Council approves cultural arts grants administered by FC3; board to reopen small grants window for historical society

Palm Coast City Council unanimously approved Resolution 2025 awarding cultural arts grants administered by the Flagler County Cultural Council (FC3) and will reopen a limited re-application window to allow the Flagler County Historical Society and others to apply for remaining funds.

Why this matters: The resolution allocates taxpayer-supported grant dollars to local arts organizations and formalizes FC3's role in administering the program under a recently executed agreement. Council and staff said the program is intended to support arts access for residents and help local nonprofits leverage state and private funding.

Process and timeline

City staff and FC3 described the program timeline: the administration agreement between the city and FC3 was executed Nov. 22, 2024; FC3 purchased an online application platform (Submittable) and opened the application period Feb. 1'Feb. 28, 2025. FC3 staff and reviewers scored 15 applications and recommended awarding funds to 11 groups, declining one that did not meet the minimum threshold and noting one withdrawal. Reviewers and council members acknowledged the initial application window was compressed because the agreement and the Submittable setup occurred late in the calendar, and several council members and FC3 representatives pledged to open the application period earlier next year (e.g., immediately after budget adoption).

Awards and recipients

FC3 presented recommended awards and project descriptions for the 11 recommended recipients including the Flagler County Auditorium Governing Board, City Repertory Theatre, Palm Coast Music Festival, African American Cultural Society, Hispanic American Cultural Society, Community Chorus of Palm Coast, City Lights, Flagler County Education Foundation (Josh Cruz writing project), Flagler Performing Arts Academy, Kids Rock the Nation and the Garden Club of Palm Coast. The total funding request presented to council was $89,094. The recommended awards covered a range of event production, artist fees, youth programming and scholarships; FC3 noted the grants are reimbursement-based and require recipients to provide receipts and include the city and FC3 in marketing materials.

Reopening a small round

Council discussed that the Flagler County Historical Society withdrew its application two days before review and that one applicant fell short of the minimum score. FC3 asked council permission to reopen a small supplemental round (e.g., multiple mini-grants of approximately $2,500) using remaining funds; council members agreed and directed staff/FC3 to proceed.

Funding partners and scope

A speaker on behalf of FC3 noted the Tourism Development Council (TDC) and Flagler County are also exploring contributions and that other partners (including some event-specific sponsors) helped cover some programmatic or administrative costs (FC3 had purchased Submittable for about $5,500 to streamline applications). Several council members asked FC3 to pursue earlier public notice and to consider widening the applicant pool to neighboring municipalities if those municipalities contribute funding.

Formal action

The council voted unanimously to approve the resolution awarding the recommended grants and to allow staff and FC3 to reopen a small supplemental round for eligible applicants.

Ending

Council members and public commenters praised FC3 and the applicant organizations for volunteer time and community programming; council asked staff to coordinate reopening the small supplemental application round and to provide earlier notice next year.