American Rescue Plan Act Creative Training Incentive Program
| Location: | North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Posted: | Apr 16, 2026 |
| Due: | May 7, 2026 |
| Agency: | City of Durham |
| Type of Government: | State & Local |
| Category: |
|
| Solicitation No: | 26-1059 |
| Publication URL: | To access bid details, please log in. |
| Bid Number: |
26-1059
|
| Bid Title: |
American Rescue Plan Act Creative Training Incentive Program
|
| Category: | Requests for Proposals/Qualifications and Services |
| Status: | Open |
|
Attachment Preview
Request for Interest (RFI): American Rescue Plan Act
Creative Training Incentive Program
Date Issued: April 16, 2026
RFI Deadline to Apply: May 7, 2026
The City of Durham’s Cultural and Public Art Program (referred to as “City”) is seeking individuals and
organizations in the Arts and Cultural Sector (Artists, Creative Workers, Cultural and Creative Workers,
Non-profits, Businesses) (referred to as “Candidates”) to apply to participate in professional
development training courses. These courses are designed to strengthen the capacity of Durham’s arts
and cultural community and support the implementation of key initiatives outlined in the Durham
Cultural Roadmap. Selected candidates who are eligible will receive an incentive of $5,000 for their
participation, based on reporting and compliance with the course programs. This reporting will require
the selected Candidate to comply with the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
guidelines, the City and Durham County’s reporting requirements.
These training courses will support the growth and development of the arts sector for individuals, non-
profit organizations and businesses, including the following topics:
Group I: Small Business, Individual Artists, For-Profit & Non-Profits Arts and Cultural Organizations
• Marketing for Organizations
• Grant Writing for Organizations, Events, and Festivals
• Finance for Organizations
• Development for Organizations
Group II: Practicing Artist and Artist’s Businesses focused
• Artists’ Pricing
• Artist Development & Grants
• Artists Marketing
1
20. Project Manager and Contact with City; Questions about this RFI.................................................................. 3
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT AND NATURE OF RFI........................................................................................................ 3
30. Project .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
31. Site Description ................................................................................................................................................ 4
32. Project Background .......................................................................................................................................... 4
33. Community Engagement.................................................................................................................................. 5
40. Scope of Work .................................................................................................................................................. 5
50. Project Budget and Compensation Amount .................................................................................................... 7
60. Definitions in this RFI: City, RFI, Proposal, Candidate, Contractor, Should ..................................................... 7
70. Contract ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
70.1 Interpretation and translation services ......................................................................................................... 8
100. Insurance Requirements of Selected Candidate(s) ........................................................................................ 8
110. Discretion of the City...................................................................................................................................... 8
SCHEDULE................................................................................................................................................................... 9
120. Proposed Schedule ......................................................................................................................................... 9
140. Deadline to Receive Submissions ................................................................................................................... 9
GETTING MORE INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT AND RFI PROCESS ..................................................................... 10
150. Questions...................................................................................................................................................... 10
151. Pre-submittal Meeting ................................................................................................................................. 10
EVALUATION CRITERIA ............................................................................................................................................. 10
180. Evaluation Criteria ........................................................................................................................................ 10
190. Call for Artists/RFI Eligibility ......................................................................................................................... 11
200. Project Partners............................................................................................................................................ 12
240. RFI Submission RequirementsThe RFI submissions shall include the following: ......................................... 13
300. Candidate to Bear Expense; No Claims against City .................................................................................... 15
310. State Treasurer’s lists regarding Iran and Boycott of Israel ......................................................................... 15
320. Notice Under the Americans with Disabilities Act ....................................................................................... 15
330. Values of City of Durham regarding Treatment of Employees of Contractors ............................................ 15
Sample Artist Contract and Non-Collusion Affidavit................................................................................................ 17
2
10. Date of RFI
Date Issued: April 16, 2026
RFI Deadline to Apply: May 7, 2026
20. Project Manager and Contact with City; Questions about this RFI
Direct questions and concerns to:
Att: Rebecca Holmes
Cultural & Public Art Program
General Services Department
2011 Fay Street
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-4197, ext. 21245
Rebecca.Holmes@DurhamNC.gov
If you have concerns about this RFI that you believe are not being addressed by the project manager, please
contact:
Att: Jaci Field
Community Programs
General Services Department
2011 Fay Street
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-4197
Jaci.Field@DurhamNC.gov
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT AND NATURE OF RFI
30. Project
The City of Durham’s Cultural and Public Art Program (referred to as “City”) is seeking individuals and organizations
in the Arts and Cultural Sector (Artists, Creative Workers, Cultural and Creative Workers, Non-profits, Businesses)
(referred to as “Candidates”) to apply to participate in professional development training courses. These courses
are designed to strengthen the capacity of Durham’s arts and cultural community and support the implementation
of key initiatives outlined in the Durham Cultural Roadmap. Selected candidates that are eligible will receive an
incentive of $5,000 for their participation, based on reporting and compliance with the course programs. This
reporting will require the selected Candidate to comply with the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act
(ARPA) guidelines, and the City and Durham County’s reporting requirements.
