The Community Arts Grant program (CAG) is funded through transient guest tax (TGT) revenue (tax paid by hotel guests) and is overseen by the Cultural Arts Commission. The CAG Program aligns with the City Strategic Plan, particularly the Unmistakable Identity outcome area and the following commitment areas: community engagement, equity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability. We’re specifically asking applicants to articulate how their project or program supports Unmistakable Identity and moves the needle on one or more of the performance indicators.
The 2024 Community Arts Grant application closed in December 2023. The next grant cycle for 2025 grants will begin in the fall of 2024.
The final 2024 Community Arts Grant results are here.
2024 Community Arts Grant Application Guidelines and Sample scoresheet criteria.
The overarching purpose of the Cultural Arts Commission’s Community Arts Grant Program is to advance the goals identified by the Lawrence community in the City Wide Cultural Plan, which include: 1) Balance the Local; 2) Embrace All/Celebrate Community; 3) Build Places Together; 4) Build and Market a Creative Brand; and 5) Promote Lifelong Learning.
New in 2024! For those who are new to the Community Arts Grant application process, we are offering a pre-application review. Interested applicants can submit their grant application online by November 15, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. for initial screening and basic minimum requirements staff review. Feedback will be returned by December 8, 2023, prior to submitting the final application.
Grant Categories and Level of Support: There are two grant categories: Mini Grants and Community Arts Grants. Applicants may apply for either a Mini Grant or a Community Arts Grant, but not both in the same year.
- Community Arts Mini Grants will provide up to five grants of up to $500 each to help support artists with start-up costs for equipment specifically aligned with their art practice. (Things like power tool(s), sound/video tech, printing press, welding equipment, loom, etc.) Matching funds are not required for mini-grants; see below.
- Community Arts Grants awards will range from $500 to $10,000 per project. Community Arts Grants awards will equal no more than 50% of the total project or activity cost. Cost-sharing may be cash and/or in-kind. Fifty percent match funds must be clearly shown in the budget proposal on the grant application. Only one grant is allowed per project.
Final Application Deadline: Submit your final online application by 9:00 a.m. on Monday, December 18, 2023. Late and incomplete applications will not be considered; modifications are not allowed after the deadline passes.
Please review the complete Community Arts Grant Application Guidelines here.
The Cultural Arts Commission reviewed all 32 of the 2024 grant applications at their monthly meeting on January 10, 2024. The 2024 Community Arts Grant applications can be viewed here.
For more information, contact Porter Arneill at parneill@lawrenceks.org or (785) 832-3449.
2023 CAG Awards
• Free State Festival: $14,500
• Community Art Partnerships: $14,700
• CROWNS at Theatre Lawrence: $12,750
• Reclaiming Spaces/We are the Keepers: $12,750
• Mixmaster 2023 Music Conference: $1,400
• Amplify Lawrence Camp Experience: $3,500
• Lawrence KS Juneteenth Organization Celebration: $10,400
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2024 Community Arts Grant Online Application
Mini-Grant applicants – Please only fill out the Applicant Information, Project Information, and Authorization sections. Skip the Budget section. Under Project Information, describe the equipment you are proposing to purchase, why you need the equipment, and the related cost. Include “Mini-grant” in your description under Project Information. Also note that you are not required to have matching funds for mini-grant requests.
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The application period for the latest grants is currently closed.
