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Title:
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Fiscal Year 2025-26 Community Arts Grants (Ordinance S-52166) - Citywide
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Title
Fiscal Year 2025-26 Community Arts Grants (Ordinance S-52166) - Citywide
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or the City Manager's designee, to execute all necessary agreements between the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture (POAC) and approved applicants for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 Community Arts Grant Program in an aggregate amount of $1,675,346. Further request authorization for the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
The annual Community Arts Grants Program invests in nonprofit art and cultural organizations and groups to strengthen the community's access to cultural programming. Applications were due on March 23, 2025. Out of the 166 applications received, 142 were eligible for review by community panels of laypersons, artists, arts professionals, and educators to ensure a thorough and unbiased review.
Through the agency's equity strategy, POAC ensures outreach to all areas of the City and targeted applicants from all disciplines, budget sizes, underrepresented populations, and City Council districts. There was a 17 percent increase in applications from FY 2025-26.
The Community Arts Grants Program Grant Categories:
General Support Grants (GSG) provide core operating support to arts and cultural organizations of all sizes that have a primary mission to create, produce, or provide arts and cultural programming to enhance the quality of lives for Phoenix residents. All GSG applicants are required to have a prior year income of at least $5,000 and complete a full application to be reviewed by a grants panel.
GSG Goals
Support arts and cultural opportunities among residents of all ages through education, outreach programs, and opportunities for personal artistic expression and participation.
Encourage broad-based, community-wide participation in arts and cultural activities resulting from diverse programming accessible to all residents.
Sustain a community of responsibly governed and managed, financially sound organizations, and assist organizations that have reached a critical stage in artistic or institutional development by encouraging the identification of internal needs critical to the organization's sustainability or growth.
Project Support Grants (PSG) promote and encourage the breadth of arts and cultural programming in the community by supporting large and small projects throughout the City of Phoenix. The program supports guest artist fees/expenses, production fees, and marketing expenses for arts and culture projects that engage Phoenix residents, including but not limited to art workshops, pop-up performances, and collaborations with artists. All PSG applicants must complete a full application to be reviewed by a grants panel.
PSG Goals
Support arts and cultural projects across the City of Phoenix, especially artistic collaborations with full representation from all people at the intersection of all diversities and backgrounds.
Fund projects that support the artistic and cultural work of young people or projects that introduce youth to arts and culture in the City of Phoenix.
Invest in projects that support and celebrate individual artists impacting the community.
The Rental Support Program (RSP) provides facility rental support to those cultural organizations that help revitalize the Phoenix downtown corridor through their presentations at the Herberger Theater Center, Orpheum Theatre, and Phoenix Symphony Hall. Arts and Culture administers RSP in partnership with the Phoenix Convention Center, which funds the program. Only organizations that have successfully applied and been awarded a GSG or PSG application may be considered for this program. These funds are awarded through an additional application process and reviewed by the Phoenix Convention Center.
Fiscal Year 2025 Recommendations and Allocations
The Community Arts Grants Program has a total budget of $1,675,346, comprised of funds from the City’s general fund and support from the Phoenix Convention Center. GSG and PSG funding allocations totaling $1,381,346 are requested for 135 grants to 135 applicants (Attachment A). Of the remaining funds, $69,000 will be used toward discretionary grants to artists and arts and culture organizations to present programming in under-invested areas in the City to ensure greater equitable geographic distributions of grant funding and $225,000 for the Rental Support Program.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Phoenix Arts and Culture Commission reviewed and approved the FY 2025-26 Community Arts Grants Program allocation recommendations at its meeting on June 17, 2025.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager David Mathews and the Office of Arts and Culture.