About the OPPORTUNITY
FY25 Cultural Tourism Supplemental DEI Project Funding
Application Window: Mid November 2025 – January 26, 2025
Project Period: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026
Purpose: to support projects that aim to promote equity within our cultural community. Projects must involve a significant collaboration with an artist or organization from an underserved or underrepresented community.
The DEI Supplemental funding’s goal is to facilitate meaningful collaborations by encouraging the exchange of creative direction, design, marketing, and program implementation. This initiative seeks to merge the cultures, talents, and resources of current Cultural Tourism grantees with organizations and artists from underserved communities. Additionally, it aims to provide access to Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenue funding while meeting the compliance requirements set forth by Florida statute and Orange County Government.
Funding Information
- Total Funding Pool: $100,000
- Maximum Request: $15,000
- Funding is competitive; not all projects of merit may be funded
- Applicant organization must be a FY25 Cultural Tourism funding recipient
- Applicant organizations can only submit (1) one proposal for DEI supplemental funding
- At least 50% of the funding awarded must be directed toward the Collaborative Partner
Applicant Organization Eligibility: To ensure compliance with the State of Florida Tourist Development Tax statute, Applicant Organizations:
- Must successfully secure funding through Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs FY25 Cultural Tourism Program
- Have a significant collaboration with a non-Cultural Tourism grantee (referred to the Collaborative Partner)
- Significant Collaboration is defined as a meaningful relationship that infuses the ideas, design, talents, resources, and implementation from partners, providing reciprocal opportunities for education, cultural exchange and capacity building.
Collaborative Partner Eligibility : To be an eligible Collaborative Partner the entity can be a:
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization who does not currently receive funding through the Cultural Tourism program, located in Orange County
- Non 501(c)3 group, association, etc. who has an arts and culture mission, located in Orange County
- One or more individual artists who are residents of Orange County
- Represent and serve underserved/ underrepresented community(ies)
Project Eligibility: The project can be a part of, and expansion or, and event or program already proposed in the Applicant Organization’s FY25 Cultural Tourism funding request or a new project development through the collaboration of Applicant Organization and Collaborative Partner(s)
For the proposed project to be eligible, it MUST:
- Involve a significant collaboration between the Applicant Organization and the Collaborative Partner(s) from an underserved community
- Take place between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026
- Occur in Orange County, Florida
- Budget shows 50% or more of the request amount being directed to the Collaborative Partner
Review Criteria: The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee will review projects for their commitment to fostering community improvement and equity. Each application MUST:
- Describe the project, its budget, and related logistics
- Identify Collaborative Partner(s) and establish roles and responsibilities
- Demonstrate payment to artist(s)
- Highlight community impact
- Include attendance and participation estimate
Panel Review: A panel comprised of representatives from the DEI Committee will score each application on the basis of Significant Collaboration, Underserved/ Underrepresented Partner, and Project Soundness.
- Panel Date: April 16, 2025
- Panel Location: To Be Determined
- All applicants and collaborating partners MUST be present for a question-and-answer session with proposal evaluators.
- Scoring will occur on a scale of 1 to 5 as indicated in the evaluation matrix
- Funding Recommendations
- Panel scores and rankings will be sent to the Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Council for the formation of funding recommendations
- Final funding recommendations will be presented to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners for final approval in June 2025