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Project Title Organization / contact |
Amount |
Report |
Lied Center of Kansas – Theatre on the Spectrum |
$4,000 |
View Report |
Nick Carswell Music – Echoes Through A Green Space |
$2,000 |
View Report |
Van Go, Inc. – Benchmark 2018 |
$4,000 |
View Report |
Spencer Museum of Art – The Ties that Bind: Haiti, the United States, and the Art of Ulrick Jean-Pierre in Comparative Perspective |
$4,000 |
View Report |
Kansas Public Radio – KPR Live Day |
$3,500 |
View Report |
Lawrence Arts Center – Rethink: I am a Veteran |
$2,500 |
View Report |
Lawrence Public Library – Dinner and a Movie Series |
$2,000 |
View Report |
Art Tougeau – Art Tougeau Parade |
$3,000 |
View Report |
Total |
$25,000
|
– |
Project Title Organization / contact |
Amount |
Report |
Lawrence Unified School District #497 – Confabularryum – Program Description |
$5000 |
|
Haskell Cultural Center and Museum – 90th Anniversary of Haskell Stadium and WWI Arch Dedication Event – Program Description |
$8000 |
Postponed to 2018 |
Busker Festival – Buskers for Final Fridays project – Program Description |
$5000 |
View Report |
Spencer Museum of Art – And Still We Rise and Narratives of the Soul – Two African American Quilt Exhibitions – Program Description |
$7000 |
View Report |
Total |
$25,000
|
– |
Project Title/Organization |
Amount |
Report |
Lawrence Unified School District #497 – Confabularryum – A Festival of Creativity and Making |
$5,000 |
View Report |
Marla Quilts Inc. – National African American Quilt Convention |
$4,000 |
Scheduled for July 2017 (See Spencer Museum report 2017 |
Nick Carswell – Echoes Through A Green Space |
$1,550 |
Project Cancelled |
Lawrence Children’s Choir – Capo, Cadenza and Credenza: Intergenerational Choral Education |
$2,000 |
View Report |
Spencer Museum of Art – Community Reopening Celebration |
$2,335 |
View Report |
Van Go, Inc. – Benchmark 2016 |
$4,000 |
View Report |
Lawrence Opera Theatre – LOT2016:- Shakespeare 400 |
$2,000 |
View Report |
Ballard Center – Mural: A Celebration of the Ballard Center & North Lawrence’s History |
$2,000 |
In Process |
Lawrence Art Guild Association – Art in the Park |
$2,115 |
View Report |
Total: |
$25,000 |
– |
Project Title/Organization |
Amount |
Report |
Full Circle Community Mural Project / Douglas County Housing, Inc. & Full Circle Youth Program |
$2,000 |
View Report |
Hispanic Heritage Month Festival / Inwrought Music Management |
$500 |
View Report |
Lawrence Traditional Music and Dance Celebration / Lawrence Folk |
$800 |
View Report |
Lawrence Intersection Repair / The Percolator |
$1,500 |
View Report |
MXM2015 (MixMaster) Music Conference & Showcase / Silly Goose Records |
$1,400 |
View Report |
Collection Cards: Heroes Edition / Spencer Museum of Art |
$800 |
View Report |
Total: |
$7,000 |
|
Project Title/Organization |
Amount |
Report |
Busker Festival 2013 / Lawrence Busker Festival |
$2,000 |
View Report |
Youth Arts Collaborative / Douglas County Housing, Inc. |
$1,325 |
View Report |
Percolator Arts Caravan / Lawrence Percolator |
$1,000 |
View Report |
2013-2014 Season / Under the Table |
$1,000 |
|
Festival of Cultures / The Lawrence Alliance |
$500 |
View Report |
Quantrill’s Raid: Modern Views / Watkins Community Museum |
$500 |
View Report |