Applicants must be residents of Durham County, North Carolina, or operate an arts-related business or nonprofit
organization
based
in
Durham
County.
Theses training courses will support the growth and development of the arts sector for individuals, non-profit
organizations and businesses, including topics:
3
Group I: Small Business, Individual Artists, For-Profit & Non-Profits Arts and Cultural Organizations
• Marketing for Organizations
• Grant Writing for Organizations, Events, and Festivals
• Finance for Organizations
• Development for Organizations
Group II: Practicing Artists and Artist’ Businesses
• Artists’ Pricing
• Artist Development & Grants
• Artists Marketing
The selected Candidates will work to:
• Actively participate in the assigned professional development training sessions and complete all course
components. These courses will require participants to develop or refine concrete tools such as
marketing strategies, grant proposals, financial plans, pricing structures, and/or development plans
relevant to their work, based on the course group.
• Describe how the skills and knowledge gained from the trainings has strengthened their artistic practice,
organization, or creative business.
• Submit required reports and documentation demonstrating participation, learning outcomes, and
application of course material in order to receive the incentive payment. This reporting will require the
selected Candidate to comply with the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
guidelines, the City and Durham County.
For the project website, visit: https://www.durhamnc.gov/5526/Creative-Training-Incentive-Program-ARPA.
For the application portal, visit: https://keepdurhambeautiful.submittable.com/submit
31. Location Description
Training will be held virtually and in-person at locations to be determined by the course instructors. Most
training will occur virtually and may be held at City of Durham facilities.
32. Project Background
Durham Cultural Roadmap
The City and County partnered to create the Durham Cultural Roadmap—a plan based on residents' needs that
will guide Durham's arts and cultural community through investment, resources and creative programming. The
Cultural Roadmap planning process continues into the final phase with guidance from the Cultural Roadmap
Planning Group (CRPG), our cultural planning consultants, and local artists called the Creative Engagement Team.
The Durham Cultural Roadmap process has identified, through engagement, the themes that will impact the
sector. A major theme of the plan includes cultivating leadership, with the goal to strengthen and support creative
leaders at every level, from emerging artists to established organizations, ensuring long-term growth and capacity.
4
The Durham Cultural Master Plan (PDF), was approved by the City Council and Board of County Commissioners to
advance numerous cultural goals and strategies over a fifteen-year period, spanning from 2004 to 2019. Based on
the City, the County, and the Durham Cultural Advisory Board's work from 2019 to 2022 to launch a new planning
process, the Durham Cultural Advisory Board developed the vision and mission below. On October 3, 2022, the
Durham City Council and the Durham County Board of Commissioners entered a joint agreement to govern the
development of the new Durham Cultural Roadmap. The City's Cultural & Public Art Program staff provides daily
management of the plan, in partnership with Durham County's Public Art Program staff. To learn more about the
Durham Cultural Roadmap, visit www.CreativeDurham.Org.
Funding
The funding for this project is provided through the American Rescue Plan Act. This act provides U.S. cities and
counties with $130.2 billion through December 31, 2024. The City of Durham will receive more than $50M as part
of this allocation. These funds will be used to help offset revenue losses resulting from the pandemic, as well as
fund other community needs. Specifically, these funds may be used to: Replace lost public sector revenue, using
this funding to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the
pandemic.
The funding provided through the County and City’s agreement will be utilized to support large and small local
arts and cultural nonprofits, businesses, venues, and independent artists through grants, training, planning, and
marketing initiatives to help restore jobs, reopen venues, and restart programming.
To learn more about the City’s ARPA program, visit the City’s website here:
https://www.durhamnc.gov/4529/American-Rescue-Plan
40. Scope of Work
The services and obligations that will be required from the Candidate during the contract period include, but are
not necessarily limited to:
• Working with the training instructors and City and County staff to complete the courses and
reporting requirements.
• Attending and actively participating in all required training courses.
• Completing the training and reporting requirements from the Federal Government, including
narrative and financial reporting.
Proposed course descriptions:
Group I: Small Business, Individual Artists, For-Profit & Non-Profits Arts and Cultural Organizations
Marketing
Staff members of small arts organizations will learn practical marketing fundamentals designed for teams with
limited time and resources. This course is intended for organizations that do not have a dedicated marketing staff
or large advertising budgets. Participants will explore effective approaches to social media and email marketing,
with an emphasis on high-impact, cost-effective strategies and tools that help streamline communication and
outreach.
5
This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
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