DUBUQUE, Iowa – The City of Dubuque and the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission are now accepting applications from eligible parties through the
Arts Operating Recovery subgrant program, a one-time limited funding opportunity made possible through the
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) via American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) resources.
The City of Dubuque is serving as a Local Arts Agency (LAA) to subgrant $435,000 in federally awarded funds. Eligible entities must operate within Dubuque city limits and demonstrate a commitment to serving the community through access to arts, arts education, arts activities, and/or artistic experiences.
“This is an incredible infusion of federal support in the resilience and vitality of the diverse arts organizations and activities that make Dubuque the vibrant community that it is,” said Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh. “We look forward to the community impacts these dollars will have, from bringing back or creating new jobs in the creative sector, driving tourism by bolstering marketing efforts, or continuing to help keep our community and workers healthy when attending arts experiences. An exciting extension of this one-time program is the opportunity to support arts programs and activities within nonprofits with a broader mission range.”
The Arts Operating Recovery subgrant program aims to assist Dubuque’s nonprofit arts sector in response to economic and community impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This opportunity differentiates from the City of Dubuque’s annual Arts & Culture Operating Support through an expanded scope of eligibility to support nonprofit organizations and non-academic entities within institutions of higher education with ongoing, standalone, public-facing arts programming or arts-focused activities.
Requests for funding through this competitive subgrant program are capped at 50% of the applicant’s arts-dedicated operations budget, not to exceed $25,000. No match is required. Funds are restricted to supporting day-to-day arts operations, such as staff positions, contractual personnel, health and safety supplies, marketing and promotion, or non-capital facility costs to maintain activities that contribute to increasing access to diverse and enriching arts experiences. These allowable costs must occur within the period of performance of January 1 – December 31, 2023.
Applications for the Arts Operating Recovery program are
due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, December 16, 2022. Applications must be submitted via the online application portal at
https://cityofdubuque.slideroom.com. All information related to the notice of funding, scoring rubric, and access to the online application portal is available at
www.cityofdubuque.org/artsgrants.
A free informational webinar will be offered to anyone interested in learning more about the Arts Operating Recovery subgranting program. All are welcome to attend; advance registration is encouraged. The informational webinar is scheduled for:
The webinar will be recorded with the recording posted to the City’s website for those unable to attend the information session.
Virtual office hours will be held during scheduled day and evening hours for potential applicants to ask questions, address issues, and discuss topics with Staff. The schedule is available
here.
The Arts Operating Recovery subgrant program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit
www.arts.gov.
For additional information, visit
www.cityofdubuque.org/artsandculture or contact City of Dubuque Communications and Grants Administration Assistant Laura Merrick at
lmerrick@cityofdubuque.org or 563.690.6059.