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SCAC Grants Team to start ‘Grants Coaching’ series

Topics and training series starts July 2

Do you have questions about the South Carolina Arts Commission grants process? Could you use some pointers for managing a grant you already have?

Well, get a coach! Today, the SCAC announces...
Twice a month, our Grants Team will offer professional coaching in Topics and Training video conference sessions. The schedule will look like this

Topics | First Thursdays

  • Grants-related topics with Q&A time at the end
  • First Thursday of the month at 11 a.m., via Zoom

Training | Third Thursdays

  • The Grants Team will be available to answer your questions about the grants process.
  • Hop on to ask your question or stay on to hear other questions. Hop off at any time.
  • Third Thursday of the month at 3 p.m., via Zoom
These sessions are a free service and first-come, first-served based on time of registration. Space is limited, so please do not miss meetings for which you’ve reserved a spot! Find information on the scheduled topics and how to register on SouthCarolinaArts.com.

Jason Rapp

Grants Roundup: Deadlines for the Week of Dec. 2

Though far from the only thing, grants are among the main things we do here. Because of their importance in our work, and what they mean to so many of you, The Hub wants to help keep Arts Commission grants top-of-mind and reduce the number of times people say, "If only we'd known about (X or Y) grant!"

We can't reach everybody, but we can try. On Mondays* with deadlines on the horizon, "Grants Roundup" highlights first what grants are due that week and then includes what's coming later in increments.

*The Roundup might run on Tuesdays when state holidays occur on a Monday.

This week

These are to serve mainly as final reminders to finish in-progress applications. Most grant applications simply cannot be undertaken well in this short a time frame. Consult an appropriate member of our team with questions.

  • n/a

Next week

  • n/a

Next 30(ish)

Rolling Deadlines

Important Notes

Grants Roundup: Deadlines for the Week of Nov. 11

Though far from the only thing, grants are among the main things we do here. Because of their importance in our work, and what they mean to so many of you, The Hub wants to help keep Arts Commission grants top-of-mind and reduce the number of times people say, "If only we'd known about (X or Y) grant!" We can't reach everybody, but we can try. On Mondays with deadlines on the horizon, "Grants Roundup" highlights first what grants are due that week and then includes what's coming later in increments.

This week

These are to serve mainly as final reminders to finish in-progress applications. Most grant applications simply cannot be undertaken well in this short a time frame. Consult an appropriate member of our team with questions.

Next week

  • n/a

Next 30(ish)

  • n/a

Rolling Deadlines

Important Notes

  • You are encouraged to also consult the SCAC grants page for up-to-date information on all grant deadlines (subject to change) and deadlines for non-grant programs.
  • For next steps, grant guidance, and more information, consult the appropriate member of our team if you are an artist or represent local organizations, an educational institution, or a non-arts business or organization offering arts programming.

SCAC announces $4.4 million in FY20 grants to provide arts access across the state

