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Staff recommends $160,000 in FY26 arts grants; 29 of 33 applications advanced for funding
Summary
City staff presented recommendations to distribute $160,000 in arts grants for fiscal year 2026: $64,000 to nine general support applicants and $96,000 to 20 project support applicants. Staff described evaluation criteria and said applicants must score at least 77 to be recommended for funding.
Laurie (city staff) presented the Arts Grants recommendations for fiscal year 2026 and told the South Ogden City Council staff is recommending a total of $160,000 in awards to 29 applicants out of 33 submissions.
Laurie said the grants are reviewed using a weighted rubric that examines mission quality, program quality, community reach, marketing, a balanced budget, and alignment with the arts advisory master plan. She said nine general‑support nonprofit applications are recommended for a combined $64,000 and 20 project‑support applications are recommended for $96,000. Laurie summarized: "We have 29 applications we're presenting today, and we'll have a 160,000 go out in funding if this is approved." She also noted total requests this year were $315,610 and that some worthy applications were not recommended because they did not meet the scoring threshold or lacked a feasible budget.
Laurie described several recommended project grants by name and purpose, including community photography exhibits, cultural celebrations (Dia de los Muertos, Cinco de Mayo, Native American powwow), free community art classes, school arts festivals, accessible arts programming for disabled participants, and artist development supports. She said project applicants cannot request more than 50% of a project's budget and general support applicants cannot request more than 15% of their annual budget.
When asked why requests were higher this year, Laurie said the application pool included new applicants and that broader declines in federal funding may be increasing local asks; she advised the council that the scoring committee rejects proposals that do not reach a minimum score. Laurie said, "they have to at least get a 77 or above on their scoring rubric." Councilors praised the breadth of impact for the recommended grants.
This presentation was informational; staff said the recommended awards will be incorporated into the city’s grant awards and budget process.
