PACE reports record attendance, economic impact and asks county to continue funding

Representatives of PACE, the Family Arts and Culture Center that operates the Hof Center and related arts programming, told the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors that the organization far exceeded internal participation goals this year and is seeking continued county support.

A PACE representative said the organization set a program-impact goal of 40,000 participants and “crushed that goal with almost ... 47,000 people participating in PACE programming.” The presenter described the facility as a 95,000-square-foot regional cultural center and said volunteers (about 400 annually), paid staff (about 20), and dozens of contracted creatives support year-round programming including children’s theater, gallery exhibitions, music and culinary classes.

PACE showed outcome metrics the presenter attributed to the prior county partnership: gallery visits (about 8,300), total visitors to the facility (about 95,000), an estimated audience-spending impact (presented as roughly $3.2 million), and a breakdown of visitors by state (about 71% from Iowa, 28% from Nebraska and 1% from other states). The presenter noted awards and state recognition that have strengthened grant eligibility and said the organization has secured a $50,000 private donation and a $25,000 Iowa tourism grant; an application to the National Endowment for the Arts was described as pending.

On larger or traveling exhibits, the PACE representative told the board those shows can be costly — “anywhere from $75,000 to $125,000” — and described plans for a more expensive in-house exhibit in 2026 that the organization hopes to fund with tourism and federal grants. The board asked questions about revenue models, whether PACE can become self-sustaining and how the organization uses hotel-motel tax and other revenue sources. The presenter said PACE will continue to seek foundations and grants and that, although they have increased earned revenue, the organization still expects some ongoing public support.

Board response and next steps: Supervisors thanked the presenter and asked staff to expect an official funding proposal; the board’s prior multi-year commitment to PACE was discussed and supervisors indicated they would consider a renewed request during budget deliberations. No final county funding decision was made at this meeting.

Ending: PACE’s report highlighted high local engagement and regional draw; the organization will submit formal materials for consideration in the county budget process.