Applications Open for New Community Partners Program
Published on September 12, 2025
Applications are now open for the City of Sioux Falls’ Community Partners Program. The program is a new way for organizations in the community to apply for City funding to address three priority areas: supporting at-risk populations; expanding culture, arts, and community programming; and strengthening economic vitality and growth. The funding is allocated through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
RFPs for the at-risk populations and culture, arts, and community programming priority areas opened today. The RFP for the economic vitality and growth priority area will be released on Friday, September 19, 2025.
Following approval of the City’s 2026 budget by the Sioux Falls City Council, the following amounts have been budgeted for each priority area:
- At-Risk Populations: $350,000
- Culture, Arts, and Community Programming: $300,000
- Economic Vitality and Growth: $950,000
“Sioux Falls is better when we work together, and the City values our partnerships with outside organizations that address important community needs,” said Finance Director Shawn Pritchett. “While this is a change to the way we’ve distributed funding before, the new program will bring greater opportunity for organizations to participate, partner, and offer innovative ideas.”
The Community Partners Program transitions community funding requests from traditional subsidy agreements approved through the City’s annual budgeting process to a structured RFP process. This change establishes a consistent and transparent process for evaluating funding requests and awarding contracts to organizations best positioned to serve community needs. The new process also standardizes how program proposals are reviewed and ensures that funding decisions align with City priorities.
Under the new system, organizations that have previously partnered with the City under subsidy agreements, as well as other interested organizations, are eligible to apply for funds. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to form partnerships that will strengthen program capacity and enhance the delivery of services.
As part of the RFP process, the City will host pre-bid meetings for each priority area on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at City Center Room 110 (231 North Dakota Avenue). The schedule is as follows: 9 to 10 a.m. for at-risk populations; 10 to 11 a.m. for culture, arts, and community programming; and 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for economic vitality and growth.
The RFP deadline for the two priority areas released today, at-risk populations and culture, arts, and community programming, is Thursday, October 30, 2025, at 2 p.m. via the City’s e-procurement system.
Funding for organizations will be available at the beginning of 2026. For more information about the program, visit siouxfalls.gov/communitypartners.