Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners approve recommendations for 2024 Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Grants

The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County is thrilled to announce the Sarasota County Board of Commissioners approval of recommendations for the Tourist Development Cultural/Arts (TDC/A) grants for the 2023-2024 season. 35 local arts and cultural organizations will receive a total of $3 million in grant funding. 

“Arts and culture are essential to the economic landscape in Sarasota. We thank the Sarasota County Board of Commissioners for their continued support in utilizing Tourist Development Tax funds to attract visitors to Florida’s Cultural Coast,” said Brian Hersh, CEO of the Arts and Cultural Alliance. “Our arts and cultural organizations are extremely appreciative of the increase in funding and the recognition of their role in shaping Sarasota as a premier destination to visit, live, and work.” 

TDC/A grants come from a portion of the tourist tax dollars collected to fund Sarasota County arts and cultural organizations in order to support high quality programming that continues to attract tourists to our area. Grants are available to organizations with recognized ability to produce, present, and promote cultural and arts activities that appeal to tourists.

Each year, the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County receives applications from local cultural groups and arts organizations requesting TDT revenues be provided to fund a portion of project-related expenses. The Alliance forms the Cultural/Arts Grant Panel, which reviews, evaluates and recommends grant awards based upon established criteria including artistic merit, cultural diversity, tourist appeal, administrative competence, and the funding calculation process. This year, the panel evaluated 36 grant applications from 35 organizations.

All 36 applications submitted met eligibility requirements and were recommended for funding by the Cultural/Arts Grant Panel in the amount of $3 million. The Alliance presented the Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Grant Award Recommendations to the Tourist Development Council (TDC) on May 11, 2023. The TDC voted unanimously to recommend to the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners that the FY24 Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Grant Award recommendations, which were then approved and accepted on July 12, 2023. 

Congratulations to all of the organizations that received funding this year and thank you for all that you contribute to our local arts and culture!