Item 10 - ARTS GRANTS RECOMMENDATION 2025.pdf — original pdf

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RECOMMENDATION FOR EVOLVING THE CURRENT CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS PROGRAM FRAMEWORK Recommenda�on from the 2025 CAD Grants Working group PARTICIPANTS Arts Commissioners Community members RECOMMENDATION RE-DEFINE PROGRAMS Acia Gray, Gina Houston, Faiza Kracheni, Monica Maldanado, Nagavalli Medicharla (Chair, Working Group) Bonnie Cullum (Vortex), Candyce Rusk (Individual ar�st, crea�ve + business writer), John Riedi (Aus�n Crea�ve Alliance), Matrex Kilgore (Individual ar�st, Theatre/Arts educa�on, TCA background), Toni Bravo (DiverseSpace Dance Theatre), Anne Charlote Paterson (Individual ar�st, Dance, Music Commission), Celeste Quesada (Non-profit/film, Music Commission) ** Sections highlighted in yellow indicate that there was difference of approach/opinion on the item within the working group • THRIVE (biennial): Two Year Opera�onal Support to help arts nonprofits get to ins�tu�onal • ELEVATE (annual): Annual Project-based Support for arts nonprofits, art groups, and • Nexus (semi-annual): Semi-annual / short term Project-based Support for arts nonprofits, status o Emerging o Established / Legacy independent ar�sts. o Note: Removed “creative businesses” independent ar�sts, and art groups o Note: Removed “creative businesses” RE-DEFINE APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY Thrive: • Arts Nonprofits crea�ve history for the past 5 years • Org opera�onal budget min. $50K in the past year Elevate: • Organiza�on should be registered as an arts non-profit for min. 5 years and have demonstrated • Arts Non-profits • Independent Ar�sts o Organiza�on should be registered as a non-profit for min. 3 years and have demonstrated crea�ve history for the past 3 years o Demonstrated crea�ve history for the past 2 years o Require fiscal sponsorship Fiscal sponsorship fee limited to 10% of grant or less Sponsoring en��es should meet accepted standards for sponsoring qualifica�ons - separa�on of funds, financial processes mee�ng GAAP, do not share staff with sponsored projects, etc. • All applicants need 50% matching funds incl. IN KIND or possible staff explora�on of ques�ons that would highlight this community engagement • Arts Group o Demonstrated crea�ve history for the past 2 years o Require fiscal sponsorship Fiscal sponsorship fee limited to 10% of grant or less Sponsoring en��es should meet accepted standards for sponsoring qualifica�ons - separa�on of funds, financial processes mee�ng GAP, do not share staff with sponsored project, etc • All applicants need 50% matching funds incl. in kind or staff explora�on of ques�ons that would highlight community engagement     Nexus: • Independent ar�sts • Arts groups • Arts Nonprofits • Demonstrated crea�ve history for the past 1 year • No fiscal sponsorship requirement • No matching funds required RE-DEFINE FUNDING CRITERIA: • Thrive for Opera�onal / Core Support Grants (Biennial) o Grant amounts for non-profit orgs up to 50% of (average of) past two years of opera�ng budget, with a cap of $150K maximum in grant amount.  Provides incremental growth/scaling  Ex. An org with avg. $50K opera�ng budget can get up to $25K in grant funds making their poten�al annual opera�ng budget $75K / year for the subsequent two years.  Ex. An org with avg. $100K opera�ng budget can get up to $50K in grant funds making their poten�al annual opera�ng budget at $150K / year for the subsequent two years.  Ex. An org with $500K avg. opera�ng budget can get a max. of $150K in grant funds, making their poten�al annual opera�ng budget at $650K / year for the subsequent two years. o To effec�vely support a diverse ecosystem of organiza�ons, THRIVE can strategically priori�ze grants for en��es that require a financial boost to advance their development. By alloca�ng funds to organiza�ons that need this cri�cal support, THRIVE can help level the playing field, enabling smaller or mid-sized organiza�ons to scale up and enhance their impact. o An organiza�on can receive up to 2 cycles of Thrive grants in a 6-year period • Elevate for Project-Based Grants (Annual) o Refer to NEA GAP funding for types of projects  GRANTS FOR ARTS PROJECTS | Na�onal Endowment for the Arts o Grant amounts for non-profit orgs up to 50% of (average of) past two years of opera�ng budget with a cap of $100K maximum in grant amount o Individuals / Groups with fiscal sponsorship at $10K-$30K based on project ask • Nexus (Annual): o Grant amounts at $2.5K, $5K and $10K grants based on project ask RE-DEFINE APPLICATION SCORING CRITERIA Note: Adopted from TCA Ar�s�c Quality: 1-50 points • Ar�s�c significance • Quality of works of art • Quality of ar�sts • Impact on ar�sts • Quality of services Capability: 1-25 points • Administra�ve capability • Personnel • Demonstrated history • Budget • Planning, implementa�on, evalua�on Impact: 1-25 points • Public service • Audience or par�cipants • Economic Impact & Tourism • Outreach RE-DEFINE PANEL COMPOSITION, SCORING AND OPERATIONS • Panel Composi�on: o Domain exper�se required. o Combina�on of local and neutral reviewers. • Scoring Adjustments: • Transparency: o Define which scores to discard (high/low) and normalize scores within dis�nct panels. o Applicant’s ability to provide clarifica�on within a set �meframe on inquiries from panel o Applicant’s ability to provide answers in live session to panel o Applicant’s ability to view in real-�me their individual applica�on panel only o Panel subject mater expert to provide clarifica�ons to panelists and keep things in track • Recruitment & Training: o Ac�vely recruit specialized panelists (theatre, dance, visual arts, film, etc.) for discipline- specific reviews o Clearly communicate scoring criteria to ensure fairness and understanding • Evalua�on o Separate evalua�ons into three categories—individual ar�sts, arts groups, and nonprofits—to ensure fair, tailored assessments o Discipline-specific evalua�ons within each category to enhance accuracy and relevance in the review process OTHER OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS o Applicants receive their scores with comments to improve future applica�ons o Change grant names to reflect the purpose (ex: Project Grant, Opera�onal Support) o U�lize clear and concise language in grant applica�ons: Use clear, jargon-free language to describe applicants, their work, project details, impact, and audience. This ensures accessibility, broadens the applicant pool, and makes the grant process more inclusive. o Expand marke�ng of grant program opportuni�es to community o Post-program metrics for con�nued improvements in grants program o Establishing a Sustainable Funding Pipeline for Legacy Organiza�ons in Need of Opera�onal Support: Developing a dedicated funding stream for legacy organiza�ons—arts and cultural ins�tu�ons with a long-standing history of serving the community, demonstra�ng significant cultural impact, and maintaining a track record of ar�s�c excellence and public engagement. These organiza�ons may have been founda�onal to the local arts ecosystem but may not meet the specific eligibility criteria of the THRIVE program due to funding structures, evolving grant requirements, or shi�ing priori�es in arts funding. o ACME department to provide grant program guidelines-dra� to the Arts Commission with reasonable �me for o The Arts Commission to review and provide feedback o ACME to incorporate Arts Commission’s feedback, as suitable, into the guidelines This will ensure alignment with community goals, transparency and stakeholder trust. o Arts Commission to approve grant program guidelines-dra� Overall, the above recommenda�on provides a structured approach to funding, eligibility, and evalua�on, ensuring transparency, accessibility, and effec�veness in grant alloca�on.