Bravo Greater Des Moines has awarded $450,000 in 2016 capital grants to eight Central Iowa arts, cultural and heritage organizations.  

Infrastructure support for the arts continues to be a critical need in Central Iowa. Bravo received requests totaling $743,000 to support total project costs of $3.8 million for the 2016 fiscal year.

The capital grants program finances projects that will make a major impact in the local arts and culture sector and bolster the broader Central Iowa community.

Bravo set a record this year with the size of its two largest grants: $93,000 to upgrade and repair the Star Theater planetarium at the Science Center of Iowa and $90,000 to support the Monumental Journey public art project by the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation, an installation by Kerry James Marshall that honors the African-Americans from Des Moines who founded the National Bar Association.

Other organizations receiving grants are:

• Des Moines Art Center, $65,000 to expand and renovate the museum’s parking lots and sidewalk connectors to enhance both safety and accessibility to the facility.
• Des Moines Social Club, $56,000 to add the Kum & Go Theater, The Basement and the rooftop, which will allow simultaneous programming.   
• Des Moines Symphony & Academy, $50,000 for enhancements to the Des Moines Civic Center’s acoustical environment, new instrument acquisition and maintenance, which will create a more balanced and pleasing acoustical experience for audiences.
• Art Rte, $38,000 to help finance a high-visibility walking connection between 86 pieces of public art in Des Moines, as well as five congruently painted crosswalks featuring exciting designs that will enhance civic awareness and wayfinding, safety and economic development in the region.
• West Des Moines Historical Society, $35,000 for capital improvements to the Jordan House Museum, a stately Victorian home that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Project.
• City of Urbandale’s Public Art Committee, $23,000 for the commission, fabrication and installation of a signature public artwork at City Center Complex in honor of Urbandale’s centennial in 2017.