FY 2027 Arts & Culture Operating Support Grant Funding RecommendationCity of Dubuque
City Council
CONSENT ITEMS # 7.
Copyrighted
July 6, 2026
ITEM TITLE: FY 2027 Arts & Culture Operating Support Grant Funding
Recommendation
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending concurrence with the Arts &
Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission (Arts Commission) for
the recommended recipients Bell Tower Theater, Bluff
Strokes Art Center, Colts Youth Organization, Creative
Adventure Lab, Inc., Dubuque Arts Council, Dubuque
Chapter of SPEBSQSA / Music Men Barbershop Chorus,
Dubuque Chorale, Dubuque County Fine Arts Society,
Dubuque County Historical Society, Dubuque Museum of Art,
Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Fly -By -Night Productions,
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, Key City Creative
Center, Northeast Iowa School of Music, Rising Star Theatre
Company, The Grand Opera House, and Voices Productions
along with the funding levels of the FY2026 Arts & Culture
Operating Support grant applicants.
SUGGUESTED Receive and File; Approve
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
1. MVM Memo FY 2027 Arts & Culture Operating Support Grant Funding
Recommendation
2. Staff Memo
3. Supporting Document
Page 607 of 853
THE CITY OF
DUBE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: FY 2027 Arts & Culture Operating Support Grant Funding
C - • iTSMUOT,
DATE: June 29, 2026
Dubuque
AI WIN av
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager Bonnie Spurling is recommending City Council
concurrence with the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission (Arts Commission) for
the recommended recipients below along with the funding levels of the FY2027 Arts &
Culture Operating Support grant applicants. The FY 2027 approved budget includes
$250,000 for Arts & Culture Operating Support Grant Program.
The Arts Commission's FY 2027 Operating Support grant funding recommendation, listed
in alphabetical order by organization name, is as follows:
Bell Tower Theater
$
20,095.68
Bluff Strokes Art Center
$
14,107.63
Colts Youth Organization
$
21,806.40
Creative Adventure Lab, Inc.
$
21,806.40
Dubuque Arts Council
$
7,399.09
Dubuque Chapter of SPEBSQSA / Music Men Barbershop Chorus
$
779.73
Dubuque Chorale
$
3,619.72
Dubuque County Fine Arts Society
$
2,545.43
Dubuque County Historical Society
$
26,167.68
Dubuque Museum of Art
$
25,077.36
Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
$
25,349.94
Fly -By -Night Productions
$
1,658.51
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival
$
16,808.33
Key City Creative Center
$
5,512.27
Northeast Iowa School of Music
$
13,900.19
Rising Star Theatre Company
$
10,747.34
The Grand Opera House
$
23,987.04
Voices Productions
$
5,138.23
TOTAL FY 2027 Operating Support Funds to be Awarded
$ 246,506.97
Page 608 of 853
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Jill Connors, Economic Development Director
Bonnie Spurling, Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager
Jenny Larson, Chief Financial Officer
2
Page 609 of 853
Dubuque
THE CITY OF
DUB TE
All•A�erie1 Ciq
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Bonnie Spurling, Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager
Economic Development Department
1300 Main St
Dubuque, 1A 52001
Office (563) 589-4393
TTY (563) 690-6678
http://www.cityofdubuque.org
SUBJECT: FY 2027 Arts & Culture Operating Support Grant Funding
Recommendation
DATE: June 24, 2026
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide a funding recommendation from the Arts
& Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission (Arts Commission) for grant awards to arts and
culture organizations through the City's FY 2027 Arts & Culture Operating Support Grants
program, requesting concurrence with the funding recommendation for City Council
approval.
BACKGROUND
$250,000 was approved by the City Council for FY 2027 for the Arts & Culture Operating
Support Grant Program. This program offers limited, unrestricted support to eligible arts
and cultural nonprofit organizations operating within Dubuque city limits that demonstrate
a commitment to serving the community through access to arts, arts education, and
cultural heritage experiences.
Per standard operating procedure, this funding is awarded annually through a competitive
application process with applicants responding to program guidelines and application
questions previously reviewed and approved by the Arts Commission and transmitted to
the City Council.
Applications were reviewed and scored by a three -person reviewer panel independent of
the Arts Commission. Scoring was then considered by and a recommendation supported
by the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission (Arts Commission). Staff for the City's
Arts Commission have overseen the process throughout.
