It's written letters to two governments and a political party, but the city can't find anyone willing to help pay for a piece of public art commemorating Lincoln Alexander in Hamilton.

City council sent letters to the federal and provincial governments and the Conservative Party last May asking if they would chip in for the Alexander memorial. Alexander was a Hamiltonian, and as a Conservative, was Canada’s first black MP. He died on Oct. 19, 2012.

But neither the feds nor the Conservative party answered the letter. And the province just directed the city to grants it doesn't qualify for. Crowdfunding appears to be the only remaining option, says a report going to the general issues committee on Wednesday.

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City staff is still examining the crowdfunding option, says the staff report written by Ken Coit, art in public places co-ordinator.

The Conservatives and the federal government didn’t acknowledge the letters, the report says. And when the provincial government replied, it told the city to look at programs available through the Ontario Arts Council and Ontario Trillium Foundation.

But the city isn’t eligible for those programs, and would need to partner with a not-for-profit organization to apply, the report says.

The city is “undertaking a high-level review of civic crowdfunding” and will report back to council, Coit wrote.

The city would put out a call for artists, but not until it knows how it will pay for the art.