NAPLES, Fla. - s4story -- The Naples Art District, the largest concentration of professional working artist studios and galleries in Southwest Florida, has received a $10,000 grant from the State of Florida Division of Arts and Culture.

In early July, Governor DeSantis approved more than $18 million in Cultural and Museum Grants. The funds were distributed amongst 184 organizations statewide; the Naples Art District is one of 600 applicants statewide and one of four arts and culture nonprofits in Collier County to receive a grant. The General Program Support Grant for Visual Arts is the Naples Art District's first grant from the state of Florida.

Grants from the Florida Division of Arts and Culture support the general program activities of an organization that conducts, creates, produces, presents, stages or sponsors multiple cultural exhibits, performances, educational programs or events during the grant period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

To determine receipt of the grant, eligible applications were ranked by panels in 15 separate meetings in October and November 2024. Panels are appointed by the Secretary of State and typically include practicing artists, educators, patrons, arts administrators, museum professionals, board members, experts from national arts organizations and qualified professionals in cultural disciplines. Panelists use a rubric to score applications from 0 to 100, and applications must earn a minimum average score of 80 to be recommended for funding. The Naples Art District scored a 96.5.

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"With this grant, we will be able to continue to further Naples Art District's mission by continuing to offer free programming open to everyone in our community," said Paula Brody, president of the Naples Art District.

The Naples Art District, located just north of Pine Ridge Road and west of Airport Boulevard, brings the power of visual art to life with an array of free events and diverse classes available for all skill levels. The art district is committed to making art accessible to everyone regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, social or economic background, and physical or mental abilities.

To learn more about Naples Art District, visit NaplesArtDistrict.com or call 239-249-1977.