DISCUSSION
Operating Support grant applications were accepted between March 6, 2026, and April
17, 2026. In FY 2027, funding awards are based on the organization's total operating
expenses from their most recently completed fiscal year. The maximum funding an
organization can receive is calculated at 6% of the operating expenses not to exceed
$30,000. Twenty (20) applications were received. Eighteen (18) applicants were eligible
for funding per the program guidelines.
Page 610 of 853
All eligible applications were reviewed and scored by volunteer reviewers with knowledge
of the arts, actively participating in the arts, and possessing professional experience in
fields such as nonprofit, business, or education. The following volunteers served as the
review panel, independently reading and scoring all applications against the previously
approved 25-point rubric:
• Ann Burds — Retired: Infection Preventionist at Mercy One
• Amanda Sand — County Library Consultant
• Cindy Granse — Retired: Information Technology, and active local volunteer
Scoring and organizational operating budget worksheets were reviewed and used by staff
to inform the funding scenarios provided to the Arts Commission for consideration. The
accompanying scoring and funding scenarios document, listing applicants anonymously
by competitive ranking, was reviewed by the Arts Commission during a Regular Meeting
on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
If all applications were funded at the maximum possible award based on the max
percentage of the score received, a program budget of $271,304.17 would be needed
and was not considered as a viable option. The following funding scenario based on the
results of the competitive scoring and fully utilizing the program budget, was calculated
as follows:
o Option A: Equal reduction of all maximum awards based on score
o Calculated award amounts based on max funding possible times 92.214%
of the competitive score
o Total awards = $249,979.66
o Remaining $107.75 to be rolled over to FY28 Operating Support Grant
funding
o Option B: Equal reduction of all maximum awards based on score
o Calculated award amounts based on max funding possible times 90.86% of
the competitive score
o Total awards = $246,506.97
o $2,744.00 of balance transferred to Capacity Building Grant to allow funding
of one additional applicant
o Option C: Equal reduction of all maximum awards based on score
o Calculated award amounts based on max funding possible times 93.45% of
the competitive score
o Total awards = $253,533.75
o $3,426.00 of balance transferred from Capacity Building Grant to allow
additional funding of all Operating Support applicants
Following a discussion of all scenarios, the Arts Commission voted to recommend Option
B as it:
• Aligns with previously utilized methods of calculating funding allocations using a
tiered funding structure that decreases awards based on scoring.
• Provides all eligible applicants with some level of funding.
Page 611 of 853
• Allows the funding of one additional Capacity Building Grant.
• Fully utilizes the program budgets to maximize community impact.
Thus, the Arts Commission's FY 2026 Operating Support grant funding recommendation,
listed in alphabetical order by organization name, is as follows:
Bell Tower Theater
$
20,095.68
Bluff Strokes Art Center
$
14,107.63
Colts Youth Organization
$
21,806.40
Creative Adventure Lab, Inc.
$
21,806.40
Dubuque Arts Council
$
7,399.09
Dubuque Chapter of SPEBSQSA / Music Men Barbershop Chorus
$
779.73
Dubuque Chorale
$
3,619.72
Dubuque County Fine Arts Society
$
2,545.43
Dubuque County Historical Society
$
26,167.68
Dubuque Museum of Art
$
25,077.36
Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
$
25,349.94
Fly -By -Night Productions
$
1,658.51
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival
$
16,808.33
Key City Creative Center
$
5,512.27
Northeast Iowa School of Music
$
13,900.19
Rising Star Theatre Company
$
10,747.34
The Grand Opera House
$
23,987.04
Voices Productions
$
5,138.23
TOTAL FY 2027 Operating Support Funds to be Awarded
$ 246,506.97
The FY 2027 Operating Support funding cycle runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30,
2027. Grant recipients are required to submit a final report by August 31, 2027.
BUDGETIMPACT
There are no new budget impacts. The FY 2027 approved budget includes $250,000 for
Arts & Culture Operating Support Grants.
RECOMMENDATION/ ACTION STEP
I respectfully request concurrence with the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission
recommendation to fund the FY2027 Operating Support grant applications for approval
by City Council.
