Staff recommends that City Council approve the application to the Billings Community Foundation in support of the Mobilize the MAGIC City project and accept the funds if the grant is awarded. 

In 2022, the City of Billings was awarded a $50,000 Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Our Town grant is funding the City's Mobilize the MAGIC City project which will work with an artist for a year to develop a formal process to involve art and artists in everyday civic life. Local artist, Terri Porta, was selected as the Artist-In-Residence for this project. Ms. Porta, along with project leaders and volunteers, will engage the public to develop two creative placemaking hubs along Billings' first neighborhood bikeway, document the successful processes in a Placemaking Playbook, and conduct a Public Arts Committee Feasibility Study.  The grant from the National Endowment for the Arts requires a dollar-for-dollar match. While part of the match will be provided as an in-kind match, the Mobilize the MAGIC City project leadership team has set a goal of raising $25,000 to match the grant. Funds raised will help expand and enhance creative placemaking hubs along Billings' first neighborhood bikeway.

To help fund this match, staff will submit a grant application for up to $5,000 to the Billings Community Foundation. The funding could be used for the project elements such as program evaluation or creating placemaking hubs. The grant is due by Friday, June 30. 

City Council may:

• Approve the grant submittal and acceptance of the grant funds if awarded. 
• Not Approve the grant submittal. 

There is no disadvantage to submitting this grant. If not awarded, staff will continue to look for other sources of match for the Mobilize the MAGIC City project. 

If awarded, this grant could provide up to $5,000 in support of the Mobilize the MAGIC City project.