New Application". Clicking on 'COPY' will open a new dialogue box where you will be able to click on the programme whose details you would like to copy onto the new application. |
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| Question 25 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS: How do we get our performances/events published on the Calendar of Events? |
| Answer: |
Only registered users will be able to gain access to the online form to publish the events on the Calendar of Events. An instruction manual can be downloaded once you have logged in using Singpass. Follow the instructions on the manual to publish your event on the Calendar. |
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| Question 26 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS:
Can we market our programmes to schools? |
| Answer: |
Yes. Arts groups and artists should market their programmes to schools. Programme brochures or letters to schools should provide schools with an idea of what your group does and what your programmes can offer to the school and its students. |
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| Question 27 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS: Do we need to be registered on GeBIZ? |
| Answer: |
Schools have been informed that AEP-endorsed programmes are unique as they are tailored to fit the requirements set out in NAC-AEP. This means that schools do not need to raise a Purchase Order for AEP-endorsed programmes through GeBIZ (Purchase Orders raised for programmes that cost more than $3,000 are done manually outside GeBIZ, see Q.16 and Q.17).
However, as government agencies are moving onto GeBIZ, NAC-AEP Providers are encouraged to be GeBIZ Trading Partners (www.gebiz.gov.sg). |
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| Question 28 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS:
What is a lesson plan? |
| Answer: |
A lesson plan outlines the content of the entire workshop, detailing what will be taught in each lesson and what will be covered in the entire duration of the workshop. Please click here for a sample of a basic lesson plan. |
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| Question 29 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS:
We would like to find out what was shared at the briefing for NAC-AEP providers on 13 Apr 2007. |
| Answer: |
Please click here for the powerpoint presentation shared at the briefing. |
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| Question 30 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS:
We would like to find out what was shared at the briefing for NAC-AEP providers on 1 April 2006. (Essentials of Lesson Plan) |
| Answer: |
Please click here for the powerpoint presentation shared at the briefing. |
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| Question 31 |
FOR ARTS GROUPS/PROVIDERS:
How long is the endorsement period for NAC-AEP? How often must I apply for endorsement? |
| Answer: |
NAC-AEP will gradually phase in a 2-year application and endorsement period for all NAC-AEP endorsed programmes. Please click here for more details.
You must re-apply for endorsement once the period of endorsement is over. Application always takes place a year before the endorsement is valid. |
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