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Tax money headed to Summit County cultural organizations

Local photographer and artist Mark Mazierz paints one of the many decorative pianos scattered across Summit County, this one in the South Summit Aquatic Center.
Arts Council of Park City and Summit County
Local photographer and artist Mark Mazierz paints one of the many decorative pianos scattered across Summit County, this one in the South Summit Aquatic Center.

Nonprofits around Summit County got graded, and funded, by county staff based on their contributions to a vibrant recreation, arts and parks scene.

The RAP tax is one tenth of 1 cent added to Summit County sales, but that makes big money.

Approved by voters in 2000, the tax funds two grants for recreation and culture. This year, the money pool for the cultural grant was $1.5 million.

“It's funding for arts and recreation,” Summit County Councilmember Tonja Hanson said. “Arts, education, dance, history, theater, things of that sort.”

The RAP Cultural Grant Committee divvies up those funds, and the county council unanimously approved its recommendation Wednesday.

In total, cultural nonprofits asked for $2 million, $500,000 more than was available to the committee.

To decide who gets what, the cultural grant committee gives the nonprofits a “grade” from 1 to 15 based on their organizational capacity, public benefit and contribution to cultural vibrancy.

Every qualified applicant scored a 10 or above, except for the Utah Chinese Association, which had an incomplete application.

UCA and two other organizations, Park City Library and Mental Health FiT, didn’t receive funding. County lawyers determined the library and national mental health charity were not primarily cultural, legally speaking.

Four nonprofits got 100% of the funding they requested.

Those were the Latino Arts Festival, which wrapped up at Canyons Village last weekend; the Echo Community and Historic Organization, which maintains historic sites near Echo Reservoir; the Kamas Valley History Group, a volunteer coalition of southside residents; and North Summit Unite, which promotes the arts in the county’s north.

Other organizations that were close to fully funded included the Alf Engen Ski Museum, Egyptian Theatre, Swaner EcoPreserve, Utah Symphony and Ballet West. Summit County’s arts councils got nearly all the funds they requested too.

KPCW received the most funding, dollars-wise, at $140,000.