City of Fort Myers awards arts and culture grants to 19 arts organizations, one group and one artist

On June 15, Fort Myers City Council awarded $150,000 in arts and culture grants. Of the 47 applicants this 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.

Following are the 19 arts organizations who received grants:

• Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida, $8,000
• ArtFest Fort Myers Inc., $8,000
• Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School PTA/PTO, $8,000
• Florida Repertory Theatre, $8,000
• Fort Myers Symphonic Chorus dba Fort Myers Mastersingers, $8,000
• Holiday House and Stroll of Fort Myers, Inc., $8,000
• The Laboratory Theatre of Florida, $8,000
• Alliance for the Arts, $8,000
• LARC, Inc., $8,000
• Downtown Management Corp of FM dba RDA, $8,000
• Fort Myers Mural Society, $8,000
• Sally J. Pimentel Deaf & Hard of Hearing Center, $8,000
• All Veterans Memorial/ Fort Myers Veterans Memorial, $8,000
• Fort Myers Philharmonic, $8,000
• Florida Arts, Inc., $8,000
• Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc. DBA Arts for ACT Gallery, $8,000
• Community Cooperative, Inc., $8,000
• Theatre Conspiracy Inc., $8,000

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.

“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.â€

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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