Final Fridays Public Arts Program / Final Fridays Exhibitions & Performing Arts |
$350 |
View Report |
The Arts Train / Van-Go |
$350 |
|
Total: |
$7,025 |
|
Project Title/Organization |
Amount |
Report |
Lawrence Busker Festival |
$2,000 |
View Report |
Douglas County Senior Services, Inc. – Douglas County Senior Services Oral History Quilt Project |
$2,000 |
View Report |
Four Winds Native Center – Indigenous Youth Dance Troupe |
$1,700 |
View Report |
VanGo, Inc.: JAMS Summer Benchmark session |
$1,000 |
View Report |
Family Promise of Lawrence: Family Art Nights |
$500 |
View Report |
Total: |
$7,200 |
Project Title Organization / contact |
Amount |
Contact Info |
The New Old San Antonio– b.a.l.m. |
$1000 |
Darin White- darin.white@gmail.com |
Final Fridays Flash Galleries – Downtown Lawrence Arts District |
$1000 |
Jane Pennington, jfpennington@gmail.com |
Reframing my Story, Douglas County Housing Inc |
$1000 |
Chris Lempa, clempa@ldcha.org |
Lawrence Busker Festival – Lawrence Busker Festival |
$1,000 |
Richard Renner, 749-2226
rrenner@vodvill.com |
Based Artist Residencies – Lawrence Arts Center |
$1,000 |
Susan Tate, susantate@lawrenceartscenter.org |
To Catch a Butterfly- Theatre Lawrence |
$1000 |
Kay Traver, 843-7469, kaytraver@att.net |
JAMS – Summer Benchmark – Van Go, Inc. |
$1,000 |
Kristen Malloy, mandy@van-go.org |
Project Title Organization / contact |
Amount |
Contact Info |
Drums on Children’s Learning Center’s Playground – Children’s Learning Center, Inc. |
$500 |
Holly Turner,
clc5@sunflower.com |
Final Fridays Fringe Festival – Downtown Lawrence, Inc.- |
$1000 |
Jane Pennington, 842-3883
director@downtownlawrence.com |
Summer Film Intensive – Lawrence Arts Center |
$1000 |
Ric Averill, 843-2787
ricaverill@lawrenceartscenter.org |
Lawrence Busker Festival – Lawrence Busker Festival |
$1,000 |
Richard Renner, 749-2226
rrenner@vodvill.com |
Ride Lawrence” Functional Art Bike Rack for the Lawrence Farmer’s Market – Lawrence Central Rotary |
$1,000 |
Scott Wagner, 830-4822
swagner@lawrenceks.org |
Youth Education Program (YEP) – Lawrence Community Theater |
$1,000 |
Hailey Gillespie, 843-7469
lctks@sbcglobal.net |
Collaborative Arts Experiences for Kids – Trinity In-Home Care |
$500 |
Kelly Evans, 842-3159
kelly@trinityinhomecare.com |
JAMS – Summer Benchmark – Van Go, Inc. |
$1,000 |
Jim Lewis, 842-3797
mandy@van-go.org |
Special Grant Project
Final Fridays Seed Funding – Downtown Lawrence, Inc. on behalf of Downtown Lawrence Arts District |
$10,000 |
Jane Pennington, 842-3883
director@downtownlawrence.com |
Project Title Organization / contact |
Amount |
Contact Info |
Cottonwood Choir- Cottonwood, Inc. |
$500 |
Lynn Stover, 840-1646
lstover@cwood.org |
Youth & Family Programming- Kansas State Fiddling and Picking Championships- |
$510 |
Gayle Sigurdson, 832-1692
Ksfpc_coordinator@yahoo.com |
Functional Art Bike Rack for Lawrence Arts Center – Lawrence Central Rotary |
$500 |
Carolyn Chinn Lewis, 864-0140
cclewis@ku.edu |
High School Musical –Lawrence Community Theatre |
$1000 |
John Phythyon, 843-7469
lctks@aol.com |
Out of Thin Air – Lawrence Corporation for the Advancement of the Visual Arts |
$1000 |
Dave Loewenstein, 550-8531
lawrencepercolator@gmail.com |
Iron Pour – Ministry of Sculpture |
$500 |
William Vannerson, 850-572-7715
whvannerson@yahoo.com |
