FY 2027 Arts & Culture Capacity Building Grant Funding RecommendationCity of Dubuque
City Council
CONSENT ITEMS # 8.
Copyrighted
July 6, 2026
ITEM TITLE: FY 2027 Arts & Culture Capacity Building Grant Funding
Recommendation
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending concurrence with Arts &
Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission granting the
recommended recipients and funding levels listed for the
FY2027 Arts & Culture Capacity Building grant applicants:
Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque County Fine Arts Society,
Bluff Strokes Art Center, Dubuque Arts Council, Dubuque
Symphony Orchestra, Northeast Iowa School of Music.
SUGGUESTED Receive and File; Approve
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
1. MVM Memo FY 2027 Arts & Culture Capacity Building Grant Funding
Recommendation
2. Staff Memo
3. Supporting Document
Page 616 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 Capacity Building Grant Funding
Recommendation
DATE: June 25, 2026
Dubuque
AI WIN av
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager Bonnie Spurling is recommending City Council
concurrence with Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission granting the
recommended recipients and funding levels listed for the FY2027 Arts & Culture
Capacity Building grant applicants list below.
The applicants were reviewed by the Arts Commission during a Regular Meeting on
Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
• $8,000 to Dubuque Museum of Art
• $5,600 to Dubuque County Fine Arts Society
• $8,000 to Bluff Strokes Art Center
• $1,974 to Dubuque Arts Council
• $8,000 to Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
• $6,170 to Northeast Iowa School of Music
The above outlines a total of $37,744 in recommended funding. The FY 2027 Capacity
Building grant funding cycle runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Projects will
be implemented prior to June 30, 2027, with final reports due by August 31, 2027.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
k�4 Aa��
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Page 617 of 853
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Jill Connors, Economic Development Director
Bonnie Spurling, Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager
Jenny Larson, Chief Financial Officer
2
Page 618 of 853
Dubuque
THE C
UUB-TE
*Ameriee City
V111CY�L1LUV1(� I I�P(11-
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
20072012.2013
2017*2019
TO: Michael 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 Capacity Building Grant Funding Recommendation
DATE: June 24, 2026
INTRODUCTION
This memorandum requests City Council concurrence with the recommended recipients and
funding levels of the FY2027 Arts & Culture Capacity Building grant applicants.
BACKGROUND
The Arts & Culture Special Projects Grant program has been in place since FY2005 when
$30,000 was disbursed to five arts organizations for their work. This amount was increased to
$35,000 annually in FY2006. In 2024, the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission Grants
Committee worked to create the Capacity Building grant as a focused biennial Special
Projects grant with the aim of creating more sustainable and effective arts and culture
organizations.
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 City
Council.
DISCUSSION
Capacity Building grant applications were accepted between March 27, 2026, and April 24,
2026. Seven (7) applications were submitted and considered eligible for funding per the
program guidelines. The collective request for funding across eligible applications in FY2027
was $40,744.
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 government. The following volunteers served as the review
panel, independently reading and scoring all applications against the previously approved 25-
point rubric:
• Leilei Xia, Assistant Professor of New Media and Design, University of North
Carolina, Greensboro NC
• Sue Flogel, Former Artistic Associate at Bell Tower Theater, Dubuque IA
Page 619 of 853
• Heidi Pettitt, Access Services and Special Collections Librarian, Loras College,
Dubuque IA
Said rubric ensured that imperatives of proposed projects included:
• Impact of Capacity Building Project- The organization clearly identifies the area of
capacity that the project will improve and its benefit to the organization's ability to fulfill
its mission, demonstrating how the organization fulfills an identified community need.
• Project Plan- The organization clearly outlines manageable and measurable
objectives and outcomes, realistic timelines, and capable project team leaders.
• Leverage- The organization engages and utilizes other resources such as funding
sources, volunteers, and community partnerships, demonstrating a connection to the
community.
Scoring was received and compiled for Commissioner consideration by staff. 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. Staff for the City's Arts Commission have overseen the process
throughout.
Staff had been given instruction by the Arts Commission to fully fund organizations based on
the reviewer scores until funding was depleted. Staff provided funding scenarios as outlined
in the attached worksheet for the Arts Commission's consideration. Three (3) funding
scenarios based on the results of the competitive scoring and attempting to utilize the
program budget fully, were calculated as follows:
• Option A: Funding allocations based on top ranking applications receiving their full
request. This allows five (5) organizations to receive full funding requests.
This option totals $31,574 with a remaining balance of $3,426 to be rolled over to
FY2028 grant funding.
• Option B: This option allows the funding of one (1) additional Capacity Building
project. Option B requires a transfer of funding in the amount of $2,744 from the
Operating Support grant.
This option totals $37,744.
• Option C: Funding allocations based on top ranking applications receiving their full
request. This allows five (5) organizations to receive full funding requests.
This option totals $31,574 with a remaining balance of $3,426 to be rolled over to
FY2027 operating support grant funding.
Following discussion, the Arts Commission voted to support Option B, which funds the
following projects at the levels noted:
• $8,000 to Dubuque Museum of Art
• $5,600 to Dubuque County Fine Arts Society
• $8,000 to Bluff Strokes Art Center
• $1,974 to Dubuque Arts Council
Page 620 of 853
• $8,000 to Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
• $6,170 to Northeast Iowa School of Music
The above outlines a total of $37,744 in recommended funding. The FY 2027 Capacity
Building grant funding cycle runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Projects will be
implemented prior to June 30, 2027, with final reports due by August 31, 2027.
BUDGETIMPACT
There are no new budget impacts. The FY2027 approved budget includes $35,000 for Arts &
Culture Capacity Building Grants. Option B requires a transfer of funding in the amount of
$2,744 from the Operating Support grant funding for a total of $37,744..
RECOMMENDATION/ ACTION STEP
I respectfully request concurrence with the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission
recommendation to fund the FY2027 Capacity Building grant applications for approval by City
Council.
CC: Jill Connors, Economic Development Director
Jenny Larson, Chief Financial Officer
Page 621 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
J
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 622 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 623 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 624 of 853