MADISON – Organizers for Madison Street Festival have had some sad news and good news during 2020.

As most residents know, the festival has been canceled for 2020 because of the threat of spreading COVID-19 virus. The good news, however, is that the MSF Committee still will award grants to qualified applicants from proceeds of previous festivals.

Madison Street Festival is accepting applications for grants through Oct. 31.

“After much thought, and with the wellbeing of the potential attendees in the forefront of our minds, we have decided that it would be best to not hold a festival for 2020. We will however still be awarding grants to the community this year. If you wish to apply, please do so by Oct. 31, 2020,” according to the MSF website, madisonstreetfestival.org.

These steps explain the procedures to apply:

* To access a grant application from MSF, visit madisonstreetfestival.org and click the “Grants” tab. The committee will consider only applications submitted with the MSF website.

* Applicants should indicate if their group meets the following conditions: past MSF grant recipient; municipal city-based organization; and non-profit 501(c)3 organization.

* Deadline for applications is 5 p.m. on Oct. 31. The MSF Grant Committee will evaluate all accepted applications and recommend the acceptable applicants and monetary amount to the MSF Executive Committee.

* The grant committee chairperson will email all applicants with the date of the Madison City Council meeting when grant requests will be awarded. The chairperson also will email applicants that will not receive grants.

Grant recipients must be organizations based in Madison; organizations that provide educational services to Madison residents; or both of these criteria.

By providing community grants to deserving groups or organizations, the MSF Committee intends to support Madison students of all ages and abilities as they seek access to higher education or continuing education programs, according to the website.

In 2019, the festival committee awarded 14 grants for a total of $7,223 to educational pursuits in the community.

The Madison Street Festival’s mission is to provide a day of family entertainment that unites the community as they enjoy arts and culture, interactive exhibits and entertainment.