Local Arts Agency
The City of Gainesville's Division of Cultural Affairs is the designated Local Arts Agency for Alachua County, and provides a variety of services to Alachua and surrounding counties. These services include cultural planning, cultural tourism planning, grants administration and technical assistance. The Division Cultural of Affairs also administers Destination Enhancement funds for Alachua County and the Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Grants Administration
The City of Gainesville's Division of Cultural Affairs administers a variety of grants to nonprofit organizations for cultural programs and community events. The City has traditionally supported the arts through grants for cultural programs and by providing support services and facilities. The Division, as the designated Local Arts Agency for Alachua County, along with the Gainesville/Alachua County Cultural Affairs Board has pledged its resources toward making the arts and culture accessible to all citizens, including special constituencies such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, the economically disadvantaged, and ethnic minorities. Cultural programs and community events must demonstrate responsiveness to the needs and interests of the community as identified in the Cultural Plan, the Cultural Element of the Gainesville Comprehensive Plan, and by the City Manager and the Gainesville City Commission. Annually, the Division administers approximately $400,000 in grants to city and county nonprofit organizations.

Four different types of grants are available to nonprofit organizations:

Outside Agency Grants
Outside Agency Grants provide general support for cultural nonprofit organization programs and projects inside the city limits.

Professional Arts Producing Institution Grants
This program is to provide annual support to a core group of cultural organizations in Gainesville, which can demonstrate that they meet the criteria. Application is one-time, with these agencies certifying annually that they meet the criteria.

Support Service Grants
The City is committed to encouraging events planned for the community. Support Service grants are available to nonprofit agencies for outdoor community events through an annual application process each spring. Funding is made available through in-kind services from the City in the form of security, clean-up, traffic control and banner installations and removals.

Arts Tag Grants
Grants from the sale of Florida's "State of the Arts" license plate support the arts in our community. For every plate issued or renewed, $20 is invested in quality visual arts, music, theater, and dance programs in Alachua County. This grant funding especially aids rural arts agencies ineligible for outside agency grants.

For 2010-12 Grant Applications, Schedules and Guidelines in Word (editable) format. Please save the application to your computer before filling it out.

For 2010-12 Grant Applications, Schedules and Guidelines in PDF (editable only with Acrobat Writer)

Each grant has its own criteria and restrictions, providing a variety of funding resources for local organizations, meeting different needs and providing technical assistance to all types of funding candidates.

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For a copy of the Grant Guidelines and technical assistance, contact Margie Roland at (352) 393-8358 or rolandml@cityofgainesville.org

Arts Tag
Give yourself a birthday present and give your car a makeover with the Florida "State of the Arts" license plate. Your purchase will help fund cultural programs in Alachua County. The tag is available for only $22 over vehicle registration costs. Proceeds from sales of the tag will support the visual arts, music, theater and dance through your local arts agency in Alachua County, the City of Gainesville Division of Cultural Affairs. Patrons of the arts may claim a $20 tax deduction for the charitable donation. Give yourself a special birthday present or take your current plate to any tag office now and put the arts in the fast lane! For more info...

Cultural Literature
Want to know more about a local festival? Visit the Thomas Center. Several areas in our front hall serve as outlets for local arts organizations to distribute information about their upcoming events. A receptionist directly inside the Center leads visitors to the information and answers any questions.

Co-sponsoring Local Artists at the Thomas Center
Local artists may have up to four events per calendar year at the Thomas Center sponsored by the Division of Cultural Affairs at greatly reduced rental cost. Cultural events such as music, performing arts, and lectures are included. Local nonprofit organizations may contract with artists outside the Alachua County area to perform a cultural event at the facility.


Tours of the Thomas Center
To help local school children better envision the 1920's, they are given purses and bow ties during yearly tours sponsored by the Thomas Center Associates. The children are transported back in time through visits to period rooms and the Center's surrounding gardens, and they celebrate the present by visiting the galleries. After they tour the facility, the children are taken on a walking tour through the Northeast Historic District, where different architectural styles are identified. The Thomas Center Associates fund this program.

This art segment highlights some of the City of Gainesville’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs’ community based cultural resources while exploring the visual environment, the importance of the arts and the historic Thomas Center.  Enjoy!