Draft Nexus Pilot Guidelines — original pdf

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Nexus SUMMARY OF CHANGES Revisions to pilot guidelines and rubric since October 2021: • Reworked scoring rubric and guidelines language, in keeping with community feedback, Equity Office consultation, and legal guidance. Important terms and definitions added to the glossary in the Program Details Document. • • Request amount revised to reflect current HOT funding budget. • Program description better reflects the origins and purpose of the program • General guidelines language updates to clarify program goals. 1 Nexus Pilot Year Draft Guidelines - REVISED FORMATTING WILL BE ADDED ONCE TEXT IS APPROVED [Cover page] Nexus: nurture new and emerging applicants in the creative community Pilot Program Project Support, two opportunities to apply. Approximately 40-50 contracts awarded per cycle. $5,000 award amount. Pilot Guidelines For projects taking place between DATE and DATE [Web page link] [logo] City of Austin [logo] Economic Development Department 2 nexus (noun) a connection or series of connections linking two or more things Program Overview Annual term, two opportunities to apply $5,000 contracts Nexus: nurture new and emerging applicants in the creative community The Nexus program is designed to nurture new and emerging applicants in the creative community in support of creative public programming for the city and its tourists through community activation and collaboration. Collaborations might include projects that involve artists, culturally specific groups, groups representing LGBTQIA and disability communities, non-profits, social advocacy organizations, and similar. Applicants who are new to City funding, particularly those who have been at immediate risk of cultural erasure and displacement within Austin and/or have been institutionally marginalized will be prioritized. Key Elements • This program is intended to nurture new and emerging applicants in the creative community. • This program funds community-centered art projects of all kinds. • This program highlights community voices and encourages resourcefulness of applicants by centering the program around partnerships, in which all collaborators share decision-making power in the creative direction of the projects. • Applications are reviewed and scored by an internal panel of City of Austin staff. • Applicants who prefer to work with a Fiscal Sponsor may do so. Fiscal Sponsorship is not a requirement for applicants. Who can apply Applicant eligibility criteria is outlined below, with greater detail provided in the Scoring Rubric. Funding is not guaranteed if you meet all the minimum requirements; rather, funding will be awarded based on the overall score of your application which includes consideration of our funding priorities. Eligible applicants: • An individual or collaborating individuals over the age of 18* • 501(c) non-profit organization • A community-based organization • A creative business* *May apply directly or with a fiscal sponsor 3 Priority will be given to: • Applicants that serve and are accountable to communities that are at immediate risk of cultural erasure and displacement within Austin and/or have been institutionally marginalized and under-funded by the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division. • Applicants who have never received City of Austin Cultural Funding awards in the past or have not received funds in the last five years. What Nexus Funds While Nexus supports a breadth of creative projects, all contracts funded by Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue are required to: • be open and advertised to Austin residents and tourists • promote and enhance Austin as a cultural destination • occur in Austin or its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) Eligible Activities* • Exhibitions • Performances • Workshops and classes that include a performance or exhibition that is open to and marketed • Public art projects that are installed on public or private property, and accessible by the public to tourists Eligible Expenses* • Administrative expenses and artist fees (including staff hours and contractor costs) • Space rentals • Equipment rentals (not purchases) • Supplies and materials • Marketing and promotion expenses • • Fiscal sponsor fee, if applicable Insurance (expenses related to required insurance coverage) * See Additional Program Details for a more detailed list of eligible and ineligible activities and expenses. Other Eligibility Criteria • one year of operating history in the Austin metropolitan statistical area (MSA) • 51% or more of the application’s creative production is within the Austin 10-1 districts or extra- territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) • applicant’s most recently completed fiscal year’s budget is under $150,000 • not already received or are currently receiving City funding for the same activities in the fiscal year in which they are applying 4  Funding Availability Nexus operates on the City’s fiscal calendar, which is October 1 – September 30. The pilot year will have one opportunity to apply; the next application cycle will fall on fiscal year 2023. The dates of applicant’s proposed activities will determine when to apply. Successful applicants can receive funds once per fiscal year. Funding awards allocated from this program may not be used toward activities funded by any other City of Austin departments/contracts or other cultural funding programs within the fiscal year. Program availability and the total amount available are subject to the availability of funding from HOT revenue. Only one contract per organization is allowed (sponsored projects do not count toward this limit). If the applicant applies to and is approved for funding in multiple Cultural Funding programs, they may receive only one award. Awards received from this program may not be used toward activities funded by any other City of Austin programs. Timeline Activities Occurring Deadline Application Opens Application Workshop Fall/Winter Cycle October 1 - March 31 August July July Awards Announced September Contract Materials Due September Payment 1 of 2 - 75% of Award Upon Entering into contract Report Due April 30 Upon approval of final award Payment 2 of 2 - Final 25% of