Welcome to the July 2nd opening video meetings.
We are in Alison and Hannah. So Hannah [laughter] Alison and the dean. Thank you.
So we'll go ahead and go chair for today. We'll go ahead and get started.
Um hopefully we had a chance to review the minutes from the [clears throat] April meeting. No,
May. Yep. Uh we did have a change from Callison. She pointed out that the time at the end was
wrong. That's been updated on the sheet in front of you. Um but that was her only correction.
Any further changes? Let's pass upon Alice and when she gets seated
action is out today. So as vice chair would you put pressure on her as um Sure. Oh yeah.
Approve. I'll second. All in favor.
Somebody else.
Um. Okay.
Item two is to discuss the activation grant changing.
Um it's I mean it's yes I will happily take take this on. Um let me go grab
the copies that are sitting on the printer and pass some of them out. Um well we not
to put you on the spot George but we have a member of the public here. So
just wanted to acknowledge our our friend in the room. They don't usually get for public,
but we we have one today. Is the Law Art Museum has always former student of mine. So,
no pressure. Do you want to introduce yourself or your interest in this meeting today? Oh,
sure. I'm project manager art museum. I've been interested in council from afar. Um I've always
wanted to come and Molly has, you know, given me the freedom to come and I just wanted to know. Um
I've worked with children's theater. I work with Brown University and um I love everything about
[laughter]
for clarification sake. This is the cultural funding committee, not the arts council. If
that makes a difference to whether or not you're interested. [laughter] Okay. Just want to make
sure. Um oh she's like this doesn't sound um so uh yes I will happily uh chat through um the
uh grant opportunity. Um hopefully if you are new to us maybe you've had an opportunity to at
least look through the beginning of the packet. Um there haven't really been any changes made
uh to the application it or to the program itself. Uh this was more just to get some direction
uh from the committee, from new members of the committee to uh allow me to make changes over
the next month so that you guys can potentially approve the application in our August meeting.
Um because we will open this up in early September if I recall correctly. Uh so as we're finalizing,
we're figuring out the operational grants, we are accepting applications for the activation grants.
Um so the activation grant for those of you who are new to us is uh a a newish grant opportunity.
Um historically the uh city and the cultural funding committee awarded uh three types of
grants. The operational grants that you guys know about are learning about. Um we had one that we
called developing arts which was for very small uh organizations to help them build capacity in
various ways like through marketing um you know um uh finances uh just getting their their stuff in
order sort of stuff. That one was uh historically not uh organizations didn't apply to it very
often. It wasn't very popular. Um, and then our third type of grant was the artist access grant,
which was for professional development or capacity building, however you want to think about it,
for uh individual artists. And those awards were up to $1,000. And uh for several years it was uh
also not very well applied into um then we pushed really hard to make it uh well known that it was
happening and the numbers started to skyrocket. people really understood what was going on with
it, what our intent was, and um we got a lot of applicants and really had to uh work hard on it.
I have to give a little bit more context. A couple years ago, we received from the NEA a
a grant money we received money grant uh to other organizations. So, in addition to the city's money
that we use, the federal government gave us money to subrant um cultural funding committee used
that money to create what we called the arts thrive grant opportunity. We gave out three
$25,000 grants with that money. Uh it was uh for projects so to make art grants to make art rather
than professional development. It was the first time we had done so. What year was that? that we
we accepted applications in 2024 and the projects generally were supposed to be done in 2025. Um,
one of them spilled over into 26 due to some scheduling issues, but uh that was our Babe
Arts Thrive grant. We awarded it in late 24 and the projects could be done in 25. Uh, it was a
really we had a really good um response to that. the committee, I think, really liked being able to
actually give grants to make art. And so part of that part of staff's internal discussion about how
do we start to give grants to make art? Um, and all of those things sort of led to the creation
of what we call the activation grant. And so the activation grant, please excuse me if it's
a little tiny bit complicated on first blush, but there are uh four things that can come out
of the activation grant. Two each for individuals and two for organizations, right? So you can if
you're an individual or an organization, you can apply for an activation grant. That application
can be for project funding to make art or it can be for capacity building professional development
funds. So if you if you gain that out there's four results that could happen. Individual
project individual professional development organizational project organizational project
professional development capacity building sort of thing. Does that make a little bit of sense?