Funding ‘vital’ for arts experiences, arts education programs

[caption id="attachment_41221" align="aligncenter" width="600"]A summer STEAM camp in 2018. Students participate in a summer STEAM camp in 2018.[/caption]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7 August 2019 COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina communities will benefit from $4.4 million in fiscal year 2020 grants to their artists, arts organizations, and schools announced today by the South Carolina Arts Commission. As they return to classrooms this month, around 170,000 South Carolina students will have access to the educational benefits of the arts as part of the school day thanks to Arts in Basic Curriculum Project grants to 83 schools and districts. Other grants range from operating grants and project support for organizations to seed money and fellowships for individual artists, ensuring an assortment of relevant arts experiences across South Carolina. “This public funding approved by the legislature is vital to those who receive arts commission grants, but public support of the arts represents so much more than monetary support,” South Carolina Arts Commission Executive Director David Platts said. “To the children who attended STEAM camps this summer in Allendale, Barnwell, and Clarendon counties, it represents exposure to a new world of possibility and engagement. It represents the lights on or rent paid to the small dance company in Columbia, small choir in Pickens, and the new orchestra in Rock Hill. It represents freedom to create for four fellowship recipients, four traditional arts mentors and their apprentices, and three artist entrepreneurs,” Platts said. “Our agency is immensely proud to help make these things possible in and for South Carolina.” Additional grants to be awarded throughout the year offer potential for impact in all counties. Among them are Arts Project Support grants, which offer funding for projects by artists and arts organizations; and Teacher Standards Initiative grants, which help teachers acquire supplies, materials, and expertise to meet the 2017 College and Career Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency. Both grants have rolling deadlines, and project support grants are designed to be accessible, streamlining the application process to remove barriers often faced by small organizations and individual artists. In FY19, which ended June 30, the S.C. Arts Commission for the first time placed a grant in each of the state’s 46 counties in a single year. A total of $4,377,035 was awarded. “That is a major milestone, and is the result of listening to the community, ground-level work, and sincere relationship building on the part of our team,” Platts said.

Amounts Awarded to Programs in Primary Grant Categories

Arts in Education: $2,074,476

Grants help fund curriculum planning and implementation, artist residencies, performances, professional development for teachers and summer and afterschool arts programs.
  • Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) Advancement: $899,207  Awarded to 83 schools and school districts that are participating in the Arts in Basic Curriculum Project, which works to ensure every child in South Carolina has access to a quality, comprehensive education in the arts. The ABC Project is cooperatively directed by the Arts Commission, the S.C. Department of Education, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University.
  • Arts Education Projects: $382,789 Thirty-eight grants funding projects and programs that support quality arts education programs in both traditional arts education settings (schools, arts organizations) and other organizations that utilize the arts to advance learning in children (social service, health, community, education or other organizations).
  • Education Pilot Projects: $480,000 Ten grants initiated by the agency for partners who carry out education initiatives.
  • Arts in Basic (ABC) Curriculum: $312,480 Two grants to support management of the ABC Project partnership.

Operating Support: $2,131,603

Grants help strengthen arts organizations that bring ongoing arts experiences and services to individuals, other organizations and communities throughout the state.
  • General Operating Support: $1,909,307 One hundred thirty grants for arts organizations.
  • Operating Support for Small Organizations: $111,972 Forty-six grants for arts organizations with annual expense budgets of less than $75,000.
  • Statewide Organizations: $110,324 Nine grants for arts organizations operating statewide.

Folklife and Traditional Arts: $113,033

Grants support programs that promote a greater understanding and visibility of South Carolina’s many cultures through documentation and presentation of traditional art forms, their practitioners and their communities.
  • Organization grants: $32,000 Six grants to support nonprofit organizations that seek to promote and preserve the traditional arts practiced across the state.
  • Apprenticeships: $10,000 Four grants that support a partnership between a master artist, who will share artistic and cultural knowledge, and a qualified apprentice, who will then continue to pursue the art form.
  • Partnerships: $71,033 One grant to support management of the Folklife and Traditional Arts Partnership.

Subgranting: $70,000

Seven awards to local arts councils that distribute quarterly grants to organizations and artists in their regions. This program is funded in part by an award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of The Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.

Artists Ventures Initiative: $10,000

Three grants to individual artists for projects designed to help them develop the knowledge and skills to build satisfying, sustainable careers.

Individual Artist Fellowships: $20,000

Four grants to individual artists to recognize and reward their artistic achievements. These were announced in July 2019 after approval by the SCAC Board of Directors.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

With a commitment to excellence across the spectrum of our state’s cultures and forms of expression, the South Carolina Arts Commission pursues its public charge to develop a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education, and economic vitality for all South Carolinians. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in three key areas:
  • arts education,
  • community arts development,
  • and artist development.
Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. For more information, visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696.

In which we try to catch up

Sorry we're behind.

