Discussion and possible action to approve the Fiscal Year 2024 Arts Grants in the amount of $95,000 as recommended by the Arts Commission, in accordance with budget authority previously approved by Council.

Since 1998, the Arts Division has proposed and managed the Arts Grant Program. The base budget of $25,200 has been augmented by a one-time supplemental in FY 2024, of $74,800 for a total of $100,000 available for arts grant awards. By design of the program, several non-profit organizations and Peoria-based small businesses are afforded support in delivering exceptional programs and services to Peoria residents in the areas of visual and performing arts.  

The goal of the program is to assist non-profit organizations, schools, and Peoria small businesses with financial support enhancing art-centric events and activities benefitting Peoria residents. 

This year’s requests, like previous years, are beneficial in several areas such as:  

• providing organizations capacity to participate in city-sponsored events 
• enhancing arts programs at Peoria Unified School District schools 
• bringing the arts and arts activities to underserved populations 
• assisting arts organizations with building a significant presence in Peoria

Single grant awards for FY 2024 are $5,000 for each program. A list of the recommended recipients with recommended funding level, and the program description of the grant request are included. In FY 2024, 19 applications are recommended for funding out of 20 applications received.

Several criteria must be met as part of the minimum qualifications for each grant application. The recipient must be a tax exempt 501(c) 3 not-for-profit individual or organization or a Peoria small business with a Peoria business license; applicant schools must be located within Peoria or have a portion of enrollment area within Peoria; grants for festivals must be held in the city of Peoria; the individual or organization must operate in Peoria or serve residents of Peoria; and each applicant awarded a grant must fulfill all contractual requirements, such as providing a final grant report. Organizations may apply for up to three grants for a maximum of $5,000 each.

A detailed process is used to review, rank, and recommend each application. All grant applications were reviewed by a mixed panel consisting of Arts Commission members, Peoria citizens, and an outside arts professional. The grants were assessed in four categories: 1) Overall Merit of the Project, 2) Benefits to the Public, 3) Clarity of Budget, 4) Past Experience. Each application is scored individually by panel members and ranked based on total score.

On April 25, 2023, the Peoria Arts Commission held its public meeting conducting further evaluation of the applications, discussing the values of the proposals and unanimously approving the below recommendations for Mayor and Council information.     

Summary information of the grant awards for FY 2024 follows: 
 

FY 2024 Art Grants

There has been no previous action on this request.

N/A

Staff recommends that the City Council approve the art grant requests as approved by the Arts Commission.

This request is available in the current budget through a $25,200 base budget and an approved FY 2024 budget supplemental of $74,800.