Okay. Um so that's the if you look at your opport the opportunity those are our four categories. Um,
so we did this last year. We had a really great response to the activation grant. We gave out
um around $56,000 I think in grants. Um the the committee set aside a large amount of funding
for this project and it was and we used all of it. About I believe it was 17 recipients
overall received funding. Um and I would say that generally it was very successful. That was about
half of the applicants. Less than one. That was definitely less than half. I don't off the top
of my head. I'm not certain. I can look that up and look. It's okay. But so still is a very
competitive. Yes. Very competitive. Um, one other highlight to the activation grant opportunity, if
fund, if if organizations or individuals receive money from the city of Witchah in another way,
if they're legacy cultural institutions, if they receive operational grants, if they're employees
of the city, they cannot apply for an activation grant. So, we're trying to spread this to those
who don't already get money from the UN from the city. So when uh uh somebody from council asks,
"Well, why can't exploration place use this for the film their their film things?" Well,
we want this money to go toward organizations that don't already receive that support. And once you
receive it, as can you repeat? You can. We did add a little bit of a delay into it so that we
can spread it out, continue to spread it. Um, and that will we'll get back to that. I don't want to
overwhelm you with the nitty-gritty details. One slightly gritty detail and that was like
to carve out an opportunity for organizations that don't otherwise receive funding from the
city their ability to do so. So we had some uh some areas where we had friends of or foundations
for support agencies of city agencies applying for funding um to for operational funding for things
that the city already provided operational support for. So like Library Foundation and
Great Plains Nature Center are those kind of the major areas. Well, the library and Great
Plains Nature Center are both owned by the city and receive city funding. They have city staff.
They have secondary foundation group. They do incredible work, but then it was it felt like
it was a an awkward opportunity for them to also get additional operational funding from the city
in this other area. So now those entities can apply for competitive funding for projects.
So versus funding the library foundation for operations, they applied and received funding
for like the big read program. So that's the way we were able to accommodate for those shifts. So
there's a lot of apples and oranges that we're we're constantly trying to uh level an equity
lens in in terms of making sure that there's um a true competitive arena. So within that platform
um other other things about the the activation grant, you know,
you have to serve the residences the the residents of the city of Witchah. I think that makes sense.
We like these projects to align with the cultural plan. So we we give several options for how they
can say that it aligns or they can pick their own option for how it aligns. Um we did set a limit a
request limit of $10,000. We got several people several applications that asked for $10,000. No
application received $10,000. Um the biggest one I think was $6,700 and that was to the library.
Um, and I believe they were the recipient of we have $700 left, let's give it to the library. So,
they sort of got the extra little bit on top. Um, and then the scope uh we don't it doesn't
matter how much of this money uh is a the project doesn't have to be fully funded by this money. It
doesn't have to be matched. So it can be from 1% of the budget for the project to 100% of the
budget to the project, right? Um and then uh we do say that they can use a for-profit partner,
but the applicant has to be an individual or a nonprofit. So if somebody wants to
do a show and they're a nonprofit now, but let's just say they want to do it at Roxy's,
like they're allowed to do it at Roxy's. Um, but Roxy's can't apply for the grant. Now,
Roxy's can now because they're a 501c3. That's not a great example, but I'm just it's a hypothetical,
right? Um, so, but it's we're not trying to give funds directly to for-profit. You know,
I obviously every individual artist should be for profofit, right? Even though they're probably not
in some way, right? But uh for organizations, we're trying to limit the amount that we're well
just can't give it directly to the for um and then very briefly the calendar. So like I said,
early September, this is page three. They're not numbered. I apologize. Um uh early September,
they'll open. And then uh we all voted, well, you all voted earlier this year. And when I
say you all, half of you, the other half weren't here, right? uh voted to uh uh discuss these on
November 19th, which one day was enough last year to get through this. It was a lot it was a longer
meeting, but it was enough time. Um so just letting you all know that's why we're talking
about it now because I need to have time to adjust things and then what we launch uh in early
September. So on the updated December as a board date on here. I have not updated the calendar in
this packet. Okay. Just to let you know. Sorry. Okay. Um you can see on your agenda the November
19th date at the very bottom. Deliberate and finalize activation grant recommendations.
It's 3 or 5 gas station that day. We didn't get done early but I don't know any
few people.
I mean, you're saying that we started