You probably noticed it's been quiet on The Hub, and we appreciate your patience. Let's try to get everyone caught up with a collection of quick hits. Think "Tuning Up," but in the afternoon.
  • The Congressional Art Competition is looking for original art from high school students! Deadlines are normally in early May. Winners get their work displayed for a full year in the U.S. Capitol Building. The Hub thanks Rep. Joe Wilson's office for assisting with this entry.
  • Spring training gets underway this week for pro baseball, so what better time to let you know about the Atlanta Braves are debuting "Art in the Park" this season at their soon-to-be-renamed home. Artists from the team's geographic footprint will create posters in a series. Sara Thomas of Columbia is the only confirmed #SCartist in the starting lineup.
  • Visual artists: have you been affected by recent hurricanes, wildfires, or other natural or man-made disasters? The Joan Mitchell Foundation reopened applications for up to $6,000 in emergency support within three years of the event. Details & application: https://joanmitchellfoundation.org/artist-programs/artist-grants/emergency.
  • Quick reminder: The Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships of $50,000-$100,000 enable poets laureate to undertake impactful projects that engage citizens of all ages with poetry, helping to address issues that are important to their communities. The fellowships were established with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The application deadline is March 3.
  • Performing artists: USArtists International supports performances by U.S. dance, music, and theater ensembles and solo artists invited to perform at important cultural festivals and performing arts marketplaces anywhere in the world outside the U.S. and its territories. The next deadline is April 3, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. ET for engagements between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020. To learn more about the program, see additional deadlines or access the online application, please visit their website.

Grants Roundup: Deadlines for the Week of Jan. 7

Though far from the only thing, grants are certainly among the main things we do here. And because of their importance in our work, and what they mean to so many of you, The Hub wants to help keep Arts Commission grants top-of-mind and reduce the instances of people telling us, "If only we'd known about X grant!" We can't reach everybody, but we can try. On Mondays with deadlines on the horizon, "Grants Roundup" highlights first what grants are due that week and then includes what's coming later in increments.

GrantsThis week

These are to serve mainly as final reminders. Most grant applications simply cannot be undertaken well in this short a time frame. Consult your county or discipline coordinator with questions.
  • n/a

Next week

  • Jan. 15: ABC Advancement Grants (for schools and school districts seeking to implement standards-based arts curricula)
  • Jan. 15: AVI Grants letter of intent (encourage and enable the creation of new artist-driven, arts-based business ventures – a letter indicating intent to apply for the grant begins the process)

Next 30(ish)

Important Notes

  • You are encouraged to also consult the SCAC deadline page for up-to-date information on all grant deadlines (subject to change) and deadlines for non-grant programs.
  • For next steps, grant guidance, and more information, consult:
    • your county coordinator if you represent local organizations, businesses, or educational institutions, or
    • your discipline coordinator if you're an individual artist or serve the statewide population.

Removing barriers for small org operating support grants

Accessibility continues to guide the S.C. Arts Commission's approach to grant-making, and the agency is happy to announce changes to Operating Support for Small Organizations (OSS) grants that further that goal. Much important work is done by smaller organizations, those with a budget of $75,000 or less. SCAC awarded $83,000 among 34 OSS grantees for FY19 to help them further their work and serve South Carolina citizens and visitors. As the name suggests, the unrestricted awards of up to $2,500 could, quite literally, allow a group to keep its lights on. Removing barriers to applying for these grants is critical for organizations that have few, if any, full-time staff. As such, an application process that's less rigorous and time-consuming is appropriate compared to that for larger organizations, which must instead apply for General Operating Support (GOS) grants.

So, what's new for the FY20 cycle?

  • The awards now feature a two-year cycle, rather than one.
  • The match requirement is now 1:1 instead of 2:1. Every dollar awarded by the Arts Commission must only be matched once rather than twice. (For example, grantees must match a $1,000 grant with a $1,000 from their communities, rather than $2,000.)
  • An even more simplified application process, which had one requirement eliminated altogether among other changes.
  • On-going arts programs at non-arts organizations are now eligible for grants to support only that programming, as long as the budget for it is $75,000 or less.
Go here to learn more about OSS grants.

