The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) last week announced awards totaling $1,678,389 to strengthen the arts, culture and creative industries across the state and provide Iowans with access to enriching cultural experiences.

The IEDA awarded the various grants to 173 Iowa organizations and Iowans in more than 60 communities including the Quad Cities region. Awards were made through seven grant programs including: the Art Project Grant Program, Cultural Capacity Building Grant Program, Cultural Leadership Partners Program, Greenlight Grant Program, Iowa Artist Fellowship Program, Iowa Community Cultural Grant Program and Iowa Screenwriters Grant Program.

The matching grants leverage local and private investment and support a wide range of creative projects in Iowa schools, arts and cultural venues and communities, an IEDA news release said.

Funded projects range from arts and cultural festivals as well as live theater performances to exhibitions, film productions and community public art projects. In the Quad Cities region, grants were as large as $20,000 for operational support for four key arts and culture venues: Common Chord, Figge Art Museum, Putnam Museum and Science Center, and the Quad City Symphony.  

The Quad Cities grant recipients and their projects and awards are:

Creative Catalyst Project Grants

• Partners of Scott County Watersheds, Davenport; Duck Creek Watershed murals on Eastern Avenue; $2,790.
• Common Chord, Davenport, for Music at the Market, $2,250.

Art Project Grants – Organizations 

• Muscatine County Arts Council, Muscatine; Hometown Muscatine student mural, $9,075.
• Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre, West Liberty; Stabilizing the Young Puppeteers Festival, $9,644.
• Fresh Films, Moline (Scott County award); Engaging Underserved Iowa Teens in Filmmaking, $10,000.
• Mississippi Valley Blues Society, Davenport; Bringing the Blues to Scott County Schools, $4,550.  

Cultural Capacity Building Grants

• Davenport Junior Theatre, Davenport; operating support, $5,000. 

Cultural Leadership Partners Grant Program 

• Muscatine Art Center, Muscatine; operating support, $15,000. 
• Putnam Museum and Science Center, Davenport; operating support, $20,000.
• Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Davenport; operating support, $20,000. 
• German American Heritage Center, Davenport; operating support, $10,000.
• Figge Art Museum, Davenport; operating support, $20,000. 
• Common Chord, Davenport; operating support, $20,000.

Greenlight Grant Program

• Stephen Folker, Davenport, Cow Wars, $40,000. 

 “Arts and culture are integral to economic vitality,” IEDA Director Debi Durham said in the release. “They not only drive growth within our communities but also enhance the quality of life, making our state a more attractive destination for both visitors and new residents.”

Arts and cultural production contributed nearly $5 billion to Iowa’s economy last year and accounted for nearly 42,000 jobs, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the IEDA release said.  

Among some of the other projects awarded grants across the state were: 

• The Iowa Bandmasters Association, a statewide music education organization based in Dakota City; $10,000 award to create and gift an original concert band work to the Perry Schools and community. The event will honor the resilience of Perry’s citizens as they continue to recover from the tragic school shooting on Jan. 4, 2024. 
• The Orange City Arts Council; $4000 award to host celebrated artist and educator Kuniko Yamamoto. She will share Japanese art and culture, storytelling, origami and music with local students and the public.
• The Grinnell Area Arts Council, in collaboration with Iowa artist Isaac Campbell; $10,000 award to install six downtown murals highlighting important local historical photographs and figures.
• Iowa filmmaker Beth Howard; $39,900 to complete the documentary film “Pieowa,” which celebrates the outsized role that pie has played in Iowa’s culture and communities.

To see a full list of grant recipients by community, visit here. 

The grants are administered by the Iowa Arts Council and Produce Iowa, the State Office of Film and Media, which are both part of IEDA. Funding is made possible by an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature and a matching state partnership grant from the federal National Endowment for the Arts.

Learn more about the IEDA and Iowa Arts and Culture at culture.iowaeda.com.