June 7, 2024
City’s hotel/motel tax increases funding pool to $215,000
The Springfield Regional Arts Council, in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation, granted $215,000 to 25 local and regional organizations on Friday, June 7. The announcement presentation took place during June’s First Friday Art Walk at the Creamery.
The Arts & Culture grant program aids nonprofit arts and culture organizations through program assistance, operating support and collaborative partnership opportunities. The pool of applicants was significant, with 45 applications received and a total of $493,703 requested. This grant program is funded through a portion of the City of Springfield’s hotel/motel tax collection allocated to the SRAC with additional funding made possible by the CFO and the Musgrave Foundation.
The SRAC and the CFO have partnered to distribute Arts & Culture Funds since 2013. New this year:
- Increased funding from the local hotel/motel tax collections resulted in an expanded pool of funding, growing from $65,000 awarded in 2023 to $215,000 in 2024.
- Expanded eligibility of projects through a new multi-year Operating Support category. Recipients in this category will be eligible for $20,000 annually for three years. The SRAC aims to help lift the heavy burden of operating costs to allow organizations to focus on mission-based work and build lasting sustainability.
“It has long been the goal of the SRAC to expand the pool of local funding available to the arts and culture sector in southwest Missouri,” said Leslie Forrester, executive director of the SRAC. “All of the organizations we are celebrating are deeply dedicated to their community and work hard every day to serve their missions. We are delighted to provide more investment in their work and to see the inspiring results.”
“Supporting the arts with grants is vital to improving the quality of life in Springfield and our region,” said Bridget Dierks, vice president of programs for the CFO, which also administers grantmaking for the Musgrave Foundation in partnership with US Bank Private Wealth Management. “We are grateful to partner with the SRAC and the Musgrave Foundation to support these organizations.”
The 2024 Arts & Culture Operating Support grant recipients are:
- KSMU
- Moxie Cinema
- Ozarks Lyric Opera
- Sculpture Walk Springfield
- Springfield Art Museum
The 2024 Arts & Culture Programming Support grant recipients are:
- American Indian Center of Springfield: $10,000 to support the Art of Indigenous Culture program.
- Boys & Girls Club of Springfield: $10,000 to support the Pencil & Play Youth Outreach Project.
- CORO: $2,500 to support the 2024 Young Arts Program.
- Heartland Opera Theatre, Joplin: $5,000 to produce accessible theatre productions of new and classical works.
- History Museum on the Square: $5,000 to create immersive educational experiences that celebrate local heritage, culture and history through walking tours.
- MOJO at Gillioz: $5,000 to support the programming of the Missouri Jazz Orchestra
- Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra: $7,500 to support programming expansion with Springfield Public Schools for an April 2025 concert.
- Moon City Press: $7,500 to support local literary arts through a diverse reading series.
- Nixa Downtown Revitalization Committee: $8,797 to support materials, labor and programming for downtown murals.
- Ozarks Film Foundry: $5,000 to pay instructors and support marketing for a 2024 film festival.
- OTC Fine Arts: $3,000 to fund a field trip each semester for students enrolled in fine arts courses.
- Plotline: $6,603 to support in-school and after-school filmmaking programs at Boyd, Jarrett and Reed.
- Queen City Chorale: $5,000 to support a three-concert series.
- Queen City Rock Camp: $2,000 to pay stipends for volunteers.
- Southern Missouri Arts Connection, Hollister: $4,500 to support an Artist-in-Residence program.
- Springfield Chamber Chorus: $10,000 to support the mission of fostering musical excellence and cultural enrichment through performances and educational outreach programs.
- Springfield Dance Alliance: $5,000 to pay choreographers.
- Springfield-Greene County Park Board: $1,600 to purchase essential supplies for collaborative mural projects.
- Springfield-Greene County Park Board: $1,500 to support Camp Melody Makers.
- Springfield Multicultural Festival: $10,000 to support the 28th annual Springfield Multicultural Festival.
The Springfield Regional Arts Council, incorporated in 1978, serves as the connecting point for our community to the arts. Through advocacy, education and collaboration, it supports some of the most prominent arts organizations, events and artists within the 27 surrounding counties, the largest outreach of any in the state of Missouri. The SRAC makes the arts a vital part of the community, which is a place where the arts are essential. To learn more, visit www.springfieldarts.org.