Get your piece of South Arts’ grants pie

One of the S.C. Arts Commission's critical partners is Atlanta-based South Arts, founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South ArtsSouth Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. They offer a portfolio of activities designed to address the issues important to our region and to link the South with the nation and the world through the arts. In addition to the S.C. Arts Commission, they partner with the state arts agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Like SCAC, South Arts is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, plus its member states, and foundations, businesses, and individuals. South Arts has several grant opportunities currently available to #SCartists and arts organizations in South Carolina. We are including descriptions of some upcoming opportunities, including informational webinar details is applicable.

Southern Prize and State Fellowships – Deadline: December 3, 2018 Visual arts fellowships of up to $30,000 As mentioned before, the South Arts State Fellowships and Southern Prize acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the American South. The South Arts State Fellowship is a state-specifi­c prize awarded to the artists whose work reflects the best of the visual arts in the South. A review panel will select one winner per eligible state, with artistic excellence being the sole criterion. Each winner will be awarded a $5,000 South Arts State Fellowship, earn a spot in the Southern Prize & State Fellowships Exhibition, and compete for one of the two South Arts Prizes. A national panel will then convene to evaluate the body of work represented by the nine State Fellowship recipients and select the Southern Prize winner and ­finalist to receive an additional $25,000 and $10,000 respectively, based on artistic excellence. The Southern Prize winner will also receive a two-week residency at The Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences. (These are a big deal!)   Momentum – Dance Touring Initiative for Southern Companies – Deadline: January 18, 2019 Funding and professional development over three years for modern dance/contemporary ballet companies gain touring capacity Momentum is an intensive professional development program over a three-year period for a group of five Southern dance companies, which will include mentorship, networking, conference showcasing and exhibiting, on-site planning meetings with presenters, tour-prep residencies, and touring. If you are a modern dance or contemporary ballet company based in the South with touring aspirations but limited success, this new program is an opportunity to build both your artistic and technical capacity.   Traditional Arts Touring – Deadline: December 5, 2018 Funds up to $5,000 to support organizations presenting out-of-state, Southern traditional artists The Traditional Arts Touring grant program works to increase the public awareness, understanding and appreciation of the traditional arts in the South, through funding projects which bring a traditional artist/ensemble and a scholar/folklorist for multi-day residencies in Southern communities. The maximum request is $5,000. For projects taking place between September 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.   Performing Arts Touring – Deadline: March 4, 2019 Funds up to $7,500 to support organizations presenting out-of-state, Southern performers The Performing Arts Touring program is an opportunity for presenting arts organizations in South Arts’ nine-state region to receive fee support to present Southern performing artists from outside of the presenter’s state. Touring support is awarded to theatre, music, opera, musical theatre, and dance projects that contain both a public performance and an educational component. These grants are limited and very competitive. The maximum request is 50% of the artist fee, up to $7,500 for dance projects or $5,000 for all other projects. Projects must take place between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.   Literary Arts Touring – Deadline: May 1, 2019 Funds up to $2,500 to support organizations presenting out-of-state, Southern writers The Literary Arts Touring grant program offers presenting organizations the opportunity to receive financial support to engage Southern writers (fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry) who reside outside of the presenter’s state. Support is awarded to literary projects that contain both a public reading and an educational component such as a writing workshop. The project can include a single engagement by a writer or multiple writers involved in an event (for example, writers series or festivals). The maximum request is 50% of the writers’ fees, up to a total grant of $2,500. Each writer is required to fully-participate in the reading and educational/outreach component. Projects must take place between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.   Express Grants – Deadline: Year-round, at least 60 days prior to activities Funds up to $2,000 to support rural organizations presenting out-of-state, Southern performers or writers This new, quick turnaround grant program is an opportunity for presenting organizations in rural Southern communities (with populations of 50,000 or below) to engage Southern guest performing or literary artists from outside of the presenter’s state. Support is awarded to theatre, music, opera, musical theatre, dance, fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry projects that contain both a public performance or reading and an educational component. Grants are very limited and awarded on a first-come/first-served basis, so early submission is encouraged. The maximum request is $2,000. For projects taking place between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.   Professional Development and Artistic Planning – Deadline: Year-round, at least 60 days prior to activities Funds up to $1,000 to support organizations either attending new professional development opportunities, traveling to see new work, or hosting an artist planning visit Funding is available for the professional development needs of Southern presenters/programmers/curators to strengthen program design and increase organizational capacity. Applications are only accepted for new professional development opportunities. Artistic planning activities can include travel to see/explore work for future public presentations or planning meetings with artists for future public presentations. Proposed projects must support or relate to the applicant’s work as a presenter. For the purposes of these guidelines, presenters are defined as organizations that present or host artists for engagements in their communities. Grants are very limited and awarded on a first-come/first-served basis, so early submission is encouraged. The maximum request is $1,000. For projects taking place between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.

