City of Dubuque Announces Arts and Culture Operating Support and Special Projects Grants Awards

CONTACT:
Laura Merrick, Communications and Grants Administration Assistant
563.581.4666, lmerrick@cityofdubuque.org

July 6, 2023 -- For Immediate Release

DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Dubuque City Council recently approved recommendations from the City's Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission to award $250,000 in Operating Support grant funds to 21 of Dubuque’s 501(c)(3) arts and culture organizations and $35,000 to fund six Special Projects grants to cultivate unique and innovative creative arts and culture experiences for the community.

Operating Support for Arts and Culture Nonprofits

The City’s Arts and Culture Operating Support grant program allows established 501(c)(3) arts and culture organizations located within the city of Dubuque to request six percent or up to $30,000 of their most recently completed fiscal year operating budget. Twenty-one eligible organizations, with operating expenses ranging from $9,336 to $6.285 million, applied for this year's funding cycle, collectively requesting $358,303.68 in support.

The Operating Support grant program is designed to support nonprofit organizations contributing to cultural vibrancy and community resiliency by focusing on publicly accessible arts, arts education, and cultural heritage programming. Applicants must demonstrate a record of financial and management stability, show evidence of a commitment to excellence as an arts and culture leader, and attest to how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) learning and practices are integrated into the applicant's planning, programming, and organizational development.

Competitive scoring of the applications was utilized to determine awards totaling $250,000. Arts and cultural organizations to receive funding, listed in alphabetical order by organization name, is as follows:

• Bell Tower Productions - $15,943
• Colts Youth Organization - $22,343
• Creative Adventure Lab, Inc. - $19,859
• Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens - $21,707
• Dubuque Area Arts Collective - $336
• Dubuque Arts Council - $3,245
• Dubuque Chapter of SPEBSQSA / Music Men Barbershop Chorus - $395         
• Dubuque Chorale - $1,733
• Dubuque County Fine Arts Society - $12,107
• Dubuque County Historical Society - $21,349
• Dubuque Museum of Art - $21,846         
• Dubuque Symphony Orchestra - $22,343
• Fly-By-Night Productions - $926
• Heritage Works - $10,511
• Julien Dubuque International Film Festival - $15,029
• Key City Creative Center - $4,427
• Multicultural Family Center - $3,911
• Northeast Iowa School of Music - $12,856
• Rising Star Theatre Company - $2,954
• The Grand Opera House - $20,356         
• Voices Productions - $15,824       

Arts and Culture Special Projects

Through the Arts and Culture Special Projects grant program, the City of Dubuque provides funding to Dubuque-based nonprofit organizations and groups to support unique and innovative creative experiences that prioritize community engagement, active partnership, and equitable access and representation in alignment with City goals and priorities. 

The Special Projects grant program received 13 eligible applications collectively requesting $83,437. Based on the results of competitive scoring, six applications were selected to receive support, with awards ranging from $940 to the maximum funding level of $8,000 and totaling $35,000 in Special Projects grants.

The following organizations and projects to receive funding, listed in order of award amount, is as follows: 

• $8,000 to Dubuque County Historical Society in partnership with Artist Andonia Giannakouros, City of Dubuque Community Engagement Coordinator Temwa Phiri, and Mark Wagner, former National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium director of education, for “We Are Where We Live: How Our Environments Shape Community (20th Anniversary Exhibit)” project.
• $6,940 to Dubuque Symphony Orchestra in partnership with the Dubuque Chorale, Five Flags Theatre, SMG Global, and local veterans’ organizations for “A Patriotic Celebration: A Veteran's Day Concert” project.
• $6,740 to Dubuque Arts Council in partnership with Dubuque elementary schools, the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Dubuque Heritage Center for the “Gareth Johnson and the Evolution Band” project.
• $6,340 to Voices Productions in partnership with Heritage Works, Briana Thompson of BriXStudios, the City of Dubuque Office of Shared Prosperity and Neighborhood Support, the City of Dubuque Arts and Cultural Affairs Office, and the Dubuque Museum of Art for “Voices Studios Artist in Residence Program” project.
• $6,040 to Dubuque Museum of Art in partnership with the Dubuque Community School District for “Arts Trek Middle School Expansion Pilot” project.
• $940 to Masterpiece Literary Center in partnership with Prescott Elementary School for the “Prescott Elementary School Writing Program 2023 - 2024” project.

In addition, the above projects represent total cash and in-kind investment from private and public sources of $179,864. Special projects will be implemented prior to June 30, 2024.

In total, 34 eligible applications were submitted across both grant programs, with each program’s applications reviewed and scored by a selected three-person panel comprised of individuals independent of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission. Volunteer reviewers are knowledgeable of the arts, actively participate in the arts, and possess professional experience in fields such as nonprofit, business, education, or government. The Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission reviewed application scores and submitted funding-level recommendations to the Dubuque City Council for approval.

For additional information on the City's Arts and Culture grant programs, contact the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs at 563-690-6059 or artsculture@cityofdubuque.org.