The FY2024 application for all grant programs is now available in Submittable.
Next Deadline: June 21, 2023, 11:59 ET
Grant Period: October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024

Basic Eligibility

1. Applicants must be either:
   1. a not-for-profit Florida corporation with at least 60% of your operating cash* budget originating from earned income+ and classified by the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) as a 501(c)3, sub-class “public charity.” (See page 9 of the Guidelines for more information.)
   2. a department, museum, or other organization working under the FEID number of a part of the State of Florida, Florida State University, Florida A&M University, or Tallahassee Community College.
2. Applicant’s mission must be to produce or promote arts and/or history programming.
3. Applicant must have completed at least one fiscal year of programming in your discipline.
4. Applicant must present or produce programs/activities/events in Tallahassee/Leon County.
5. Applicant must have a professional staff. (Staff can be paid or volunteer, but should be regularly available during normal business hours.)
6. Applicant must have a governing Board of Directors that meets regularly and operates under a set of by-laws.
7. Applicant must be able to demonstrate the receipt of community support through
   subscriptions, memberships, earned income, foundation grants, and/or other private fundraising (including in-kind support).
8. Applicant must produce arts or cultural programs that are regularly available to the public throughout the year.
9. Applicant must have documented statistics on attendance and participation for your programs and/or facility (paid or free) that represent a broad community impact.
10. Applicant must be committed to and have a plan in place to provide for accessibility for people with disabilities, including compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

About the Programs

COCA offers three grant programs: the Cultural grant, the Marketing grant and the City/Community grant.

Cultural Grant

To apply for the Cultural Grant, applicant programming must meet at least one of the following goals:

1. Offer arts, history, or cultural programs with exemplary standards and objectives.
2. Provide educational opportunities in arts, culture, and/or history for young people or adults.
3. Serves a special or diverse population or need, fills a unique niche, or engages the community in the creative or artistic process.

Funds for this grant come from Leon County’s Tourist Development Tax revenue. Therefore, applicants to this program must also meet all of the following expectations:

1. In addition to arts and culture, applicant must have as one of its main purposes the attraction of tourists as evidenced by the promotion of the activity, service, venue, or event to tourists.
2. Applicant must clearly identify public relations/promotional/marketing tactics used to reach visitors outside Leon County.
3. Applicant must have a marketing plan that clearly indicates out-of-market advertising or promotion.
4. Applicant must track and report the number of Out of County visitors served by programs.

In this grant program, an organization’s maximum allowable request depends on their type (not-for-profit versus state entity) and their allowable operating income from the previous fiscal year. (See page 11-12 in the Guidelines to calculate your request.)

Marketing Grant

Applicants who meet all Cultural grant requirements may request an additional $3,000 to support out-of-county marketing and promotion of arts and cultural programs.

Funds for this grant come from Leon County’s Tourist Development Tax revenue.

City/Community Grant

To apply for the City/Community Grant, applicant programming must meet at least one of the following goals:

1. Offer arts, history, or cultural programs with exemplary standards and objectives.
2. Provide educational opportunities in arts, culture, and/or history for young people or adults.
3. Serves a special or diverse population or need, fills a unique niche, or engages the community in the creative or artistic process.

Unlike the Cultural and Marketing Grants, funds for the City/Community Grant come from the City of Tallahassee’s General Revenue fund.

1. Applicants must track and report the number of Leon County and/or Tallahassee residents served by programs.
2. Applicant programming should align with one or more of the following City of Tallahassee priorities (see pages 18-19 of the Guidelines):
   1. Economic Development
   2. Impact on Poverty
   3. Public Safety
   4. Quality of Life

An organization can request up to $10,000 to support local arts programs. Funding for this grant depends on the city budget. The city budget may not be determined until after the panel meeting.

Application Process

Unlike previous years, all three grant programs have one application, one panel and one funding cycle.

The application is available now in Submittable, titled “FY24 Cultural Grant Program.” Applicants must make a Submittable account in order to apply. We have a How to Apply recording available here and a PDF of the presentation attached to this Classified. For more assistance applying, contact Summer Callahan at summer@tallahasseearts.org.

Applications for all three grant programs are due June 21, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

Following submission, COCA staff will complete an initial eligibility review.

Cultural Grant and Marketing Grant applications will be reviewed by the Leon County Tourist Development Council. Applications that are flagged by the TDC will be notified between June 28 and July 12 and will have the opportunity to revise their application. The TDC will either accept or reject that revision; that decision will be announced July 21, 2023.

The panel for all three grant programs will be held August 23, 2023 over Zoom. The panel meeting will be open to the public. Panelists are encouraged to discuss each application and ask questions of applicants, if available.

The COCA board will review and approve the funding recommendations on September 7, 2023.

The TDC will review and approve the funding recommendations for the Cultural and Marketing grants on September 14, 2023.

The City of Tallahassee and Leon County budgets will be finalized on September 30.

For funded applicants, the grant period begins October 1. Funded grantees will need to sign a contract in order to receive a payment. Cultural Grant awards above $10,000 will be split in two parts, with the second payment contingent on submitting an interim report due April 30, 2024. All grantees will need to submit an interim and a final report.

For more information on the grant process or with any questions, please contact Summer Callahan at summer@tallahasseearts.org.