New SCAC grants make $4 million impact in state’s communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 6 September 2018 COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Arts Commission is announcing $3,982,012 in grants for South Carolina communities, artists, arts organizations, and schools for the 2019 fiscal year as of Sept. 1, 2018.

“Funds appropriated by the legislature help local arts providers offer more than six million arts experiences to citizens and visitors every year,” S.C. Arts Commission Executive Director Ken May said. [caption id="attachment_36826" align="alignright" width="200"] Serwah Armah-Koranteng[/caption] “These grants affect wide-ranging organizations and diverse audiences statewide, from Town Theatre in Columbia, starting its centennial season next week, to Wits End Poetry, holding a poetry slam event in Greenville later in the month. They enable our four fellowship recipients from Charleston, Columbia, Little River, and Spartanburg to develop their talents, and provide support for artisans like Serwah Armah-Koranteng to strengthen Africstyle mobile boutique, her arts-based business. And perhaps most importantly, they help the next generation hone creativity and problem-solving skills with funding for arts-based education programs in schools.” Six new Arts in Basic Curriculum Project sites are being awarded grants to strategically plan and implement arts education as part of the school day, bringing the total to 84 and giving almost 171,000 South Carolina students access to the educational benefits of the arts. Other grants range from operating grants and project support for organizations to seed money and fellowships for individual artists, ensuring an assortment of relevant arts experiences across South Carolina. Additional grants will be awarded throughout the year with potential for impact in all counties: three rounds of Quarterly Project Support grants to benefit projects by artists and arts organizations, and additional Teacher Standards Initiative grants will be awarded to help teachers acquire supplies, materials, and expertise to meet the 2017 College and Career Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency. “Ongoing work to create opportunities in rural counties as well as more populated areas is attracting additional grant applications for our operating support funds,” May said. Operating support grants make up 49 percent of the FY19 total, and arts education grants make up 46 percent. In FY18, which finished June 30, the S.C. Arts Commission awarded $4,060,290 and expects to exceed that total by the close of FY19 on June 30, 2019, May said.

