Grant Funding for Arts & Cultural Programming
2022-2023 Program Grants from Lakeland Mayor’s Council on the Arts
Click here to download the Grant Guidelines and Scoring Matrix.
Purpose of the Annual Grant Program
To support general program activities of an organization that is realizing its stated mission and furthering Lakeland’s cultural brand conducting, creating, producing, presenting, staging, or sponsoring cultural exhibits, performances, educational programs, or events.
Requirements to Apply
Arts organizations must meet eligibility requirements including:
- Must be a Lakeland-based art-centric 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
- Must have three years of valid operating experience.
- To request more than $5,000 have at least one completed grant from LMCA.
- To request more than $25,000
- Completed at least 3 years of programming
- Employ at least one paid, full-time staff member in a management position
Grant Awards:
Eligible organizations may request up to 5% of their prior year’s operating expenses.
Grant applications are scored and ranked by a panel of judges. The total application score multiplied by the total request amount is the organization’s eligible grant award. Please refer to the LMCA 2022-2023 Grant Scoring Matrix. Only applications with a score of 70 or above will be eligible for funding.
For example, if XYZ Organization scored 89% and requested $10,000, their eligible grant award is $8,900. If the total score-adjusted request amount for all eligible applications exceeds the amount allocated by the City Commission, the award amounts will be reduced in equal percentages.
Questions regarding the grant program should be directed to Kerry Falwell, Chair of Lakeland Mayor’s Council on the Arts at info@lkldarts.org.
To Apply:
Click here to submit an application through the online grant system.
Special grant opportunity from the American Rescue Plan – Details announced in 2022
The City of Lakeland, with support from the American Rescue Plan, has developed a process to help secure jobs and keep the doors open at the hundreds of arts and culture organizations in Lakeland that add value to the city’s economy and bolster the creative life of our communities. The American Rescue Plan Act recognizes that the nonprofit arts industry is an important sector of our economy. The City of Lakeland will award funds to support nonprofit arts and cultural organizations to help these entities and their employees endure the economic hardships caused by the extended disruption of their operations due to the spread of COVID-19.
The City of Lakeland program will be carried out through one-time grants to eligible nonprofit organizations and administered through the Mayor’s Council on the Arts. All applicants must be 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations who work with an arts and culture mission and be headquartered in the designated geographic area.
SUPPORT IS LIMITED TO ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Salary support, full or partial, for one or more staff positions.
- Fees/stipends for contractual personnel to support the services they provide for specific activities. Jobs or positions supported through ARP may be existing or new.
- Facilities costs such as rent and utilities, e.g., electric, phone, gas bills. Not to include upgrades to HVAC/ventilation systems. Note: Costs related to home offices are unallowable.
- Costs associated with health and safety supplies for staff and/or visitors/audiences (e.g., personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, etc.).
- Costs associated with marketing or promotion. No match is required. Grantees will be required to report on funding received through the Florida ARP program (see “Administrative Requirements” for more information).
APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY
- Must be an active Lakeland-based nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) engaging in an arts and cultural project or whose mission directly supports arts and cultural programming.
- Must be in good standing with the City of Lakeland and the IRS.
Ineligible to apply include:
- For-profit organizations
- K-12 schools
- Public or private colleges/community colleges/universities
- Cities, counties and municipalities
MATCH REQUIREMENTS
There is NO match requirement for this initiative.
CREDITING REQUIREMENT
Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from the City of Lakeland Mayor’s Council on the Arts in their programs and related promotional material including publications and websites.
ADMINISTRATIVE AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Grant recipients should save all applicable documentation of expenses for five years after the grant award is received. There is no formal final report. However, the City of Lakeland may request documentation for auditing purposes or as required by the Treasury.
Funds must be spent in full within 12 months of the grant award.
FUNDING DETERMINATION
Organizations with operating budgets in FY21 under $1,000,000 and who meet all application requirements are eligible to receive a one-time grant of $15,000. Organizations with operating budgets in FY21 $1,000,000 and more are eligible to receive a one-time grant of $20,000.
The total grant pool amount is $250,000. If eligible grant application awards exceeds or does not meet the $250,000 total, the City of Lakeland may prorate the flat grant award for all eligible applicants.
