Monroe County is proud to support our arts and cultural sector. This year the County once again increased its funding for mid-sized arts organizations and created an opportunity for community festivals to receive financial support.

In the 2023 budget, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello increased mid-sized arts and festival support from $500,000 to $1.2 million. Approximately $300,000 of that was used to support two dozen community festivals, and the remaining $900,000 is allocated to support mid-sized arts and cultural organizations.

Organizations seeking to apply for FY 2023 mid-sized arts support must meet the following eligibility guidelines:

The organization must have a significant presence in Monroe County – conducting at least 50% of its operations in Monroe County and maintain a physical location in Monroe County.
The organization must have been legally recognized for at least one year with a tax filing as a 501(c)3 organization or LLC.
The organization’s primary mission must be directly related to arts and culture.
**NEW EXPANDED QUALIFICATION**The organization’s annual operating budget (operating expenses) must be between $50,000 and $4,000,000.
Excluded from eligibility are event spaces, sports teams, leagues, tournaments, and other organizations for which arts and cultural programing is not the organization’s primary function.

There will be a informational webinar and Q&A session about this grant August 7th at 6pm (sign up on the grant page).

Can arts and cultural festivals apply for funding in 2023? No. Applications for Community Festival Funding were due earlier in the year.  It is anticipated that this funding stream will be available for applications again next year. To learn more about community festival funding go here: https://www.monroecounty.gov/festivalfunding.