Bravo / ICON Public Art Grant

Bravo, in collaboration with ICON Water Trails, provides financial support for public art projects that are to be installed at an ICON access point as defined by ICON and the 28E government partner. Eligible Bravo / ICON Public Art Grant applicants must have current 28E Agreements with both Bravo Greater Des Moines and with ICON.

The GC24 Application is now closed.

Download GC24 Grant Guidelines

Grant Details

Program Overview

Bravo Greater Des Moines (Bravo), in collaboration with ICON Water Trails (ICON), offers financial support for public art projects that are on ICON access points as defined by ICON and the 28E government partner. Funding is for new public art projects that generate more artistic and cultural expression in Greater Des Moines and enhance the community’s ability to safely interact, enjoy or promote ICON water trail sites, access points, creeks and rivers.

For the purposes of this program, “public art” is defined as semi-permanent or permanent artwork that is free and accessible to the public and activates and enhances spaces in new and dynamic ways. Public art projects may be stand alone, integrated or applied installations. Priority will be given to projects that meaningfully involve both artists and the community intended to experience the artwork in design and development.

There is up to $180,000 available for Bravo/ICON Public Art Grant (Bravo/ICON PAG) awards in grant cycle 2024 (GC24). Any funds not allocated in GC24 will be used for the GC25 cycle. This is a competitive grant program; it is possible not all funding requests will be approved. The program is expected to sunset after GC25.

Applicant Eligibility

Eligible Bravo/ICON PAG applicants must meet each of the following criteria:

Have a current 28E Agreement with both Bravo Greater Des Moines and ICON Water Trails.
Meet with Bravo and ICON staff about their project by March 29, 2024.

Failure to meet these criteria will result in ineligibility for funding in GC24. Government partners may submit only one Bravo/ICON PAG application per grant cycle. Government partners may apply for both Bravo/ICON PAG and Bravo’s Public Art Grant in the same year if the applications are for different and distinct projects.

Government partners that received a Bravo/ICON Public Art Grant in GC23 are eligible to apply in GC24. However, priority may be given to government partners that did not receive funding from Bravo in GC23.

Project Eligibility

Eligible Bravo/ICON PAG projects include concept development and the creation and/or installation of works of public art. Eligible artwork must have a useful life of at least six months and a total cost of at least $10,000. The artwork may be part of a building, bridge, landscape design or other permanent infrastructure, but grant funds are restricted to the costs associated with the artistic enhancement of the infrastructure project.

ICON PAG funding may be used for the following:

Artist fees and stipends or other eligible costs associated with project concept development, which can include the creation of detailed proposals for eligible public art projects
Costs to create and to install public art, including land and site development directly associated with the public art installation

Projects ineligible for ICON PAG funding include, but are not limited, to the following:

Landscapes and gardens that do not have a life of at least 6 months
Signage, including welcome and wayfinding signs
Projects previously funded through Bravo PAG or Bravo/ICON PAG
Amphitheaters
Freedom Rocks
Bus shelters

Grant funds must be spent within the funding period and projects must be completed within 24 months of receiving funds:

Funding Period	Project Completion Date
GC24 July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025	June 30, 2026

Please note, ICON MidAmerican Grant funds may not be used for Public Art at water trail access points.

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to the following:

City/County staff salaries and wages
Equipment and fixtures that are not integral to the structure or operation of the artwork
Endowment
Sponsorship
Existing obligations, debts or liabilities
Marketing, promotion and merchandise
Public art maintenance
Programming

Grant Awards

Applicants may request up to 50% of eligible projects costs. Bravo and ICON may, at their discretion, award partial funding requests.

Application Attachments

Applicants will be asked to attach supplemental materials to their application. Failure to submit required documentation may result in disqualification from consideration. All attachments must be in PDF format. Supplemental materials will include:

Budget – One-page budget that details the costs to fully complete the project. Clearly identify any expenses already incurred. Public art expenses must be clearly separated from other, non-public art-related expenses and fees paid to artists should be clearly called out.
Fundraising – List all confirmed and potential sources of funding to complete the project. Include the donor/source name, amount of funding and date of donation/funding decision.
Timeline – One-page detailed timeline of major milestones for the project. Use specific dates when possible and include milestones already reached. Opportunities for community input and engagement should be included.
Images (if available) – Up to three images for the project. These can be artist’s renderings, sketches, photos of the site or equipment or stock photos of the materials to be used. Make the images compelling and part of the case for funding. Although specific artist renderings of the final installation are not required, projects that create a clear and compelling picture of the planned public art generally perform better.

Application Review

An anonymous panel of reviewers will evaluate eligible applications based on information provided by the applicant prior to recommendation of awards. Review meetings are closed to the public, and the Bravo and ICON Board of Directors will make final funding decisions. Applicants should not directly contact Bravo or ICON Board or panel members to discuss applications or funding amounts.

Grant Award Process

Award notifications will be sent via email. Applicants awarded a GC24 Bravo/ICON Public Art Grant will be required to sign a Grant Agreement by August 5, 2024. Grant awards will be disbursed in full after submission of the grant agreement and a final grant report will be due at the end of the funding term. Bravo/ICON staff will require final renderings of the project to ensure eligibility.

Bravo and ICON are committed to a transparent, fair and consistent grantmaking process. There is no appeal of final funding decisions made by the Bravo or ICON Board of Directors.