Arts and Cultural Affairs Coordinator
City of Dubuque
563-690-6064
563-589-4110
janstoff@cityofdubuque.org
Applications Now Available for City of Dubuque Arts and Cultural Grants for FY 2014
Major Changes Made to Special Project Grants Program
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The City of Dubuque and the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission is soliciting competitive applications from all interested parties for two distinct Arts and Culture funding programs for the FY 2014 grant cycle starting July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014. Since 2005, the City of Dubuque has awarded over $1,920,000 to area arts and culture organizations and other non-profits for programs that reach thousands of Dubuque adults and children each year. In addition, these funds have leveraged about $711,000 in other community support for special events.
Guidelines and Application Forms for both the Special Projects Grants and Operating Support Grants are available at www.cityofdubuque.org/grants .
The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission and City staff worked over the course of the past year to better align the Special Project program with the City Council’s goals and priorities, best practices in community art funding and the art needs of the Dubuque community. “ We have examined how we can use arts and culture to engage all community members, make our residents more participatory, and ensure that arts, culture, preservation and heritage programs and events are welcoming and inclusive to those outside of a traditional audience,” says Jan Stoffel, Arts and Cultural Affairs Coordinator. “In addition, one of the Safe Community Task Force’s recommendations encourages the City to promote initiatives that include arts and cultural programs that promote respect and understanding among residents. The Commission believes that these changes will support this strategy.”
With the newly designed grant, the City of Dubuque seeks to fund artistic, creative projects that utilize community engagement at their core. Engagement describes an active, two-way process in which one party motivates another to get involved or take action—and both parties experience change and growth. It promotes consistent community interaction that is a step beyond the conventional.
Eligibility for the Special Projects Grant has been opened to include not only established, 501c3 organizations, but non-profits that operate under an umbrella organization or groups that are acting as a non-profit. “The accessibility of the grants to a wide array of dynamic thinkers and groups in the community was important. We want to fund great art ideas,” says Stoffel. “Any non-profit group may apply for an art project through this grant, even if its primary mission is not dedicated to the arts.”
A total of $35,000 in funding is available. The minimum grant awarded through the program will be $1,500 and the maximum will be $8,500. Because of the changes to the program, groups are encouraged to attend one of two grant workshops specific to the Special Project funding on March 19, 2013, at noon or at 5 p.m., in the Lacy Board Room, 3rd Floor, Carnegie-Stout Library, 360 W. 11th St. The deadline for applications is May 13, 2013.
The Operating Support fund is designed to assist 501(C) (3) arts and cultural organizations located in the City of Dubuque that primarily serve Dubuque residents with year-round arts and culture events, programs and services and can demonstrate a record of programmatic and administrative stability. A workshop specific to Operating Support Grants will be held at noon on March 21, 2013, in Conference Room I on the first floor of the City Annex Building, 1300 Main Street, Dubuque. There is $210,000 available. The deadline for applications is April 8, 2013.
All grants are reviewed by the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission and approved by the City Council. Present members of the Commission include Paul Hemmer, Ellen Henkels, Louise Kames, Marina O’Rourke (Chair), Sue Riedel, Gina Siegert and Julie Steffen. City arts staff include Jerelyn O’Connor and Stoffel.
For additional information, please contact Jan Stoffel at janstoff@cityofdubuque.org or by calling 563-690-6064. Complete application materials are posted online at www.cityofdubuque.org/grants.
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A PDF version of this news release is available online at http://www.cityofdubuque.org/newsreleases
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