Theater in the Park – Roger Hill Volunteer Center and Lawrence Youth Ensemble |
$1000 |
Tracie Howell, 865-5030
info@rhvc.org |
Baby Blues – Thunderbird Theatre Club Haskell |
$1000 |
Dr. Joy Richmond, 785-393-2293
jrichmond@haskell.edu |
Creation/Imagination based drop in childcare – Trinity In-Home Care |
$500 |
Kelly Evans, 842-3159
kelly@trinityinhomecare.com |
Growing New Community Dance Series – Uptown Hoedown |
$750 |
Jim Allen, 841-5759
jallen3@sunflower.com |
Project Title Organization / contact |
Amount |
Contact Info |
1. Hip Hop/RAP –The Voice, Recording and Performance –Amy Carlson |
$983.70 |
Amy Carlson
acarlson@ku.edu |
2. Art Tougeau Traveling Folk Art Exhibit – Art Tougeau Parade/ Pat Slimmer |
$750.00 |
Pat Slimmer
auto@sunflower.com |
3. Busker Fest 2008 — Lawrence Street Performers Group/ Richard Renner |
$1,000.00 |
Richard Renner
rrenner@vodvill.com |
4. A Song on the Wind –Lawrence Community Theatre/John Phythyon |
$1,000.00 |
John Phythyon
lctks@aol.com |
5. Art Therapy Project – Lawrence Community Shelter/Loring Henderson |
$1,000.00 |
Loring Henderson
loring@lawrenceshelter.org |
6. Edge Community Art Garden – Central Jr. High Edge After School/Laura Leonard |
$1,000.00 |
Laura Leonard
lleonard@usd497.org |
7. Visual Voices-Voices of Youth – Women of Color Quilters Network – Lawrence Chapter/ Marla Jackson |
$1,000.00 |
Marla Jackson
marlaquilts@sbcglobal.net |
Project Title Organization / contact |
Amount |
Contact Info |
1. The Passport Abroad Art “Tour of the World” Program — Cottonwood Inc. |
$750 |
Jessica Miescher
jmiescher@cwood.org |
2.Professional Recording: Holiday CD — Lawrence Children’s Choir, Inc. |
$850 |
Laura Denneler
lccexecdirector@aol.com |
3. HERstory Made the Difference — HERstory Productions |
$1,000 |
Cherisa Williams
cheristulip@yahoo.com |
4. Centro Cultural Summer 2007 — Centro Hispano Resource Center |
$328.50 |
Lydia Leon
lleon@saint-johns.net |
5. Summer Arts Program at the Juvenile Detention Center — Lawrence Arts Center |
$1,000 |
Noelle Uhler
lacdev@sunflower.com |
6. Art Through Glass: An Artist Residency & Art Exposure program for Students — Lawrence Public Schools |
$1,000 |
Patrick Kelly
pkelly@usd497.org |
7. Sounds of Summer Music Therapy Camp — Americana Music Academy |
$71.50 |
Thom Alexander
Americana66044@yahoo.com |
8. Brave New Girls Hit the Road — Lawrence Community Theatre |
$1,000 |
Jane Pennington
jfpennington@sbcglobal.net |
Project Organization / contact |
Amount |
Contact Info |
1. Light from the Underground – Jon Allen |
$500.00 |
Jon Allen
Opencinema16mm@gmail.com |
2. Central Junior High After-School Program Art Club/ Nikki Lovell |
$1,000.00 |
Nikki Lovvell
nlovell@usd497.org |
3. Snow Queen – Lawrence Art Center/Deborah Bettinger |
$900.00 |
Deborah Bettinger
lac@sunflower.com |
4. Lawrence Community Theater / Anne Johnson |
$700.00 |
Anne Johnson
annejlct@sbcglobal.net |
5. Lawrence All-City Junior High Jazz Ensemble/ Patrick Kelly |
$1,000.00 |
Patrick Kelly
pkelly@usd497.org |
6. MAP – Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority/ Kris Hermanson |
$900.00 |
Kris Hermanson
khermanson@ldcha.org |
7. Art from the Eastside – East Lawrence Neighborhood Association/ KT Walsh |
$310.00 |
K.T. Walsh
ktwalsh@sunflower.com |
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