Alachua County is pleased to announce that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded it a $30,000 grant. This grant will provide additional financial support to Alachua County artists and our eight small cities for various public art programming, events, and projects.
"Thanks to this NEA grant, a $10,000 contribution from Visit Gainesville, Alachua County, FL, and State of the Arts license plate sales, our Art Tag Grant can award a record $44,000 this funding cycle," stated Arts Council Chair Stephanie Silberman.
The maximum grant award is $3,000 for individual artists, artist collaborators, and not-for-profit organizations, and $5,000 for the incorporated cities of Alachua, Archer, Hawthorne, High Springs, LaCrosse, Micanopy, Newberry, and Waldo. Awards can be used for visual art and music supplies, advertising, studio time, printing, equipment, and other project-related expenses. Interested artists and cities can apply for an Art Tag Grant online. Applications are due by midnight on July 31 annually.
The Arts Council of Alachua County will review applications at their September meeting and recommend funding to the County Commissioners. Funding will be available from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025, with all required reports and reimbursements due by September 30, 2025.
The impetus for the Art Tag grant came in May of 2020, when, in adopting the Alachua County Public Arts Ordinance, the Alachua County Commission declared that "Art shall be an integral part of Alachua County" and also declared that "The mission of the County public art program is to enhance the quality of the visual environment in Alachua County, thereby adding to the quality of life and the level of citizen awareness of the importance of aesthetic experiences in their everyday lives."
"Projects like Alachua County's Art Tag Grants exemplify the creativity and care with which communities are telling their stories, creating connection, and responding to challenges and opportunities in their communities—all through the arts," said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. "So many aspects of our communities, such as cultural vitality, health and wellbeing, infrastructure, and the economy, are advanced and improved through investments in art and design, and the National Endowment for the Arts is committed to ensuring people across the country benefit."
Learn more about the NEA's grant awards.
For more information or to be added to Alachua County's Artists Email Distribution List, contact Assistant County Manager - Chief of Staff Gina Peebles at 352-538-8265 or gpeebles@alachuacounty.us.