Amounts Awarded to Programs in Primary Grant Categories

Arts in Education: $1,822,446 Grants help fund curriculum planning and implementation, artist residencies, performances, professional development for teachers and summer and afterschool arts programs.
  • Arts in the Basic Curriculum (ABC) Advancement: $881,023  Awarded to 84 schools and school districts that are participating in the Arts in Basic Curriculum Project, which works to ensure every child in South Carolina has access to a quality, comprehensive education in the arts. The ABC Project is cooperatively directed by the Arts Commission, the S.C. Department of Education, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University.
  • Arts Education Projects: $336,193 Thirty-four grants funding projects and programs that support quality arts education programs in both traditional arts education settings (schools, arts organizations) and other organizations that utilize the arts to advance learning in children (social service, health, community, education or other organizations).
  • Education Pilot Projects: $292,000
  • Teacher Standards Implementation: $750 (1st quarter only) One grant (to date) to help arts teachers acquire the supplies, materials, and expertise necessary for meeting the 2017 College and Career Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency.
  • Arts in the Basic (ABC) Curriculum: $312,480 Two grants to support management of the ABC Project Partnership.
Operating Support: $1,942,580 Grants help strengthen arts organizations that bring ongoing arts experiences and services to individuals, other organizations and communities throughout the state.
  • General Operating Support: $1,753,406 One hundred twenty-five grants for arts organizations.
  • Operating Support for Small Organizations: $83,016 Thirty-four grants for arts organizations with annual expense budgets of less than $75,000.
  • Statewide Organizations: $106,158 Seven grants for arts organizations operating statewide.
Folklife and Traditional Arts: $101,033 Grants support programs that promote a greater understanding and visibility of South Carolina’s many cultures through documentation and presentation of traditional art forms, their practitioners and their communities.
  • Organization grants: $22,500 Five grants to support nonprofit organizations that seek to promote and preserve the traditional arts practiced across the state.
  • Apprenticeships: $7,500 Four grants that support a partnership between a master artist, who will share artistic and cultural knowledge, and a qualified apprentice, who will then continue to pursue the art form.
  • Partnerships: $71,033 One grant to support management of the Folklife and Traditional Arts Partnership.
Subgranting: $66,437 Seven awards to local arts councils that distribute quarterly grants to organizations and artists in their regions. This program is funded in part by an award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of The Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina. Artists Ventures Initiative: $15,000 Three grants to individual artists for projects designed to help them develop the knowledge and skills to build satisfying, sustainable careers. Individual Artist Fellowships: $20,000 Four grants to individual artists to recognize and reward their artistic achievements. These were announced in July 2018 after approval by the SCAC Board of Directors. Quarterly Project Support: $5,200 (1st quarter only) Six grants to support a variety of quality arts projects and programs and/or for professional development opportunities to assist artistic and managerial staff. This category also supports specific arts activities that promote an individual artist's professional development or career advancement. This program is funded in part by an award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of The Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission works to increase public participation in the arts by providing services, grants, and leadership initiatives in three areas:
  • arts education,
  • community arts development,
  • and artist development.
Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. For more information, visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696.

Grants Roundup: Special Edition

Though far from the only thing, grants are certainly among the main things we do here. And because of their importance in our work, and what they mean to so many of you, The Hub wants to help keep Arts Commission grants top-of-mind and reduce the instances of people telling us, "If only we'd known about X grant!" We can't reach everybody, but we can try. On Mondays with deadlines on the horizon, "Grants Roundup" highlights first what grants are due that week and then includes what's coming in later increments.

Two-day grants training course coming to Columbia

Central Midlands Council of Governments and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grants workshop in Columbia, July 16-17, 2018.  This training is applicable to grant seekers across all disciplines (not just the arts).  Attend this class and you'll learn how to find grants and write winning grant proposals. Click here for full event details. Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county and state agencies as well as nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities are encouraged to attend.

This week

These are to serve mainly as final reminders. Most grant applications simply cannot be undertaken well in this short a time frame. Consult your county or discipline coordinator with questions!
  • n/a

Next week

  • n/a

Next 30(ish)

Important Notes

  • You are encouraged to also consult the SCAC deadline page for up-to-date information on all grant deadlines (subject to change) and deadlines for non-grant programs.
  • For next steps, grant guidance, and more information, consult:
    • your county coordinator if you represent local organizations, businesses, or educational institutions, or
    • your discipline coordinator if you're an individual artist or serve the statewide population.

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