Award Spring/Summer Cycle April 1 – September 30 February January January March March Upon Entering into contract October 31 Upon approval of final award 5 Award Amounts • The request amount in Nexus is $5,000. • Applicants will submit a project budget as part of their application demonstrating how they will use the funds. If awarded, you can choose to decline any portion of funds that you don’t need. • • Applicants are not required to find matching funds, although it is encouraged. • We also encourage contractors to pay all who work on the project an equitable wage. • Any unused funds will have to be returned at the time of reporting. How to Apply All Cultural Funding program applications are submitted online; there is no paper application. Visit austincreates.com for links to all open program application portals. • • If you are applying without a fiscal sponsor, you may begin your application as soon as the application is open. If you are applying with a fiscal sponsor, please see your Fiscal Sponsor before beginning your application. Application Assistance Workshops and Videos Information on application assistance, helpful workshops, and other information will be shared on our website as soon as it is available. Visit austincreates.com for the most current information. You can also drop into Virtual Open Office Hours (see schedule below) or email staff your questions at any time. Follow us on social media or sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop about upcoming workshops. Staff Contact for Nexus Anne-Marie McKaskle-Davis Cultural Funding Specialist Senior Annemarie.Mckaskle@AustinTexas.gov 512-974-7854 Virtual Open Office Hours on Zoom Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday each month No appointment necessary! http://zoom.us/j/94549263216 Meeting ID 912 1807 0093 10 am - 12 pm 6 How Applications Are Reviewed Applications will be reviewed and scored by an internal panel of staff from the Cultural Arts Division. Applications that meet the requirements outlined in these guidelines and receive the highest scores will be recommended for funding. The number of awards that are approved is subject to the availability of funds. Applicants will only receive points that apply to their project; we anticipate that most applications will not receive the maximum number of points available. For more information about this process, see ADDITIONAL PROGRAM DETAILS. 7 NEXUS RUBRIC ELIGIBILITY – reviewed by COA staff Applicant Type Applicant is either: An individual or collaborating individuals over the age of 18* A community-based organization A 501(c) non-profit organizations Austin-based creative small business* *may apply directly or with a fiscal sponsor Applicants who have not already received or are currently receiving City funding for the same activities in the fiscal year in which they are applying Applicants that demonstrate a minimum of one year of operating history in the Austin metropolitan statistical area (MSA). Address is verified as in the MSA using this link: https://geocoding.geo.census.gov/geocoder 51% or more of the applicant’s creative production is within the Austin 10-1 districts or extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Applicant’s most recently completed fiscal year’s budget is under $150,000 Project dates fall within the upcoming contract term. Fall/Winter Cycle: October 1 – March 31 Spring/Summer Cycle: April 1 – September 30 Proposed activity meets all program requirements as outlined by the Hotel Occupancy Tax. All events are open to the public and marketed to tourists, or applicant is an arts service organization. Existing City Support Geographical Eligibility Production History Operating Budget Project Date HOT Compliance 8 Category Criteria Operations Cultural and Social Impact Key Constituencies What is your mission or artistic vision? Identify and name your key constituencies. First-time applicant Are you a first-time applicant? This would not include relief or recovery funding If the application is on behalf of a sponsored project, we would like to know the number of times the sponsored project has received funding from the Cultural Arts Division. Budget How will you use these funds to produce your events? Provide details on specific expenses. Be sure these expenses are reflected in the budget table. Your budget must balance. This means that the TOTAL INCOME should be the same as the TOTAL EXPENSES. Accessibility & Language Access Does your proposal include specialized programming or accommodations for audience members with disabilities? Does your proposal include specialized language access accommodations or programming for non-English speaking communities? To receive points be sure to include the expenses required to offer specialized programming in your proposed budget. Accessibility accommodations that are “upon-request only” are admirable but will not be considered a specialized service. Cultural Activities What are your proposed activities? 9  Your answer could address: • How equity work is centered in your proposal • Tourist accessible activities that you produce • Description of proposed activities, participant(s), etc. • Working with diverse communities Creative Collaboration Provide the name(s) of creative collaborators(s). Describe your collaborator’s role in the development and implementation of your proposed activities. Write “N/A” if you are not applying with a collaborator. Community voice What communities are represented in your project content? In what ways are they involved in the creative direction? In what ways are voices from those communities being amplified through your project? Programmatic Reach How will the requested funding help you expand your programmatic reach and amplify Austin’s diverse arts and cultural sector? Your answer could address: Marketing / Audience Development Information on how funding will directly support the diversity and equity of the City's cultural community. Community Investment and Relationships In what ways does your community invest in your organization? Examples of contributions include but are not limited to: • Volunteers • Mentorships or partnerships • Collaborations with community members/leaders • Audience participation • cash donations • paid services • ticket sales • donations of goods 10  11