Bernalillo County Neighborhood Grant Program

The Council on Culture & Arts (COCA) offers three grant programs for the period of October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025: the Cultural Grant, Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant, and Local Community Grant. These programs collectively aim to fund programming expenses for arts, culture, history, or heritage organizations. COCA's mission, as evidenced by these grants, is to foster and support cultural and artistic endeavors within Florida, with a particular emphasis on Leon County's tourist attractions and broader community engagement. The Cultural Grant specifically aligns with the mission of attracting tourists by requiring applicants to promote their activities to visitors outside of Leon County, thereby leveraging arts and culture for economic development through tourism. The target beneficiaries for all three grants are arts, culture, history, or heritage organizations. The impact goals are multifaceted, seeking to enhance cultural programming, provide educational opportunities for both young people and adults in arts, culture, and history, and serve diverse populations or unique community needs. For the Cultural Grant and Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant, a key impact goal is to increase tourism to Leon County by showcasing its cultural assets. The Local Community Grant, while sharing similar programming goals, focuses on broader community engagement within Leon County, without the explicit tourism attraction requirement. Priorities and focuses for the Cultural Grant include offering exemplary arts and cultural programs, providing educational opportunities, and serving special or diverse populations. A significant focus is also placed on attracting tourists, requiring specific marketing plans and reporting on out-of-county visitors. The Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant directly supports this by offering additional funds for out-of-county marketing. The Local Community Grant shares the programming and educational priorities but emphasizes community impact and engagement within the local area. Expected outcomes include a robust offering of high-quality cultural programs, increased educational opportunities in the arts, and greater accessibility for people with disabilities. Measurable results for the Cultural Grant and Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant involve tracking the number of out-of-county visitors served by grant-funded programs and demonstrating effective out-of-market advertising. For all grants, applicants are expected to have documented statistics on attendance and participation, representing a broad community impact. COCA's strategic priorities are thus aligned with supporting both cultural enrichment and economic development through tourism, underpinned by a theory of change that posits that funding well-planned and promoted cultural programs will lead to increased community engagement, educational attainment, and tourist visitation.