Community Arts Grant Program

The application period for the FY2025 Community Arts Grants is January 2 to February 3, 2025

The Mini Grant application will open on January 27, 2025. Applicants must submit their final Mini Grant application online by 11:00 p.m. on March 7, 2025.

The Community Arts Grant program (CAG) was established in 1991 to benefit the local arts community for art-related programs and projects. It is overseen by the Cultural Arts Commission and funded through transient guest tax (TGT) revenue (tax paid by hotel guests). Since 1991, 240 grants have been awarded, equaling $339,000 in City grant support.

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 key progress indicators, particulalry UI-2, UI-6 and UI-13. This is reflected in the score form that the Cultural Arts Commissioners will use to review the grant applications.

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.

FY 2025 Community Arts Grant Guidelines - Application opens December 30, 2024

Informational meeting for grant applicants - An informational meeting was held on Friday, January 17, from 2 to 3 p.m. Video Link

New! 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 PDF form by 11:00 p.m. on by January 15, 2025 – or sooner – for initial screening and basic minimum requirements by staff. Feedback will be returned by January 22, 2025 prior to the final application deadline. The pre-application fillable PDF form can be downloaded HERE. Pre applications are optional, not required.

For more information, contact Porter Arneill at parneill@lawrenceks.org or (785) 832-3449.

Mini Grants will provide as many as five grants of up to $500 each to help support artists with start-up costs for equipment specifically aligned with their art practice. NOTE: Mini Grant application review will follow a different schedule than the regular grants, see timeline below. The Mini grant online application form will also be different than the online form for regular grants.

The Mini Grant Application will open on January 27, 2025. Applicants must submit their final application online by 11:00 p.m. on March 7, 2025. Late and incomplete applications will not be considered; modifications are not allowed after the deadline passes. The full grant schedule is below.

NOTE: Community Arts Grants awards will equal no more than 50% of the total project or activity cost. Cost-share 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.

Sample Application Budget

Sample Application Budget Overview Spreadsheet

The 2025 Community Arts Grant Online Application is open from December 30, 2024 to 11:00 p.m. on February 3, 2025

Applicant Information

Project Director(Required)

First Last

Project Director's Title(Required)

Name of Organization (or N/A)(Required)

Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Optional Support Documents

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 200 MB, Max. files: 3.

If applicable, please provide up to three support documents (letter of support, article, etc...).

Project Information

Project Title(Required)

Make checks payable to:(Required)

Project Timeline

Provide the start and end date for the project. If the project includes multiple events, provide the date of the first event for the start date and the date of the last event for the end date.

Start Date(Required)

End Date(Required)

This project is most closely related to:(Required)

Balance the Local

Embrace All/Celebrate Community

Build Places Together

Funding Request

Total Project Expenses

Budget Justification

As you explain your budget justifications under the budget categories below, be sure to address the amount of your matching support, funding source(s), and how the match reflects community interest. Your budget should correspond with the plan laid-out in your project description.

Personnel(Required)

Fees and Services(Required)

Rental Fees if applicable(Required)

Travel if applicable(Required)

Marketing Expenses(Required)

Materials Expenses(Required)

Operating Expenses(Required)

Other Expenses(Required)

Signed Letters of Commitment(Required)

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 200 MB.

Current signed letters of commitment confirming in-kind or cash contributions to the project from any third-party contributors and current letters from the named collaborators (or a representative of named collaborating organizations) confirming their participation. Applications that do not include these letters will be disqualified.

Authorization

Project Director(Required)

You are the project director (or authorized to represent the project director) and certify that the information contained in this application packet is true, to the best of your knowledge.

As the project director, I certify this application

Date(Required)

Name(Required)

Title(Required)

Fiscal Agent (if applicable)

You are the fiscal agent (or authorized to represent the fiscal agent) and certify that the information contained in this application packet is true, to the best of your knowledge.

As the fiscal agent, I certify this application

Date(Required)

Name(Required)

Title(Required)

2024 Community Arts Grants

2024 CAG Applications

Lawrence Arts Center, Free State Festival: $10,000
Busker Festival: $10,000
Amplify Lawrence, Inc., 2024 Amplify Lawrence Camp Experience: $5,000
Van Go, Inc., Benchmark, 2024: $9,000
Spencer Museum of Art, d/b/a/ University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc., native Fashion: $9,000
Art Tougeau, Inc., A Low-rider Twist to a 25 Year Lawrence Tradition: $4,303
Lawrence Art Guild Association, Emerging Artist Booth: $2,996
Marla Quilts, Inc., National African American Quilt Convention: $5,000
Lawrence Juneteenth Organization, Lawrence Juneteenth Celebration: $6,500
Black:30 Association, Inclusive Market Project: $5,390
Lawrence Kansas Pride Inc., Lawrence Pride Party 2024: $4,800

2018 Grant Recipients

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	-

2017 Grant Recipients

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	-

2016 Grant Recipients

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	-

2015 Grant Recipients

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

2014 Grant Recipients

Project Title/Organization	Amount	Report
Busker Festival - Lawrence Busker Festival 2014	$2,000	View Report
Douglas County Housing Inc. - Music for the People	$545	View Report
Lawrence Alliance - Festival of Cultures	$500	View Report
Lawrence Percolator - Lawrence Inside-Out: City of the Arts	$1,200
Silly Goose Records Collective - MXM2014: Mix/Master Music Info Sessions & Showcase	$1,100	View Report
Van Go, Inc. - Rolling Mural: Moving History of Lawrence	$1,000	View Report
Total:	$6,345

2013 Grant Recipients

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

2012 Grant Recipients

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

2011 Grant Recipients

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

2010 Grant Recipients

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

2009 Grant Recipients

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

2008 Grant Recipients

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

2007 Grant Recipients

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

2006 Grant Recipients

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

Community Arts Grant Program

The application period for the FY2025 Community Arts Grants is January 2 to February 3, 2025

Sample Application Budget

The 2025 Community Arts Grant Online Application is open from December 30, 2024 to 11:00 p.m. on February 3, 2025

Applicant Information

Project Information

Project Timeline

Budget

Personnel

Fees and Services

Rental Fees

Travel

Marketing Expenses

Materials Expenses

Operating Expenses

Other Expenses

Budget Totals

Budget Justification

Authorization

2024 CAG Applications

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Community Arts Grant Program application opens January 2, 2025!

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