On June 15, Fort Myers City Council awarded $150,000 in arts and culture grants. Of the 47 applicantsthis year, grants were awarded to 19 arts organizations, one group and one individual artist. The total awarded this year was the same amount as last year.
Fort Myers provides annual funding to grow the arts and culture sector and enhance access to cultural experiences and beautification projects for residents and visitors.
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The city convened a scoring committee to review the applications that it received. The committee met on June 4 and recommended that City Council award funding to the arts and culture organizations, groups and individual artists with the highest scoring applications. City Council unanimously approved the committee’s recommendation at its June 15 meeting.
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall
The Alliance for the Arts on McGregor Boulevard was one of 19 arts organizations that received an arts and culture grant from the City of Fort Myers this cycle.
Following are the 19 arts organizations who received grants:
Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida, $8,000ArtFest Fort Myers Inc., $8,000Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School PTA/PTO, $8,000Florida Repertory Theatre, $8,000Fort Myers Symphonic Chorus dba Fort Myers Mastersingers, $8,000Holiday House and Stroll of Fort Myers, Inc., $8,000The Laboratory Theatre of Florida, $8,000Alliance for the Arts, $8,000LARC, Inc., $8,000Downtown Management Corp of FM dba RDA, $8,000Fort Myers Mural Society, $8,000Sally J. Pimentel Deaf & Hard of Hearing Center, $8,000All Veterans Memorial/ Fort Myers Veterans Memorial, $8,000Fort Myers Philharmonic, $8,000Florida Arts, Inc., $8,000Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc. DBA Arts for ACT Gallery, $8,000Community Cooperative, Inc., $8,000Theatre Conspiracy Inc., $8,000
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall
‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ was one of the shows produced this season by Florida Rep Education.
Two grants were awarded in the individual/group category, vis: Isreal Coover, $1,000 and SWFL Writers and Creatives, $5,000.
This year’s funding requests totaled $286,600.
““The scoring committee was pleased to see applications increase by more than 50% from last year and awarded grants to the highest-scoring entities that met the requirements established by Fort Myers City Council,” said Jessica McElwee, grants and special projects director for the City of Fort Myers, who added that the grants affirm the importance of the arts to the cultural, economic and educational well-being of the city’s diverse population.
Courtesy of City of Fort Myers
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City of Fort Myers
Jessica McElwee, grants and special projects director for the City of Fort Myers.
“As a specialized service provider and first-time city grant recipient, we’re grateful for the support that strengthens our woodshop program and creates new opportunities for the individuals we serve,” said Angela Katz, executive director of LARC. “This investment allows our clients to build valuable life and workforce skills, express their creativity, and expand their design and production capabilities, enabling us to better meet the needs of local businesses and customers while contributing to the local economy.”
To learn more about the city’s arts and culture grant program, visit fortmyers.gov/arts.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
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