City’s Arts & Culture Operating Support and Special Projects Grants Awarded

DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Dubuque City Council recently approved recommendations from the City’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission to award $250,700 in operating support grant funds to nineteen of Dubuque’s 501(c)(3) arts and culture organizations and $42,200 to fund seven special projects 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 funding program provides an opportunity for established 501(c)(3) arts and culture organizations located within the city of Dubuque to request up to $30,000 or six percent of recently completed operating budgets. Nineteen organizations, with eligible operating expenses ranging from $13,048 to $5.6 million, applied for this year’s funding cycle, collectively requesting $307,582 in support.
 
The Operating Support funding program is designed to support nonprofit organizations that focus on contributing to cultural vibrancy and community resiliency through publicly accessible arts, arts education, and cultural heritage programming. Applicants must demonstrate a record of financial and management stability and provide evidence of how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) learning and practices are integrated into the applicant’s planning, programming, and organizational development.
 
Organizations will receive funding, listed in order of award amounts, as follows:

• The Grand Opera House - $30,000
• Dubuque Museum of Art - $30,000
• Legion-Aires Drum & Bugle Corps (The Colts) - $28,000
• Dubuque Symphony Orchestra - $28,000
• Dubuque County Historical Society - $28,000
• Creative Adventure Lab - $23,500
• Bell Tower Productions - $15,900
• Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens - $11,900
• Northeast Iowa School of Music - $10,800
• Julien Dubuque International Film Festival - $10,400
• Dubuque Main Street / Downtown Cultural Corridor - $8,600
• Heritage Works - $8,500
• Dubuque County Fine Arts Society - $6,600
• Rising Star Theatre Company - $2,800
• Dubuque Arts Council - $2,500
• Dubuque Chorale - $2,200
• Key City Creative Center - $1,800
• Fly-by-Night Productions Inc - $800
• Dubuque Ch A010 of the Barbershop Harmony Society (Music Men) - $400

Prior to COVID-19, arts and culture organizations receiving operating support from the City of Dubuque employed 86 full-time and 212 part-time or seasonal workers collectively paying out $4.9 million in employee wages, not including benefits annually. They also contracted with an array of talent, including actors, musicians, artist, arts educators, lecturers, and others, issuing over $283,000 in contracts to workers in the creative sector.
 
Arts & Culture Special Projects Funding
Through the Arts & Culture Special Projects funding program, the City of Dubuque provides grant funds to nonprofit groups to support unique and innovative creative experiences that prioritize community engagement, active partnership, and equitable access and representation through arts and culture activities in alignment with City goals and priorities.

Seven applications were submitted for this year’s funding cycle. All were chosen to receive support, with awards ranging from $3,300 to the maximum funding level of $8,000, and totaling $42,200 in Special Projects grants.

The following projects and organizations will receive funding, listed in order of award amounts, as follows:

• $8,000 - Travel Dubuque in partnership with Voices Productions for “Dubuque Street Art Interactive Experience” project;
• $8,000 - University of Dubuque in partnership with the City of Dubuque Regional Airport and Commemorative Robert L. Martin Memorial Committee for “Black Heritage Tribute Program Initiative in honor of Captain Robert Martin” project;
• $8,000 - Dubuque Museum of Art in partnership with Dubuque Community Schools, Carnegie-Stout Public Library, and others for “Vietnam: The Real War Exhibition and Engagement Activities”;
• $5,500 - Dubuque Arts Council in partnership with Heritage Center at University of Dubuque for “Neil Berg’s Broadway Holiday Show featured Dubuque native Rita Harvey” project;
• $5,000 - Heritage Works in partnership with Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque County Historic Preservation Commission, Voices Productions, Dubuque Urban Sketchers, and others for “Historic Activation” project;
• $4,400 - Julien Dubuque International Film Festival in partnership with local Ear/Nose/Throat (ENT) physicians, therapists, and impacted families for “Fall Educational Series: Can You Hear My Voice?” project;
• $3,300 - Shalom Spirituality Center in partnership with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and local art therapy facilitators for “Art of Healing Program” project.

The above projects will be realized with the the support of additional cash and in-kind investments from private and public sources exceeding $200,000. Projects will be implemented prior to June 30, 2022.
 
Twenty-six applications were submitted across both funding programs, with all applications reviewed and scored by a three-person panel comprised of individuals outside of the City organization who have expertise in community development and nonprofit management. Application scores were then reviewed by the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission which then submitted funding level recommendations to the Dubuque City Council for approval.
 
According to an Americans for the Arts (AFTA) 2012 study, Dubuque’s non-profit arts and culture sector, generates $47.2 million annually in economic activity for our community and contributes $5 million in local and state government revenues.
 
For additional information on the City’s Arts and Culture grant programs, contact Arts and Cultural Affairs Coordinator Jenni Petersen-Brant at 563.690.6059 or jbrant@cityofdubuque.org.