City of Rochester
ArtsBloom 2025
Request for Proposals:
Arts Education, Literary Arts, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts
Issued: March 26, 2025
The online google form application (https://forms.gle/FsLXqyQfmkLhWLqUA)
must be completed and submitted by
11:59 PM EST on Sunday, May 11, 2025
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Contents
BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................... 3
ELIGIBILITY..................................................................................................................................................... 3
ANTICIPATED TIMELINE ................................................................................................................................ 5
COMMUNICATIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 5
PRE-PROPOSAL INFORMATION SESSION ...................................................................................................... 6
SCOPE OF SERVICES ...................................................................................................................................... 6
PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION PROCESS................................................................................ 7
EVALUATION CRITERIA.................................................................................................................................. 7
MISCELLANEOUS ......................................................................................................................................... 11
APPENDIX A: THE CITY’S STANDARD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT TEMPLATE (DO NOT FILL THIS
OUT)
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The City of Rochester (“City”) is seeking proposals for arts programming and projects (“Proposal(s)”)
from qualified respondents (“Respondent(s)”). Selected Respondents will enter into an agreement with
the City to implement the proposed arts programming and/or projects.
BACKGROUND
ArtsBloom is the City’s non-capital art competition funded through the Percent for the Arts program,
one of several programs through which the City invests in arts and culture in Rochester. The concept for
ArtsBloom was developed in partnership with an advisory panel of local artists and members of the arts
community called the Arts and Creative Community Committee (AC3). More information on the City’s
various arts and culture initiatives, including those dedicated to capital art (permanent physical
installations) can be found at www.cityofrochester.gov/arts.
ArtsBloom’s goals are to enrich and expand the experience of public art for all Rochesterians by reaching
historically underserved residents of the city, and increasing economic opportunities for local artists and
small arts organizations in Rochester. These goals are aligned with the City’s vision for a more dynamic
and equitable city of the arts and for the arts. They are also aligned with several goals and strategies of
the Arts & Culture section of the Rochester 2034 Comprehensive Plan.
In the 2025 round of ArtsBloom, a total of $100,000 will fund diverse arts programming and projects
that benefit the Rochester community. Note that this year, two to five proposals for programming or
projects that serve youth at one or more of the City’s R-Centers will be selected. The remaining funds
will not be limited to R-Center programming.
ELIGIBILITY
Qualifying Respondents may:
1. Be individuals or groups/organizations. Groups/organizations do not have to be MWBE-certified
or nonprofits to qualify.
2. Submit only one proposal.
3. Submit a funding request for one of three options: $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000. Requests may
only be for one of these three amounts.
Qualifying Respondents may only receive one ArtsBloom award every three years. Therefore,
individuals or groups awarded ArtsBloom funding in 2023 or 2024 are not eligible for an ArtsBloom 2025
award.
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Qualifying arts programming and projects must:
1. Belong to one or more of these four categories:
o Arts education
A class or workshop, or series of classes or workshops, where
attendees are guided by an instructor or multiple instructors in
the creation of art. “Art” can include literary arts, performing
arts and visual arts.
o Literary arts
Poetry or prose, distributed through printed material and/or
digital format.
o Performing arts
Activity performed for an audience, including but not limited to
dance, music, drama or oratory.
o Visual art
Physical art of a temporary* nature, including but not limited to
art exhibitions, digital art, street painting, or chalk art.
*Temporary here means art intended for viewing for a limited time. Murals are not considered
temporary. Neither are physical sculptures that require a permanent footing or attachment
structure, nor other permanent installations.
2. Meet the following “public benefit” criteria:
a. Programming and projects must be located within the city of Rochester in order to be
eligible. Please note that location within the city is defined by the boundary of the city,
not a Rochester ZIP code. Respondents can determine whether an address is within the
City boundary by entering the address in the search box of this webpage:
https://maps.cityofrochester.gov/propinfo/.
b. Programming and projects must be free to participants/audiences, or feature a free or
low cost component to participants/audiences. For awarded proposals, the City will
require marketing proof (such as a flyer, webpage, or social media post) that the project
or programming was free or at the cost quoted in the proposal. Please be aware, the
City will not consider a project or programming “sliding scale” or “optional donation”
unless the project or programming is clearly marketed as such.
3. Be completed between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. Visual art must be installed within this
one year period, but the City will work with artists and organizations to determine if and when
visual art needs to be removed.
4. Align with one or both of the ArtsBloom goals:
a. Reach historically underserved residents of the city.
b. Provide paid opportunities for local artists and/or small arts organizations in Rochester.
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The following are examples of programming or projects that are ineligible for ArtsBloom funding, as
they are not non-capital art, are not the intended type of activities for this program, and/or they have
funding opportunities through other City programs (this is not a complete list):
Events receiving Special Events funding through the City
Murals
Physical art or sculpture that requires a permanent footing or other permanent attachment
structure
Parades
Block parties
Trade shows, conventions
Annual luncheons, holiday parties, class or family reunions
Sports tournaments, school or athletic leagues
The City anticipates that a wide variety of activities may be submitted. Therefore, the City reserves the
right to determine which activities are eligible for this funding program.
ANTICIPATED TIMELINE
Activity
Date
RFP Release
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Virtual Pre-Proposal Information Session
Deadline for questions
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST
Monday, April 7, 2025
11:59 PM EST
Sunday, April 20, 2025
Responses for questions submitted
Week of April 28th
Proposals due
11:59 PM EST
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Selection and Award Notification
Week of June 2nd
The dates shown above may be subject to change within the City of Rochester’s sole discretion and
upon written notification as set forth herein.
COMMUNICATIONS
All communications by Respondents who have indicated an intent to submit or have submitted a Proposal
in response to this RFP, including any questions or requests for clarifications, submission of the Proposal,
requests for status updates about the Proposal selection process and any other inquiries whatsoever
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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
