Collier panel backs $758K in arts grants despite state cuts

Collier County arts organizations received the blessing of the Tourism Development Council Aug. 19 — a recommendation that 18 arts grants applicants receive a total of $758,000, up $8,000 from last year.   

Still, there’s an additional applicant for that money this year. And funding help is becoming more critical for Collier arts. They are facing their second year of being hindered by the state — barely less badly than last year, when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis zeroed out almost all funding under the claim it supported fringe festivals, which he asserted foster sexually oriented theater. This year, the state is only providing 31.6% of the funding requested.  

New applicants TheatreZone, Fifth Avenue Business District and the Gulf Coast Orchid Alliance were among the 18 organizations that requested a total of  $1.1 million in Collier Tourism Division grants. 

Two others — Rookery Bay and Marco art show organizer Maurich Productions and Events  —  have not applied. 

There was little discussion before the council voted 8-1 to recommend the grants, with only Michael McComas of Everglades City voting no and offering no comment. Four speakers advocated for the grants, and council member Darrin Palumbo praised the educational influence of one for The Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida:   

“First of all, I think these are all wonderful, and not just what’s on Marco,” said Palumbo, who is a councilor in that city. “But what really caught my eye, and when people need things to do when they’re visiting or things to fill their day, I saw the Naples Holocaust Museum and thought, ‘What a worthy cause — to keep this fresh in the memory of our youth, so that we never forget.’” 

Council member Susan Becker brought the arts up in an earlier discussion of cosponsoring sports tournaments, pointing out that visitors would not spend all their time in a stadium: “I can speak from experience, that people say, ‘We want to find the historic district.’”  

The Board of County Commissioners must now vote on the council’s recommendations for its fiscal year 2025-26 budget before the grants are funded. Last year its deliberations on the arts budgeting segment were Sept. 24.   

Outside of these grants, state program support for the arts has swung wildly, ranging from 100% for 2022-23 to zero for 2024-25. Collier County organizations managed to limp through with the help of the Collier Community Foundation and Rooms to Go, which assisted the organizations with, respectively, a surprise $220,000 grant and $30,000 from a store grand opening. 

This year, 31.6% of the funding requested has been allotted for the first of two rounds of grants, but with limitations that organizations must score 95 points on a scale judged by a panel. Only four Collier County organizations made that grade:  

• Naples Art Association, Inc. (98), $150,000 

• The Naples Players (96.5), $150,000 

• Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida (95), $97,379 

• Naples Art District (96.5), $10,000 

A second pass is planned for September. It is distributing $1.8 million among organizations that scored between 85 and 94 on their ratings, which include 10 in Collier County, listed below with their requests:  

• Artis—Naples (94), $150,000  

• Gulfshore Playhouse (93), $150,000 

• Opera Naples (91), $150,000 

• TheatreZone (90.5), $25,000 

• Naples Botanical Garden (90.5), $150,000 

• Art League of Marco Island Inc. (Marco Island Center for the Arts and Arts Center Theatre) (89.5), $99,890 

• Conservancy of Southwest Florida (89), $150,000 

• Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples (88), $150,000 

• Naples Concert Band (88, $25,040 

• United Arts Collier (85.5), $43,808 

That $1.8 million will be pennies on the dollar — $3,837.95 per applicant — if the money is distributed equally among all 469 of the organizations in that point range.