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Creative districts request about $2.4M in development grants; council expects to award about $1M
Summary
Staff said certified creative districts applied for roughly $2.4 million in development grants (up to $100,000 per district), while available funding appears to be around $1,000,000 drawn from state appropriation and turnback tax sources; the requests will inform a legislative ask.
Creative districts across Nebraska requested development grants totaling roughly $2.4 million, staff told the Nebraska Arts Council, while the program is likely to have about $1 million available for awards.
Rachel, who leads the creative-districts program, told the council certified districts are eligible to apply for up to $100,000 (which may be spread across two years) to support strategic, sustainable projects. "We had a total of right around 2,400,000 requested; we are looking at probably around a $1,000,000 that we will be able to grant out," she said.
Staff said the funding streams for the development grant are a combination of state appropriation and a sports arena turnback tax; each funding source carries rules that affect eligible uses and allocation. Council members and staff discussed a prominent trend in applications: many requests focus on organizational capacity-building, including hiring coordinators to administer district programs and write grants.
The council identified the development grant portfolio as a focal point for legislative outreach. Executive staff said they plan to present contesting grant demand as evidence when seeking additional appropriations while acknowledging the state's challenging revenue forecast.
Panel review and awards are slated for January; council members were invited to serve on panels (or audit them the first year) and were reminded that applicants will not be notified of awards until after the board acts.
