Gobioff Foundation artist microgrants make major impact

Gianna and Neil Gobioff might have the coolest volunteer gig around. Through their family foundation, they give money to human rights/civil liberties groups working for equity, inclusivity, and diversity, and to arts organizations that “enhance the cultural landscape” of the Tampa Bay area through exhibitions and live performances.

Neil’s late brother Howard Gobioff, one of Google’s first 40 employees, founded the Gobioff Foundation in 2007, just months befoe his sudden death from lymphoma. He left one directive — “make the world a better place.”

While the foundation has granted millions over the years to organizations like Tempus Projects, Hillsborough College, and Tampa Arts Alliance, its most broad-based impact may come from a microgrant program for artists and performers in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties with unique and “weird” ideas.

Capped at $500, the microgrants are designed to help creatives “get projects over the hump,” Gianna Gobioff said during a recent information session on the program at Tempus Projects in Ybor City. This often means buying supplies, paying for rentals or secondary services such as audiovisual elements, or creating marketing and promotional materials.

“Sixty-four percent of applicants get funded, so there’s a good chance we’ll support whatever you want to create,” she says during the session. “We care about equity and accessibility, especially if you’re LGBTQ+, Black, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous/Native American, or living with disabilities. We want to hear your weird ideas.”

Neil and Gianna Gobioff say they focus on microgrants to seed as many creative projects as possible in Hillsborough and Pinellas and make funding accessible to individual creatives, not just large nonprofits. Their goal is to encourage publicly accessible arts projects.  

Currently in its fifth year, the Gobioff microgrant program has given $32,000 in grants to 64 projects across disciplines. Approximately half of the grantees have created visual projects like murals and photography exhibitions.

Recent grant recipient Kali Rabaut is using the $500 to stage “Flower Lady,” a cabaret premiering at Tampa Fringe Festival on June 11. It explores beauty, productivity, and identity through the intersection of botanical and performing arts.

“I love harmonizing, so the grant allows me to hire another singer and a musical director/accompanist who’ll play the guitar and piano while I do what I do best — perform,” Rabaut says.

Another recent recipient is Jesi Cason, the 2025 Photo Laureate of the Saint Petersburg Month of Photography. Cason’s “Alt Tampa” photographs of Tampa Bay’s vibrant underground community are on view at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) until June 14. Cason is giving a gallery talk at FMoPA from 11 a.m. to noon on May 31.

Past recipients include Lisa Bagley, who received a grant in 2024 for her series of cancer-themed artworks on display at the Morean Arts Center. She recently expanded the show to include art and writing from others whose lives have been touched by cancer. The Clearwater Arts Alliance is currently presenting Bagley’s exhibit at the Clearwater Main Library through July 24. Deborah Bostock-Kelley received a grant in 2022 for her show at Stageworks Theater. Some of the funds were used to print playbills. Someone who saw her show and kept a playbill later reached out to invite her to have a solo playwright showcase.

Gobioff microgrants are awarded annually on a rolling basis in four cycles; the event or presentation that’s being funded must occur within 6 months following the month the grant is awarded. Applications for the current cycle are due by June 1.

“It’s a gift when someone hands you $500 to realize your vision,” Rabaut says. “I would’ve been okay without it, but that little boost makes a huge difference.”

Other artist grant opportunities include the  Creative Pinellas arts tourism program, which offers grants of $5,000 to $15,000 to individual artists and $15,000 to $50,000 to nonprofits and for-profit arts groups. Applications are due May 31.

The Arts Council of Hillsborough will be accepting applications for $2,000 professional development grants from July 13 to August 31.

For more information, go to The Gobioff Foundation