DES MOINES – From Council Bluffs to Davenport and Mason City to Centerville, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs today announced it is awarding more than $1.5 million in grants for the return of the state’s arts, culture, history and creative sector by supporting arts and cultural jobs and programming in the humanities. (A full list of grant recipients is available for viewing HERE)

In total, 236 individuals and organizations – representing 70 communities across 56 Iowa counties – will benefit from $1,527,814 in one-time grant funding, made possible through the agency’s state/federal partnerships with Arts Midwest, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities with federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act.

The department received more than $4.1 million in requests to help support a portion of about 1,600 arts jobs. The list of grant recipients includes individual artists, cultural centers, museums, local government and community groups, arts organizations, public libraries, historical societies, community theaters, media production organizations and more.

The department awarded $642,080 in American Rescue Plan Humanities grants to 47 humanities organizations, made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Here are a few of them:

• Elk Horn: The Museum of Danish America will sustain a full-time position to provide humanities-based publications, online content and programming, including several exhibitions that travel across Iowa and the United States.

• Sioux City: The Sioux City Art Center will continue its efforts to develop engaging online content, building on a new website and video series launched in 2021, and expand its community outreach and engagement.