Item 08 - Arts Commission_July2026_Funding Update.pdf — original pdf

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Funding Programs Update Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment | July 20, 2026 FY26 Funding Disbursement Status (as of 7/18/26) Program Total Awardees Total Funds # of Awardees Paid % of Awardees Paid $ of funds disbursed % of funds disbursed ALMF Elevate CSAP HPG Thrive Nexus 396 277 22 22 35 77 $7,045,000 $12,616,773 $1,320,000 $3,000,274 $3,850,000 $510,000 377 264 20 15 28 0 95% 95% 91% 64% 80% 0% $3,902,500 $7,184,007 $655,741 $807,062 $2,803,500 $0 TOTAL 829 $28,342,047 704 85% $15,352,810 55% 57% 50% 27% 73% 0% 54% 2 Nexus Grant Updates Nexus Grant Updates Application Window: March 10, 2026 – April 16, 2026 Contract Period: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 Nexus Award Updates  451 applicants; $4.5 million requested  17% awarded – very competitive!  77 Awardees (76 English/1 Spanish) – Awardee list on Nexus page here  35 Arts Groups (from 140 applicants)  42 Individuals (from 311 applicants)  $510,000 Awarded (double previous cycles)  25 at $10,000 (13 individual artists, 12 arts groups)  52 at $5,000 (29 individual artists, 23 arts groups)  External Reviewer Model:  2 reviewers per application; Scored against Rubric; Scores averaged; No Panel Meeting; No Appeals  Evaluation of reviewer performance/scoring models is ongoing 4 Nexus Applicant/Awardee Breakdowns Artistic Discipline Applicants Awardees District # Applicants Awardees Art/ Music Therapy Arts Education Arts Service Organization Cultural Heritage/ History Dance Design Arts Film, Video & TV Production Folk & Traditional Arts Legacy and Small Business Literary Arts Media Arts Multidisciplinary Music Theater/Musical Theatre/Opera Visual Arts Other 12 18 12 25 23 7 45 2 2 7 8 68 137 32 44 9 1 6 1 7 8 0 9 0 0 2 2 15 10 9 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Austin ETJ Outside of Austin Unknown 63 41 59 34 41 11 37 24 54 31 13 36 7 12 6 10 6 9 2 9 3 6 9 1 3 1 5 2027 ACME Grants Overview 2027 ACME Grants Overview Applications Window: July 7, 2026 – August 18, 2026, at 6:59 PM Contract Period: January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027 (or December 2028 for 2-year contracts) $23 Million in Funds Available Austin Live Music Fund Elevate Heritage Preservation Thrive • $6 million • $11 million • $3 million • $3 million • ~290 awards • $5,000 - $70,000 • Musicians, independent promoters, live music venues • ~250 awards • $30,000 - $80,000 • Arts organizations, individual artists, creative businesses • ~30 awards • $50,000 - $250,000 • Preservation projects and activities • ~30 awards • $160,000 - $250,000 • Arts nonprofits deeply rooted in diverse cultures 7 2027 Grant Applications (to date!) Program Apps Started Apps Submitted Tentatively Eligible Ineligible Austin Live Music Fund (English) Austin Live Music Fund (Spanish) Elevate (English) Elevate (Spanish) Heritage Preservation (English) Heritage Preservation (Spanish) Thrive (English) Thrive (Spanish) 456 0 462 0 43 0 152 0 TOTAL 1,113 190 0 71 0 7 0 18 0 286 178 0 29 0 1 0 0 0 208 12 0 42 0 6 0 18 0 78 8 How to Apply How to Apply www.austintexas.gov/acmegrants Application Process  Familiarize yourself with Program Guidelines  Preview Application Questions on ACME website  Prepare Required Evidence  Attend a Workshop!  Ask ACME staff questions!  Click the “Apply Now” button  Submit by 6:59 pmon August 18th ! 10 Application Process (step-by-step) 11 Waterfall Application Form = No waiting! 12 Scoring and Resources Scoring and Resources Program Evaluation + Scoring  Eligibility  ACME Eligibility Quiz  Program Eligibility  Pay attention to the option you select!  