Eligible projects

The grant program is designed to fund proposals that:

• Support community pride and build bridges between artists and communities in St. Louis Park.
• Provide opportunities for new and emerging artists.
• Include public expression of arts and culture in ways that are accessible and appeal to large populations.
• Engage people in creative learning experiences through the arts.
• Promote St. Louis Park as a city with rich arts and cultural activity and experiences.
• Projects/proposals selected for funding will be arts-related and community-based, provide artistic enrichment and create opportunities for artistic collaboration.

Ineligible activities

The Arts & Culture Grant does not fund the following grant areas:

• Multiple applications from the same organization in the same year
• Food
• Door prizes
• Travel expenses or accommodations
• Projects that began prior to grant awardee notification
• Repeat installations or performances of existing projects
• Organizations or affiliated organizations that have received three grants in a five-year period
• Purchase or rental of materials that have been used to implement the same project elsewhere (e.g., scripts, displays, photos, etc.)
• Programs that have lost funding or need replacement funding to be implemented
• School programs, including artists-in-residence and school-based events*
• Program put on by city commissions, city departments, etc.
• Community Education programs
• Training programs
• Lecture series

*Projects that occur as a part of the curricular school day are ineligible and should consider applying to the Park Public Schools & Community Foundation.

Up to $20,000 total will be awarded to projects that meet the goals and criteria of the grant program.

Grants average $5,000, though applicants may request up to $15,000. For projects that exceed $5,000, it is common that projects may not be fully funded. For that reason, applicants requesting more than $5,000 are encouraged to have additional funding sources beyond this grant program

The application deadline for 2025 grants was Sept. 29, 2024. 

All submissions must include a copy of your proposal narrative and budget. Supplemental materials related to the proposal are optional but encouraged.

Proposal narrative

Use the following outline as a guide to your proposal narrative.

Proposal information and project feasibility

• Why are you applying for funding? Describe in detail all elements of the project, including its purpose, timing, location, the intended audience and expected participants.
• If this project will result in permanent installations of art, who will be responsible for maintenance? Who will maintain ownership of the artwork?
• Provide a complete project timeline (all projects/performances must be completed in 2025 or with special written permission from the City of St. Louis Park).

Community involvement

• How is this project unique to St. Louis Park? What relationships (partners, collaborators, artists, community groups, participants, audience, etc.) will you leverage throughout this project?
• How does your project align with the core themes of the Strategic Roadmap for Advancing Arts and Culture to 1) connect people, ideas, communities; 2) enliven public spaces; 3) promote health and well-being?
• How does your proposal encourage community participation and collaboration?
• What efforts will be made to include diverse populations or accommodate people with differing abilities? How does your project advance equity and inclusion, as identified in the Strategic Roadmap for Advancing Arts and Culture?

Artistic involvement

• Is a performer/musician/artist involved with the planning and implementation of this proposal?
• What specific services will an artist or cultural organization provide and how does this relate to the goals of the project?
• Describe the artistic goals of the project—does it aim for high artistic quality, focus on participant experience and growth, or a combination?
• Does this project provide opportunities for new and emerging artists?

Racial equity and inclusion

St. Louis Park is committed to being a leader in racial equity and inclusion in order to create a more just and inclusive community for all. We hope to create pipelines and opportunities for people of color and indigenous peoples (POCI), invest in small businesses and services owned by POCI, and expand race, equity and inclusion as an ongoing discussion within all areas of the city.

• Describe ways your project plans to engage and include particular communities (e.g., people of color and Indigenous peoples, LGBTQ+, seniors, youth, veterans or others) as project organizers, artists, collaborators, participants and/or audience.
• How will you ensure your project will be accessible to people with disabilities?
  • Do your project activities take place in ADA accessible spaces?
  • Will you provide any accessibility accommodations like ASL interpretation, audio described performance, sensory tours, etc.?
• What might be some of the barriers to participation or attendance in your project (e.g., cost, transportation, childcare, etc.)?

Supplemental information

If applicable, submit photos, videos, programs and/or samples with brief descriptions of similar projects the artists have completed in the past.

Budget

Grant budgets may include costs for artists and other personnel, performance/rehearsal space, costumes, publicity, printing, postage, supplies, equipment, advertising and other expenses necessary to carry out the project. Don't include food or beverages of any kind as they are not an allowable expense and will be deducted from the grant amount request. Semi-permanent and permanent art installations must also include funds for an identification and funder recognition plaque. The budget should include all project income and expenses, including matching resources from other sources—income and expenses should be equal.

You can use the grant budget template to help prepare and submit your budget.

Grant applications timeline

• July 15, 2024 – application available
• Sept. 29, 2024 – application submission deadline
• October/November 2024 – committee application review
• December 2024 – council approval of grantees and award funds

In August 2020, the city council accepted the Strategic Roadmap for Advancing Arts and Culture. The core themes of the plan include:

• Connect people, ideas, communities
  Focus on cultural expression and community-gathering. Arts and culture activities are targeted to neighborhoods and provide opportunities for neighbors to meet and meaningfully connect.
  
  
• Enliven public spaces
  Focus on the power of arts and culture to enliven streets, neighborhoods, parks, and public spaces with an emphasis on local identity. Formal and informal activities, permanent and temporary installations serve to create chance encounters with the arts and add aesthetic beauty to the city.
  
  
• Promote health and well-being
  Focus on creativity and the arts as important vehicles to strengthen and improve individual and community health and wellbeing through programs and projects that support mental health, encourage active lifestyles, encourage sustainability, and create connections to nature

Along with the core themes, the Strategic Roadmap for Advancing the Arts and Culture recognized the process lens of – among other attributes – Advancing Equity and Inclusion as a key component for all three core themes.

Advance and celebrate St. Louis Park’s diversity of people, places and cultures, while providing creative community voices in efforts to eliminate the underlying barriers and disparities—social, economic, health—that impact underrepresented communities.

The St. Louis Park Arts & Culture Grant program is uniquely established to promote the arts and culture for the residents of the City of St. Louis Park. While the applicants for the Arts & Culture Grant do not need to live or work within the city, all applications should demonstrate a strong connection and commitment to St. Louis Park in a variety of ways: artists, audiences, locations, etc.

View a list of past grant recipients.