08/08/2026
WHERE DOES THE FUNDING FOR A CIVIC AMPHITHEATER COME FROM?
One of the first questions people reasonably ask about The Point is: “Who is going to pay for this?”
The answer is important, because major civic projects are rarely financed from one source. A well-planned amphitheater can be assembled over several years from a combination of public capital funds, federal and state grants, tourism funding, philanthropy, sponsorships, partnerships and private giving. The feasibility-study stage is where those pieces are identified and tested. No one should assume that “a $7 million project” automatically means “a $7 million property-tax bill.”
Lawrence already has one of the basic mechanisms cities use for major public infrastructure: the Capital Improvement Plan. Lawrence’s own CIP process exists specifically to identify major projects involving parks, public facilities and new infrastructure and to develop long-term funding strategies for them. Inclusion in a CIP does not mean a project is automatically built or fully funded — but it creates the framework for planning, engineering, phasing and identifying possible funding sources.
Federal outdoor-recreation funding can also be part of the picture. The federal Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped finance tens of thousands of state and local recreation projects nationwide. Its State and Local Assistance Program provides matching grants for public outdoor recreation, and federal guidance specifically identifies amphitheaters and bandstands among potentially eligible spectator facilities. There are important restrictions — particularly if a facility is primarily designed for professional entertainment — so this is exactly the kind of eligibility question a feasibility study would examine rather than simply assuming the entire project qualifies.
Kansas has its own tourism-development money. Kansas Tourism’s Attraction Development Grant exists specifically to help public, private and nonprofit organizations create or expand attractions that bring visitors into Kansas and generate jobs, investment, revenue and visitation. These kinds of programs demonstrate an important principle: relatively modest public grants can sometimes help leverage much larger amounts of matching local and private investment.
Arts funding can become another piece — although people should understand that arts grants generally do not write a check for an entire amphitheater. The National Endowment for the Arts offers competitive grants, and Kansas operates arts grant programs as well. These kinds of funds can potentially help with programming, design, accessibility, public art, community engagement, artistic components and the cultural activity that turns a stage into a true civic arts venue.
Tourism itself can help support cultural activity. Lawrence already uses transient guest tax — money paid by hotel guests — to support arts and tourism-related programs. That does not mean hotel-tax revenue would simply pay for an amphitheater, but it demonstrates that Lawrence already has a system in which visitors help support the cultural experiences that attract more visitors.
Then there is philanthropy. This is where having a nonprofit organization matters. Major donors do not necessarily have to “buy the amphitheater.” A capital campaign can divide a project into meaningful pieces: the stage, backstage facilities, orchestra area, plaza, landscaping, accessibility improvements, educational spaces, donor walls, seating areas or other components.
Regional and national foundations can participate as well. Some foundations specifically make capital grants for construction and renovation projects for eligible nonprofit organizations. Many require applicants to demonstrate substantial community fundraising before the foundation will participate. That model is common in philanthropy: local commitment can help unlock larger outside gifts.
Corporate support is another potential layer. Banks, hospitals, utilities, construction companies, regional employers and other businesses regularly sponsor public cultural facilities because those facilities contribute to quality of life, workforce recruitment and community visibility. Sponsorship does not have to mean selling the entire identity of The Point to a corporation. A community can establish policies governing naming rights, stage sponsorships, annual presenting sponsorships, donor recognition and other partnerships while keeping the park and amphitheater publicly controlled.
Lawrence also has something many communities trying to build an arts venue do not have: an existing cultural ecosystem. KU, the Lied Center, Liberty Hall, The Granada, The Bottleneck, Jazzhaus, Lucia and generations of other venues and presenters have already demonstrated that Lawrence can support live performance and touring artists.
A future civic amphitheater would not be attempting to invent an audience from nothing.
Partnerships with educational institutions, cultural organizations, promoters and producers could create programming opportunities involving graduations, festivals, symphonies, theater, cultural celebrations, community events and professional touring productions without requiring any one institution to finance the entire facility.
And once an amphitheater exists, professional use can help support its operation. Promoters can rent a civic facility. Touring productions can pay facility fees. Food and beverage concessions, sponsorships, ticket surcharges, parking arrangements and event rentals can generate revenue.
That does not mean every concert makes money or that operating income magically pays the original construction bill. It means the facility can have an earned-revenue side in addition to its public-service role — something a feasibility study should model before anything is built.
Kansas even has larger economic-development financing tools for qualifying tourism and entertainment projects. STAR Bonds, for example, allow Kansas municipalities to finance certain major tourism and entertainment developments and repay the bonds using sales-tax revenue generated by the development.
We are not suggesting today that STAR Bonds are necessarily appropriate for The Point — eligibility and economics would have to be studied — but they illustrate how much more sophisticated civic financing can be than simply “raise property taxes and write a check.”
Projects can also be phased.
Perhaps infrastructure comes first. Perhaps the stage comes next. Perhaps permanent seating, landscaping, technology, public art or other amenities are added as funding becomes available. Donated professional services, materials, equipment and construction support can also reduce cash costs.
And this is the most important part:
None of this means we are announcing that any particular agency, foundation, company, university or donor has committed money to The Point.
They have not.
This is about understanding how civic projects are actually built.
The next serious step is a professional feasibility study that asks:
What should the amphitheater cost? What size makes sense? What would the market support? What grants are actually eligible? What could philanthropy reasonably contribute? What partnerships are possible? What revenue could operations generate? And what — if anything — would ultimately need to come from the City?
That is why doing the homework comes first.
A civic amphitheater does not have to begin with the question, “How much are we going to raise taxes?”
It can begin with a much better question:
“How many partners can we bring to the table to create something extraordinary for Lawrence?”
That is the conversation we want to have about The Point.
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