Title
Arts and Culture Coronavirus Relief Program - Individual Artist Support Phase I (Ordinance S-46774)
Description
Request authorization for the City Manager, or his designee, to enter into grant agreements with designated individual artists throughout the city of Phoenix. Further authorize the City Controller to disburse the funds for purposes of this ordinance. The total value of the agreements will not exceed $700,000. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Report
Summary
The federal government allocated $293 million to the City of Phoenix in the Coronavirus Relief Fund component of Section 5001 of the CARES Act. During its May 12, 2020 meeting, the City Council approved allocating $2.6 million for an Arts and Culture Coronavirus Relief Program. Of that $2.6 million, $700,000 was designated for grants to individual artists negatively impacted financially because of the global health emergency.
Previously, in March, 2020, in response to the Coronavirus emergency, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture partnered with the Arizona Commission on the Arts and others with an investment into a statewide Emergency Relief Fund for Arizona Artists and Arts Professionals fund. The fund provided grants up to $1,500 for artists who had gigs/jobs/contracts canceled or terminated since March 1, 2020 because of the public health emergency. Over 500 artists applied, and the initial program funded 235 artists, including 79 Phoenix artists. The Office of Arts and Culture's initial contribution was $8,500, which funded 11 artists. The statewide fund supported the other 68 individual Phoenix artists.
During its May 12, 2020 meeting, the City Council voted to allocate part of the $700,000 from the Arts and Culture Coronavirus Relief Program to fund all of the 79 Phoenix artists from the first round of grants from the Emergency Relief Fund for Arizona Artists and Arts Professionals program, which entails repaying $50,250 to the Arizona Commission on the Arts to supplement the City's original $8,500 contribution. In addition to repaying the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the City Council also approved funding all eligible Phoenix artists who applied to the statewide program but weren't funded, as well as a process to allow new applicants to apply for emergency relief funding. The Office of Arts and Culture will manage these two new processes and distribute the balance of the $700,000 to eligible individual artists.
The Mayor and Council discussed and approved the plan to implement the full $2.6 million Arts and Culture Coronavirus Relief Program at their Policy Session on May 12, 2020 by a 6-2 vote.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Karen Peters and the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.