Art Builds Community Grant - 2025
Deadline: Monday, June 30, 2025 at 5 p.m.

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts' Art Builds Community Grant is designed to provide support to initiatives that uniquely address civic challenges and community issues through the Arts. The objective is to strengthen community by fostering relationships between artists, arts organizations and civic organizations existing within the Keys community and generate greater cultural equity in The Florida Keys.

Grants will be awarded for $5,000, $7,500 or $10,000 each on a reimbursement basis upon completion of an approved final report.

When project is awarded, 1/3 of funds will be disbursed to the applicant as start-up/seed money.

Americans for the Arts Cultural Equity definition:

Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices that ensure that all people—including but not limited to those who have been historically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion—are represented in the development of arts policy; the support of artists; the nurturing of accessible, thriving venues for expression; and the fair distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources.

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts is committed to ensuring that everyone in our community has equal access to the Arts and the fundamental right to express their culture through the Arts. Many of our residents experience vast disparities in terms of access to and participation in arts and culture activities. We believe the arts have the power to change hearts and minds and inspire social change.
  • select only one

  • This person will receive all correspondence from our office.
  • This person will receive all correspondence from our office.
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  • You MUST have a Partner Organization.
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  • ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL MERIT (35 points)

    1. Project Description:
    Describe your project and how you propose to build cultural equity. Define the community quality of life issue you seek to address through the Arts and how your project will involve participation in the Arts by underserved communities.

    2. Goals, Objectives and Activities:
    A. What are your goals?
    B. What strategies will you employ to accomplish your goals?
    C. What activities will your audience engage in to meet these goals?

    3. Timeline:
    List the timeline of project activities, include date of program
    as well as pre and post activities.

  • COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION (35 points) answer in boxes below.

    1. Project Partners:
    A. How will community member/partners be involved in planning, executing and evaluating the project?
    B. Describe in detail the planned benefits of the partnership.
    C. How does the partnership advance project goals?

    Below, please attached any written partnership agreements. Identify demonstrated support from local community leaders.

    2. Target Audience:
    Who is your primary audience – who does your project serve? Briefly describe your audience demographics.

    3. Marketing and Promotion:
    Briefly describe your marketing/promotion/publicity plans. Indicate types of promotion/advertising activities such as, the use of traditional media, social media, email, websites, online banner ads and community relations. Clearly state your outreach to your target audience.

    4. Impact:
    Briefly describe the expected impact of your project on your target audience.
    A. How many artists will be involved with your project?
    B. What is your anticipated audience/participant size?

    5. Evaluation Plan:
    Describe your methods and processes for gathering, analyzing and reporting data to evaluate program successes and challenges.

  • BUDGET (20 points)

    The proposed budget should reflect all costs of implementing your project. Please round all amounts to the nearest dollar. Please include a brief narrative detailing each budget line-item. If any line item does not apply, leave blank. Total expenses and total income lines should match.

  • EXPENSES

  • INCOME

  • Acceptable formats: pdf, doc, docx, txt, jpg, tif, zip
  • Acceptable formats: pdf, doc, docx, txt, jpg, tif, zip
  • Acceptable formats: pdf, doc, docx, txt, jpg, tif, zip
  • Acceptable formats: pdf, doc, docx, txt, jpg, tif, zip
  • We have filled out a description of the project, including the goal, methods, outreach population, and evaluation; We are attaching (1) a support letter from our partner; and (2) proof of nonprofit status, or mission statement, or artist resume and proof of residency in Monroe County.

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