Example: If you are a 501c3 arts organization with a $5m budget, DO NOT select Arts Group with a budget over $500k  Tentative Auto-Eligibility + Staff verification after Application is Submitted/ before moving on to Scoring  Scoring  Austin Live Music Fund: Auto-scored Questions + Verification of Documentation  Elevate: Panel Reviewed/Scored using a Rubric  Heritage Preservation: Panel Reviewed/Scored using a Rubric  Thrive: Panel Reviewed/ Scored using a Rubric Highest scoring applications are funded. Tie-breakers will be used if needed (maximum # of awards to community) 14 Detailed Rubrics Posted Online (English/Spanish) 15 How to Preview the Questions  Directly on the ACME website  Via the Rubrics  Download a Fillable Template – great for practice!  NOTE: Application must be submitted through Submittable platform. Paper copies or emails are not allowed.  Austin Live Music Fund  Musician (English) (Spanish)  Promoter (English) (Spanish)  Live Music Venue (English) (Spanish)  Elevate (English) (Spanish)  Heritage Preservation  Heritage Events (English) (Spanish)  Capital Improvement (English) (Spanish)  Thrive (English) (Spanish) 16 Resource Documents Exist!  www.createaustin.org  “Resources” tab  “I’m looking for…”  Select Program  Select FY2026-27  Click “Update” 17 Tips, Templates, and more! 18 Workshop Recordings + Slides 19 Other Important Information! Other Important Information! 2027 Application: Panel Needs  3 Programs in this cycle use the Panel Process (Elevate, Heritage Preservation, Thrive)  1068 estimated applications that will require Panel Process  46 estimated number of Panels  25 estimated number of applications per Panel  322 panelists needed!  Minimum number if we want 7 panelists per Panel  Recruitment is now open via Panelist Interest Form  Currently making enhancements to training, support materials, etc. (per survey responses)  $500 compensation 21 2027 Application Direct Assistance  Bookings Link for 1:1 meetings with staff  Virtual Open Office Hours  Tuesday, June 23, 10am – Noon  Tuesday, July 7, 10am– Noon  Tuesday, July 14, 10am – Noon  Tuesday, July 21, 10am – Noon  Tuesday, July 28, 10am – Noon  Tuesday, August 4, 10am – Noon  Tuesday, August 11, 10am – Noon  Tuesday, August 18th, 10am – 6pm 22 2027 Application Workshops  Workshops (Eventbrite Collection)  Tuesday, July 21, 3 pm: HPG Capital Projects Workshop (ACME, Austin Planning, Historic Preservation Office) at 5202 E Ben White, Suite 400  Wednesday, July 22, 11am – 1:30 pm: Ask Us Anything (ACME Staff) at University Hills Branch Library  Friday, July 24, 10 am: ALMF Workshop Co-Hosted by Austin Texas Musicians at Monks Jazz Club  Monday, July 27, 6 pm: Elevate Workshop Co-Hosted by Texas Authors Museum at Carver Public Library  Tuesday, July 28, 6 pm: Elevate Workshop Co-Hosted by The Lunar Foundation at Asian American Resource Center  Wednesday, July 29, 7 pm: Elevate & Thrive Workshop Co- Hosted by Torch Literary Arts at Torch Center  Jueves, 30 de Julio, 18:00 : Taller Sobre Elevate y Fondo para Música en Vivo; Coalition for Austin’s Arts & Spanish- Language Theatre (CAAST) at ESB-MACC 23 2027 Grant Application Assistance (so far!) Workshops: 12 workshops (1.5 hours each); 175 attendees Open Office Hours: 3 sessions (2 hours each); 19 attendees 1:1 Meetings via Bookings: 40 sessions (30 mins each) Community Events: 3 events; 72 community members reached 24 2027 Grant Application Timeline July 7, 2026 Aug. 2026 Applications Open! • Austin Live Music Fund • Elevate • Heritage Preservation • Thrive Panelists Trained Oct. 2026 Panel Meetings Scores Finalized Dec. 2026 2027 Appeals 2026 awards end (1Y) Applications Close! Program Evaluation/ Scoring begins Panelists review period 8th: Nexus Opens! August 18, 2026 Sep. 2026 2027 Awards Announced Nov. 2026 FY27 Contracts/Payments January 2027 25 Questions? Questions? www.austintexas.gov/acmegrants Laura.Odegaard@austintexas.gov