The city of Mesa Department of Arts and Culture creative economy fund will support reduced rental rates at Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St., for nonprofit organizations presenting an art project, event, activity, workshop or a series of any of the above.

Applicants must be a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization based in Arizona, or apply through a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, according to a release.

Grant guidelines and applications are available for download at mesaaz.gov/things-to-do/arts-culture/creative-economy-fund, and the deadline to apply is 5 p.m. May 6.

The program is part of an initiative to further activate the urban center of Mesa, to increase the growing number and variety of offerings in downtown Mesa and to continue to build an environment of creativity and discovery in the downtown Innovation District, the release states.

The creative economy fund rental-reduction program intends to provide support to professional and semi-professional organizations that use or wish to use the MAC venues, to bring new cultural offerings to the East Valley and to encourage new partnerships among cultural organizations in the region.

“We are so pleased to offer this mutually beneficial program, which supports organizations bringing valuable and enriching experiences to Valley citizens while offering new events and opportunities to Mesa and the East Valley,” Cindy Ornstein, Mesa’s director of arts and culture, said in the release.

The review process is competitive, and applications will be reviewed by a community panel based on criteria outlined in the program guidelines.

Mesa Arts Center, owned and operated by the city of Mesa, is home to four theaters, five art galleries and 14 art studios. Go to mesaartscenter.com.