St. Petersburg city council unanimously approved the fiscal-year arts and culture grant awards (agenda item F5) on Oct. 16 after a presentation from the Arts Advisory Committee about the grants’ review process and cultural impact.

Committee process: Celeste Davis and committee vice chair Jorge Vidal explained that the Arts Advisory Committee—made up of working artists and cultural administrators—vet and score each application and also reviewed the city’s Level Up grants intended to support smaller organizations. Vidal said committee members commit substantial time to read, evaluate and deliberate over dozens of applications; this year the committee reviewed 36 organizations recommended for award.

Economic context: The committee presentation cited a Cultural Action Plan economic-impact estimate of more than $103 million in economic activity attributable to arts and culture in St. Petersburg. Committee members and Council Member Gina Driscoll said that state funding cuts had heightened the importance of local grants, and that the grants help small organizations sustain programs, pay artists and drive tourism.

Council response and vote: Council members publicly thanked committee volunteers and administration staff for the vetting work. Several council members noted the committee’s expertise and urged continuing to expand funding and programs such as an artists’ sustainability fund. The council voted unanimously to approve the grants as presented.

Administration noted the committee’s intent to ensure equitable distribution across disciplines and the committee’s ability to vet Level Up proposals that might otherwise not receive outside scrutiny.