Capital projects comprise one of the central areas of the Department of Cultural Affairs' business plan. The Department serves as a partner to cultural organizations in developing capital projects by providing grants and technical assistance, and is also directly managing the design and construction of the South Miami Dade Cultural Center.

The Existing and Neighborhood Facilities Plan, the Building Better Communities Bond Program (BBC), and the Capital Development Grants Program encompass the Department of Cultural Affairs' commitment to establishing world-class facilities that accommodate the present and future growth and artistic excellence of Miami-Dade's cultural organizations.

Currently engaged in extensive planning in preparation for the implementation of over $450 million for cultural projects included in the Building Better Communities Bond Program (BBC), the Department continues to expand on its goal of building the next generation of cultural facilities.

$80 Million Existing and Neighborhood Facilities Plan
With the opening of the Miami Performing Arts Center scheduled for the 2006 season, the Existing and Neighborhood Facilities program is designed to create a network of new and upgraded neighborhood facilities that will thrive and complement Miami's major new venue. These new and updated facilities will be home to cultural groups and artists to develop their work while providing audiences convenient and affordable opportunities to experience the "live" arts in a neighborhood setting.

The county has expanded its commitment to these neighborhood facilities by growing the initial allocation of funds in the early 1990's to a total of over $70 million to date. Convention Development Tax revenues serve as the source of funds for the Existing and Neighborhood Facilities Plan.

With more than half of the facilities projects completed or near completion as of April 2005, a strong network of neighborhood venues is serving our growing community.

$450 Million Building Better Communities Bond Program
Approved by Miami-Dade County voters in November 2004, the $2.9 billion Building Better Communities Bond Program includes over $450 million for countywide cultural facilities development. The BBC program encompasses an array of community capital improvements, ranging from water and sewer infrastructure projects to healthcare facilities and elderly housing, and is funded by bonds to be sold over the next 15 years and repaid by debt service millage. The most comprehensive, countywide bond program in more than three decades, the BBC program is the largest of its kind in the Southeastern U.S. and the third largest in the nation.

The BBC program includes funds for the design and construction of a new Miami Art Museum and Miami Museum of Science in Bicentennial Park, key projects in establishing Miami-Dade's international status as a major cultural center. It also provides substantial funds for 18 other projects that continue the work of developing the network of excellent neighborhood cultural facilities throughout the county.

$350,000 Annually Capital Development Grants Program
Initially funded by a three-year grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Capital Development Grants Program is a competitive annual program designed to provide support to not-for-profit, tax-exempt cultural organizations to purchase, renovate, adapt, and/or equip neighborhood-based cultural facilities. The program is currently funded at $350,000 per year as part of the Department's annual budget.

The Department of Cultural Affairs encourages applications from organizations whose growth depends on access to and control of adequate facilities for optimum implementation of programs. These programs must be accessible and promoted to the general public. The program's matching requirement is designed to act as a catalyst for organizations to obtain increased levels of state, municipal, and private funds.

The program supports projects that improve the artistic capabilities of the user organizations and/or increase accessibility for audiences to experience programs in the applicant facilities.