CC: Jill Connors, Economic Development Director
Jenny Larson, Chief Financial Officer
Page 612 of 853
FY27 OS
Org
Average
Score
% Max of
Score
Operating Expenses
6% of Operating
Expenses
Max Funding
Possible: 6% or
$30,000
Funding Based on
Score (MFP X Score)
A
21.66
86.60
$
425,658.00
$
25,539.48
$
25,539.48
$
22,117.19
B
17.33
69.00
$
375,043.00
$
22,502.58
$
22,502.58
$
15,526.78
C
20.00
80.00
$
2,064,191.00
$
123,851.46
$
30,000.00
$
24,000.00
D
20.00
80.00
$
737,198.00
$
44,231.88
$
30,000.00
$
24,000.00
E
22.66
90.60
$
149,805.00
$
8,988.30
$
8,988.30
$
8,143.40
F
23.33
93.00
$
71,395.00
$
4,283.70
$
4,283.70
$
3,983.84
G
21.00
84.00
$
55,585.00
$
3,335.10
$
3,335.10
$
2,801.48
H
24.00
96.00
$
7,674,990.00
$
460,499.40
$
30,000.00
$
28,800.00
1
23.00
92.00
$
879,372.00
$
52,762.32
$
30,000.00
$
27,600.00
1
23.33
93.00
$
1,393,853.00
$
83,631.18
$
30,000.00
$
27,900.00
K
22.00
88.00
$
34,571.00
$
2,074.26
$
2,074.26
$
1,825.35
L
23.33
93.00
$
331,526.00
$
19,891.56
$
19,891.56
$
18,499.15
M
22.33
89.00
$
113,610.00
$
6,816.60
$
6,816.60
$
6,066.77
N
19.33
77.00
$
18,575.00
$
1,114.50
$
1,114.50
$
858.17
0
19.66
78.60
$
324,395.00
$
19,463.70
$
19,463.70
$
15,298.47
P
19.00
76.00
$
259,396.00
$
15,563.76
$
15,563.76
$
11,828.46
Q
22.00
88.00
$
822,637.00
$
49,358.22
$
30,000.00
$
26,400.00
R
19.33
77.00
$
122,405.00
$
7,344.30
$
7,344.30
$
5,655.11
$
316,917.84
$
271,304.17
Page 613 of 853
OPTION B
OPTION A
OPTION C
90.86% of Funding
Based on Score /
Reduced Proportionate
to Score
92.214% of Funding
Based on Score /
Reduced
Proportionate to Score
93.45% of Funding Based
on Score / Reduced
Proportionate to Score
$
20,095.68
$
20,378.78
$
20,668.51
$
14,107.63
$
14,306.38
$
14,509.78
$
21,806.40
$
22,113.60
$
22,428.00
$
21,806.40
$
22,113.60
$
22,428.00
$
7,399.09
$
7,503.33
$
7,610.01
$
3,619.72
$
3,670.71
$
3,722.90
$
2,545.43
$
2,581.29
$
2,617.99
$
26,167.68
$
26,536.32
$
26,913.60
$
25,077.36
$
25,430.64
$
25,792.20
$
25,349.94
$
25,707.06
$
26,072.55
$
1,658.51
$
1,681.88
$
1,705.79
$
16,808.33
$
17,045.12
$
17,287.46
$
5,512.27
$
5,589.93
$
5,669.40
$
779.73
$
790.71
$
801.96
$
13,900.19
$
14,096.01
$
14,296.42
$
10,747.34
$
10,898.74
$
11,053.69
$
23,987.04
$
24,324.96
$
24,670.80
$
5,138.23
$
5,210.62
$
5,284.70
$
246,506.97
$
249,979.66
$
253,533.75
Rollover 107.75
FY27 CB
OPTION A & C
Org
Average Score
Funding Based on
Total Ask
Ask Amount
1
24.33
$ 8,000.00
$ 8,000.00
2
23.33
$ 5,600.00
$ 5,600.00
3
21.67
$ 8,000.00
$ 8,000.00
4
21.33
$ 1,974.00
$ 1,974.00
5
21
$ 8,000.00
$ 8,000.00
6
20
$ 6,170.00
7
16.67
$ 3,000.00
TOTAL
$ 40,744.00
$ 31,574.00
BALANCE
$ 3,426.00
Page 614 of 853
OPTION B
Org
Average Score
Ask Amount
1
24.33
$ 8,000.00
2
23.33
$ 5,600.00
3
21.67
$ 8,000.00
4
21.33
$ 1,974.00
5
21
$ 8,000.00
6
20
$ 6,170.00
7
16.67
$ -
TOTAL
$ 37,744.00
OVERAGE
$ 2,744.00
Page 615 of 853