BUEA partners with BEAD on Zone Arts Grant Program

[image:3894,left]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2013

For more information, contact: Doris Sims, Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association, 349.3582
Miah Michaelsen, Assistant Economic Development Director for the Arts, City of Bloomington, 349.3534


Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association partners with BEAD on Zone Arts Grant Program

Bloomington, Ind. - The Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association (BUEA), in partnership with the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD), will distribute funds through the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Zone Arts Grant Program. This grant program will support arts projects located within the boundaries of the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Zone or that provide documented direct benefit to Urban Enterprise Zone residents (see [http://bloomington.in.gov/buea|http://bloomington.in.gov/buea] for a map of the Zone). The maximum grant award is $4,000, and each applicant may be awarded only one grant. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. August 15, 2013.

Businesses, organizations and individuals based within the Urban Enterprise Zone are eligible to apply. While the business or organization's primary purpose may or may not be arts-related, the projects must be arts-related and open to Zone residents and the general public. Although not all project partners are required to be based within the Zone, the applicant must be and the primary beneficiaries of the project must be Zone residents. Previous projects supported include materials and equipment for public ceramics outreach at Bloomington Clay Studio, commission and performance of a new opera for children by the Roundabout Opera Company and a Science of Art partnership between WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology and Fairview Elementary School.

Projects funded through this program must demonstrate a high level of artistic quality, provide evidence of professional management and demonstrate a positive impact on and provide value to the Zone and its residents. Exhibits, concerts, performances, festivals, art space development, murals and other public art are examples of the types of projects eligible for funding through the Zone Arts Grant program.

An informational session on the grant program will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19 in the McCloskey Room at City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. Guidelines and criteria for evaluation will be discussed. Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend.

Grant award decisions will be made by the BUEA Board. Guidelines and applications for the program are available on the City of Bloomington [website|www.bloomington.in.gov/bead].


ABOUT THE BLOOMINGTON URBAN ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATION (BUEA)

The Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association provides the means to improve the economic, physical and social environment for Zone residents and businesses and contributes to economic development efforts in Bloomington's urban core. The Enterprise Zone operates in accordance with Indiana State Code and has created or retained hundreds of jobs and spurred millions of dollar in increased investment.

For more information on the BUEA, contact Doris Sims at 349.3582, or visit [http://bloomington.in.gov/buea|http://bloomington.in.gov/buea].


ABOUT THE BLOOMINGTON ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS DISTRICT (BEAD)

BEAD seeks to bring the business and creative sectors together to advance commerce and culture, build community and spur economic development. BEAD is a geographically defined, mixed-use cultural district in downtown Bloomington which capitalizes on local and regional assets that are specific to the cultural, economic and social issues of Bloomington. BEAD emphasizes the high concentration of creative assets and related activities to strengthen and enhance the overall economic development of the community and provides a connective link to a variety of incentives, programs and grants to benefit its major stakeholder groups and users: the community, visitors, the creative, cultural and entertainment sectors and small business.

For more information on the grant program, contact Miah Michaelsen, Assistant Economic Development Director for the Arts, at [mailto:michaelm@bloomington.in.gov] or 349.3534.

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