Norman Arts Council is kicking off its 2019-2020 Grant Cycle to help fund a variety of Norman community art events, projects and initiatives. A representative from any organization interested in applying for an Arts Project Support Grant must attend one of two grant workshop meetings set for 7 p.m. Monday, November 5 and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 7, both located at MAINSITE Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main.
To be eligible to apply for a project grant, the entity must be a non-profit 501(c)(3) or equivalent organization based in Norman, OK that is producing an event or series of events rooted in the arts. Organizations can apply for a maximum award of $18,000.
Arts Project Support Grant applications will be due at 11:59 p.m. Friday, January 18, 2019. The applications will be reviewed in February, recommended to the Norman Arts Council Board in March and award notifications will be sent in early April. Application is available at normanarts.org/grants.
The Norman Arts Council is a steward of a portion of the City of Norman's Hotel Motel Property Tax Fund. This makes it possible for the Norman Arts Council to grant a generous portion to organizations working in the arts and arts education in Norman Oklahoma. In addition to annual Project Grants, Norman Arts Council awards Operational Support Grants on a two-year cycle (new applications will be available next year), as well as Sudden Opportunity Support (SOS) Grants and Arts Organization Non-Profit Management Grants on a rolling basis.
Since the creation of the Hotel Motel tax fund by the City of Norman in 1982, the NAC has administered over 2 million dollars in grants to eligible organizations. This granting program was designed to respond to the growing needs of arts and cultural organizations in the Norman community. The Hotel Tax Grant provides both financial and educational support for arts and cultural organizations. In addition, the program allows both citizens of Norman and its visitors to enjoy a wide variety of quality cultural offerings. A special emphasis is placed on projects that will attract overnight visitors to Norman, thereby increasing the amount of money available in the fund.
Funding for this program comes from 25% of Norman’s Hotel Motel Guest Room Tax, which is paid by overnight visitors in Norman’s hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts. Seven Grant Awards panelists are nominated by Roundtable for a three-year staggered term and are approved by the NAC Board of Directors. The Awards panel carefully reviews all grant applications and makes funding recommendations to the NAC. After acceptance by the NAC Board, the recommendations are then forwarded to the Norman City Council for final approval.
Norman Arts Council’s Arts Project Support Grants have helped support popular and beloved Norman events and organizations like the Norman Philharmonic, Medieval Fair, Pioneer Library System’s Big Read, Norman Film Festival, the Oklahoma Nutcracker and more.