Operating Grants

Bravo Greater Des Moines provides general operating support to eligible arts, culture, heritage, and interpretive science organizations serving the Greater Des Moines region. The Operating Grants program is intended to support the administrative expenses and day-to-day operating costs that are essential to an organization's mission, programming, and strategic goals. The grant term runs from January 1 through December 31, 2027. Funding is available through application tracks designed to reflect the different sizes and capacities of organizations supported by Bravo, with tracks based principally on eligible operating expenses and, for larger organizations, staffing and prior Bravo funding history. Eligible applicants must generally be either a 501(c)(3) organization that has at least three consecutive years of active programming history under that designation, or an agency, division, or department of the State of Iowa operating a public facility and affiliated with a single designated 501(c)(3) partner established specifically to raise funds for the agency's programming. Applicants must have headquarters in and conduct most activities within one of Bravo's partner local communities. Their primary organizational purpose, representing at least 75 percent of their mission, programming, public access, support materials, partnerships, financial statements, and eligible expense budgets, must involve arts, culture, heritage, and/or interpretive sciences. Applicants also need at least $5,000 in eligible operational expenses for their most recently completed fiscal year. Individual artists, fiscally sponsored entities, private organizations and clubs, political, religious, or academic organizations, public libraries, schools and higher education institutions, and certain fundraising or support organizations are among the ineligible applicants. GC27 funding may only support eligible operating expenses incurred from January 1 through December 31, 2027. Funds must further the recipient's mission and support the programming and strategic goals described in its application. Applicants select among application tracks covering prior-year actual expenses of $5,000 to $200,000, prior-year actual expenses of $200,000 to $2,000,000, or average annual expenses exceeding $2,000,000 over the three most recently completed fiscal years. The larger tracks have additional staffing and consecutive Bravo funding requirements. Bravo generally will not accept a GC27 application from an organization that did not receive GC26 Operating Grant support, although an exception may be considered for an organization funded in at least two of the previous four grant cycles, GC23 through GC26, following a required eligibility meeting with Bravo staff. Applicants cannot request a specific award amount. For organizations with prior-year expenses from $5,000 to $200,000, funding generally ranges from 5 percent to 20 percent of prior-year actual expenses, with a maximum annual award of $30,000. For organizations with prior-year expenses from $200,000 to $2,000,000, funding generally ranges from 5 percent to 15 percent of prior-year actual expenses, with a maximum annual award of $150,000. For organizations averaging more than $2,000,000 in annual expenses, awards are based on a percentage of the total funds available to that group, with a maximum annual award of $500,000. Awards depend on application merit, available Bravo funding, and eligible actual expenses. No cost-share or matching requirement is stated. Depending on the track, applicants may need an IRS determination letter, the most recently filed Form 990, current fiscal-year budget, prior-year final actual revenue and expenses, independent audit, current board list, organizational goals or strategic plan, and up to three support materials. Applicants with more than $1 million in prior-year actual expenses must complete an independent financial audit for the fiscal year ending in 2027. Applications are submitted through SurveyMonkey Apply. Guidelines, application questions, and applicant resources become available August 17, 2026, and the online application opens August 24, 2026. Applications are due September 25, 2026, by 3:00 p.m. Central Time. Eligibility does not guarantee an award. For GC27, applicants must receive a minimum average score of 70 percent to be eligible for funding. Applications are reviewed by an anonymous panel of community peers and professionals, every application is fully reviewed and scored by at least three humans, and the Bravo Board of Directors makes final funding decisions. Panel feedback is provided with award notifications, and there is no appeal of Bravo's final funding decisions. Applicants should not directly contact Bravo Board or panel members regarding applications or funding amounts. Award announcements and applicant notifications are scheduled for December 7, 2026. The grant term begins January 1, 2027. The GC27 Operating Grant Agreement, GC26 Operating Grant Final Report, and specified data collection tasks are due January 8, 2027, by 3:00 p.m. Central Time, and the funding term ends December 31, 2027. Funded organizations must remain in good standing, comply with eligible expense requirements, complete required agreements, surveys, and reports, acknowledge Bravo and its local government partners, and notify Bravo of significant operational changes. Depending on award size and track, awards are paid in January and July or in January, April, July, and October; awards below $1,000 are paid in full in January. Questions may be directed to grants@bravogreaterdesmoines.org or 515.243.0388.

Review “Tips for Submitting a Strong Application” linked on Bravo’s website