What is the Peer Advisor Network?

The Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Peer Advisor Network (PAN) is a flexible, short-term consulting service that matches a non-profit arts or community cultural group with a designated Peer Advisor.  Peer Advisors are seasoned Connecticut professionals selected and trained to provide consultation (one-on-one or group meetings) to address organizational health and capacity issues.  The PAN Program is modeled after the nationally recognized peer advising program of the Arts Extension Service at the University of Massachusetts. 

Peer support can help organizations & groups with planning, organizational issues, financial management, technology, programming, marketing, community participation, evaluation, and more.

Working with a Peer Advisor, you can:

• establish direction at a crucial time (support leadership transitions, conduct an organizational assessment, non-profit start-up, etc.)
• develop your organization’s  functional capacity (Board or staff development, fund raising, program evaluation, etc.)
• address a particular project or issue (office technologies, preparing a marketing plan, soliciting community input, etc.)
• ascertain priorities (strategic planning, advocacy, facility planning, etc.)
• and much more!

What does it cost?

Cultural organizations or groups can receive from a half-day (4 hours) to up to two days (16 hours) of on- or off-site direct consulting services in the form of individual meetings, group meetings, and/or training.  Peer Advisor fees are set at $300 per day: the Commission subsidizes two thirds of the Advisor fee ($200/day) and the Client pays the remaining one third ($100/day).  Clients must cover travel.  A full list of advisor services is listed in the Application Form.

Who is eligible?

The following are eligible for a Peer Advisor assignment:

• Connecticut arts and cultural non profit organizations
• Connecticut arts and cultural municipal organizations
• Connecticut emerging arts and cultural groups and associations

The following are NOT eligible for a Peer Advisor assignment:

• Individuals
• State agencies
• For profit organizations/businesses
• Other than arts and cultural organizations & emerging groups (social service, civic, healthcare, etc.)

How do I apply?

Contact the local arts agency that serves your town (see list).  A phone conversation about your organization’s or group’s current needs will help to clarify and prepare your application.  Read the PAN Program Guidelines for further details regarding contract terms, application, and annual maximums.

The application includes an Organizational Self-Assessment.  Forms are also available online from each PAN Regional Office (see contact information below).  A PAN Program Manager will call or email you upon initial review of your application to notify you of approval for a Peer Advisor match.  Every effort will be made to assign a Peer Advisor within the needed time frame.

Application Review Criteria:  Eligible applications are reviewed year-round – there are no application deadlines.  Review criteria include the appropriateness of the request, the prospects for a positive outcome, and the applicant’s readiness to act in response.  If recommended for approval, the PAN Regional Office will discuss your request with an appropriate Peer Advisor, notify the client of a potential match, and forward relevant materials to the selected Advisor.  The Peer Advisor will contact the client directly to discuss pertinent needs and logistics and will initiate a Memorandum of Understanding.

The Memorandum of Understanding:  The terms of each advising assignment, made in writing, are signed by client and the Peer Advisor.  A Memorandum of Understanding is available from the program.

Evaluation:  To assess quality of service and overall effectiveness, a Final Report form must be submitted by both the Client and the Peer Advisor within two weeks following the culmination of the advising assignment.  Additional PAN assignments will not be awarded unless prior evaluations have been submitted.

Confidentiality:  Peer Advisors commit to keep confidential all information shared during a PAN consultancy.  Likewise, PAN office staff and CCT keep confidential all information related to a Peer Advisor consultancy.

Who can I contact?

The Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism is partnering with five local arts agencies to administer the Peer Advisor Network.  See the town listing below for you PAN Regional Office.

Fairfield Arts Council

PO Box 320963

Fairfield, CT 06825

(203) 319-1419 info@fairfieldartscouncil.org

Greater Hartford Arts Council

GHAC Main Office/Hartford

(860) 525-8629 www.letsgoarts.org  info@letsgoarts.org

Greater Hartford Arts Council East of the River

Community Y Recreation Center

78 North Main Street

Manchester, CT 06040

(860) 647-1454  www.letsgoarts.org  lmiller@letsgoarts.org

Greater Hartford Arts Council West of the River

25 Arts Center Lane

Avon, CT 06001

(860) 678-1867 x 107 www.letsgoarts.org  lmiller@letsgoarts.org

Northwest Connecticut Arts Council

333 Kennedy Drive

PO Box 39 Torrington, CT 06790

(860) 482-6586 www.artsnwct.org  info@artsnwct.org

Shoreline Arts Alliance

725 Boston Post Road

Guilford, CT 06437-2752

(203) 453-3890 www.shorelinearts.org   info@shorelinearts.org

Windham Area Arts Collaborative

PO Box 472

866 Main Street

Willimantic, CT 06226 www.windhamarts.org  info@windhamarts.org

For forms and additional info please check out the following links:

PAN FLIER

PAN GUIDELINES

PAN APPLICATION

PAN ORGANIZATION SELF-ASSESSMENT

PAN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

PAN CLIENT FINAL REPORT

PAN ADVISOR FINAL REPORT

PAN Regional Offices:  Look for your town below, listed alphabetically under each PAN Regional Office.

Fairfield Arts

Council

Ansonia

Bethany

Beacon Falls

Bethel

Bridgeport

Bridgewater

Brookfield

Danbury

Darien

Derby

Easton

Fairfield

Greenwich

Middlebury

Monroe

Naugatuck

New Canaan

New Fairfield

Newtown

Norwalk

Oxford

Prospect

Redding

Ridgefield

Seymour

Shelton

Southbury

Stamford

Stratford

Trumbull

Waterbury

Weston

Westport

Wilton

Wolcott

Woodbridge

Greater Hartford

Arts Council

EAST

Andover

Bolton

East Granby

East Hartford

East Windsor

Ellington

Enfield

Glastonbury

Hebron

Manchester

Marlborough

Somers

South Windsor

Vernon

Greater Hartford

Arts Council

WEST

Avon

Berlin

Bloomfield

Bristol

Burlington

Canton

Farmington

Granby

Hartford

New Britain

Newington

Plainville

Rocky Hill

Simsbury

Southington

Suffield

West Hartford

Wethersfield

Windsor

Windsor Locks

Northwest Connecticut

Arts Council

Barkhamsted

Bethlehem

Canaan

Colebrook

Cornwall

Goshen

Hartland

Harwinton

Kent

Litchfield

Morris

New Hartford

New Milford

Norfolk

North Canaan

Plymouth

Roxbury

Salisbury

Sharon

Sherman

Thomaston

Torrington

Warren

Washington

Watertown

Winchester

Woodbury

Shoreline Arts

Alliance

Branford

Cheshire

Chester

Clinton

Cromwell

Deep River

Durham

East Haddam

East Hampton

East Haven

East Lyme

Essex

Groton

Guilford

Haddam

Hamden

Killingworth

Lyme

Madison

Meriden

Middlefield

Middletown

Milford

New Haven

New London

North Branford

North Haven

Old Lyme

Old Saybrook

Orange

Portland

Stonington

Wallingford

Waterford

Westbrook

West Haven

Windham Area

Arts Collaborative

Ashford

Bozrah

Brooklyn

Canterbury

Chaplin

Colchester

Columbia

Coventry

Eastford

Franklin

Griswold

Hampton

Killingly

Lebanon

Ledyard

Lisbon

Mansfield

Montville

North Stonington

Norwich

Plainfield

Pomfret

Preston

Putnam

Salem

Scotland

Sprague

Stafford

Sterling

Thompson

Tolland

Union

Voluntown

Willington

Windham

Woodstock