The Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards is an annual creative placemaking competition, now in its second year, to activate dormant public spaces through free outdoor concerts. 10 nonprofit organizations, or municipalities partnering with a nonprofit, will receive $25K matching grants to present the Levitt AMP Music Series in 2016. (PRNewsFoto/Levitt Pavilions)

The Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards is an exciting matching grant opportunity, created by Levitt Pavilions, serving small to mid-sized towns and cities with populations up to 400,000. 10 nonprofits, or municipalities partnering with a nonprofit, will receive up to $25K each in matching funds to produce their own Levitt AMP [Your City] Music Series–an outdoor, free concert series featuring a diverse lineup of high caliber entertainment. And just like last year, the public will decide the Top 20 finalists through an online voting process taking place this November. So get ready to rally your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors to vote and bring free, live music to your community!

“We’re thrilled to once again bring the joy of Levitt to more towns and cities across America,” says Sharon Yazowski, executive director of the national nonprofit, Levitt Pavilions. “Levitt concerts create a shared sense of community and connectedness that is incredibly important in today’s world. We’ve seen how the 2015 Levitt AMP winners are making a meaningful impact across America, bringing people together of all ages and backgrounds and reinvigorating neglected public spaces.”

The Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards, now in its second year, is an annual creative placemaking grants competition to activate dormant public spaces through free concerts. The acronym “AMP” speaks to the goals of the grant awards, which are threefold:

— Amplify community pride and the city’s unique character
— Enrich lives through the power of free, live Music
— Illustrate the importance of vibrant public Places
While Levitt’s celebrated signature program of permanent outdoor music venues, each presenting 50+ free concerts annually, is tailored to large cities with populations of over 400,000 (due to financial sustainability and audience development considerations), the Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards are specifically designed to meet the needs and capacity of smaller towns and cities.

This year’s 10 Levitt AMP winners (each eligible to reapply for a 2016 Levitt AMP grant) include: the Anchorage Downtown Partnership (Anchorage); Downtown Bellingham Partnership (Bellingham, Wash.); Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Va.); Delta State University Foundation (Cleveland, Miss.); Denison Main Street Inc. (Denison, Texas); Downtown Frederick Partnership (Frederick, Md.); Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority (Lafayette, La.); Discover Downtown Middlesboro Inc. (Middlesboro, Ky.); John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, Wis.); and the Trenton Downtown Association (Trenton, N.J.).

Since these are matching grants, each applicant must secure a dollar for dollar match up to $25K from other sources such as foundations, businesses, municipalities, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, individual donors, etc. Up to half of the matching requirement may be in-kind, such as donated sound equipment or contributed marketing. Yazowski says the matching grant requirement reflects the organization’s overall commitment that Levitt projects be “community-driven with local support.”

In addition to the monetary award, Levitt AMP grant recipients will receive the Levitt AMP [Your City] Toolkit containing valuable resources to help them successfully produce their concert series.

The most competitive submissions will depend upon a variety of factors, including:

— The characteristics of the public space where the free concert series is
to be presented–preference will be given to those spaces that are
easily accessible to a range of socioeconomic groups.
— A programming philosophy that is inclusive, family-friendly and
represents a wide range of music genres, in keeping with the signature
Levitt program.
— A proven track record presenting professional quality concerts or
community events, or partnering with an individual or organization that
has done so.
Online applications are due October 15. Learn more: levittamp.org

Online public voting will determine the Top 20 finalists in November. Levitt Pavilions will then review the Top 20 applications in December and the 2016 Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards winners will be announced January 5, 2016. Funding for the Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards is made possible by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a private family foundation.

About Levitt Pavilions and the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation

Levitt Pavilions is a national nonprofit organization that exists to strengthen the social fabric of America. We empower communities to transform neglected public spaces into welcoming destinations where the power of free, live music brings people together and invigorates community life.

Through an innovative partnership with the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a private family foundation, Levitt Pavilions provides funding support, resources and technical expertise to advance the national Levitt program, which serves more than half a million people in 16 cities annually through 400+ free, family-friendly outdoor concerts. During the past decade, more than $18 million in grants has been awarded to support the core Levitt program of creating access to free, live music experiences while transforming public spaces.

The Levitt network includes six permanent music venues and 10 Levitt AMP sites, collectively presenting America’s largest free outdoor concert series. Levitt concerts feature acclaimed, emerging talent to seasoned, award-winning performers in all music genres. Each signature Levitt venue is its own 501(c)(3) Friends of Levitt nonprofit organization, supporting and presenting 50+ free concerts every year. Levitt venues are located in Los Angeles and Pasadena, Calif.; Westport, Conn.; Bethlehem, Pa.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Arlington, Texas. Due to accelerating interest from cities and engaged citizens, the Levitt network is growing. Developing Levitt locations include Denver (opening 2016) and Houston (opening 2017), amongst other cities. levitt.org

LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Levitt Pavilions