Title
Fiscal Year 2021-22 Community Arts Support Grant Allocations (Ordinance S-47820)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute all necessary agreements between the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture and approved applicants for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22 General Support Program and Project Support Program grants in an aggregate amount of $970,936. Further request authorization for the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture has administered the Community Arts Grants Program since 1986. The program includes three tiers of core operating support grants called General Support Program (GSP) grants, and Project Support Program (PSP) grants for artistic and cultural projects that engage Phoenix residents.
To be eligible for any category of funding, an organization must be a registered non-profit arts or cultural organization, must have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and must provide a cultural service to Phoenix residents. For youth-focused PSP grants, an applicant can be a school or registered non-profit organization with an arts or culture program. Organizations without tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Services Code may apply to the project categories using a fiscal agent with tax-exempt status. This policy allows the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture to broaden the reach of the grant program to small, emerging arts and cultural organizations and, through the fiscal agent partnership, establish relationships between large and small organizations in the hope that traditional partnering opportunities and resources sharing may develop.
Funding allocations totaling $970,936 are requested by 88 organizations (Attachment A). This total is made up of $925,346 in General Fund support and $45,590 in funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In July 2020, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture was initially awarded $250,000 in CARES Act funding from the NEA to regrant to Phoenix arts organizations, which it did. In April 2021, the NEA awarded the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture $45,590 in additional CARES Act funding to regrant. In June 2021, the NEA approved supplementing the Community Arts Grants Program with the additional CARES Act funding.
All grant applications for the Community Arts Grants Program were due to the Office of Arts and Culture on April 1, 2021. Ninety-four applications were received and reviewed by panels made up of laypersons, artists, arts professionals, and educators to ensure a thorough and unbiased review. Panel recommendations were then forwarded to the Phoenix Arts and Culture Commission to review and recommend for funding, ensuring these organizations are good stewards of public support.
General Support Program (GSP) grants strengthen the community's access to arts and culture programming. The program provides core operating support to arts and cultural organizations of all sizes that have a primary mission to create, produce, or provide arts and cultural programming to enhance the quality of lives for Phoenix residents. GSP grant allocations are determined by the ranking an applicant received during the panel review of the following criteria:
Artistic/Cultural Value
Community Significance
Financial and Leadership Capacity
In GSP Level I, organizations must have a total operating budget of at least $2.5 million. Thirteen organizations are recommended for funding totaling $387,256, with each receiving grant awards between $21,000 and $36,256.
In GSP Level II, organizations must have a budget between $250,000 and $2,499,999. There are 28 organizations recommended for funding totaling $385,000, with each receiving grant awards between $9,000 and $18,000.
For FY 2022, GSP Level III grantees must have a budget between $5,000 (adjusted from $25,000 in FY21) and $249,999. A total of 19 organizations are recommended for funding totaling $130,000, with each receiving grant awards between $5,000 and $9,000.
Project Support Program (PSP) grants promote and encourage the breadth of arts and cultural programming in our community by supporting projects both large and small throughout the City of Phoenix.
The program supports guest artist fees/expenses, production fees, and marketing expenses for in-person, socially distanced, and/or virtual projects that engage residents, including but not limited to, arts workshops, popup performances, and collaborations with artists. Applicants request an amount of up to $2,500 to fund their proposed project. Allocations are determined by the ranking an applicant received during the panel review of the following criteria:
Artistic/Cultural Value
Community Significance
Logistics and Accessibility
Twenty-eight organizations are recommended for PSP funding totaling $68,680.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Phoenix Arts and Culture Commission reviewed and approved the FY 2021-22 Community Arts Grants Program allocation recommendations at its meeting on June 15, 2021.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Inger Erickson and the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.