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SR-012208-8B~_ ~;LYot City Council Report Santa Monica City Council Meeting: January 22, 2008 Agenda Item: 8-B To: Mayor and City Council From: Barbara Stinchfield, Director of Community and Cultural Services Subject: Proposal for the Reorganization of the City's Cultural Funding Programs Recommended Action Staff recommends that the City Council 1. accept the Consultant's report, An Arts, Culture And Heritage Funding Program Supporting The City Of Santa Monica & Our Residents; 2. authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute two-year extensions to existing Cultural/Arts Organizational Support Grant Agreements for FY's 2008- 10; and 3. authorize staff to put new granting programs in place as funding becomes available with funding amounts to be authorized by Council during future budget processes. Executive Summary Creative Capital, the City of Santa Monica's long-range cultural plan, was unanimously adopted by the Santa Monica City Council on February 27th, 2007. The plan identified a community-expressed need for new opportunities to participate locally in cultural activities and called for an increase in grant funding and the creation of new cultural funding opportunities supported by the City. Completing a cultural funding analysis at this time is an important response to community interest and the adopted cultural plan. The consultant's recommendations provide a clear framework and priorities for expenditures as resources become available. They also provide a structure that helps to ensure that the City's investment in cultural funding is clearly targeted and supports the goals and outcomes identified in the cultural plan Staff proposes that Council accept the attached consultant report which responds to the Creative Capital goals of celebrating innovation, increasing participation and enhancing sustainability by delineating new and expanded grant funding categories. Staff proposes to phase in these recommendations over time as funding becomes available with a priority given to one time grants for projects or programs versus ongoing organizational support. 1 Staff also proposes that to provide for a transition period while funding is identified to implement the new grant categories and programs, the existing Organizational Support Program grant agreements approved by the City Council for FY 2008-09 be extended for an additional two years. Background Santa Monica's existing cultural funding programs were set in place in 1987 (Community Arts Grants to non-profit organizations for one-time projects and programs), 1992 (Latino Community Arts Grants to support culturally-relevant programs and projects) and 1997 (Organizational Support Program Grants that provide sustained, ongoing funding to established non-profit cultural organizations). These programs have played vital roles in the City's cultural development. However, the City of Santa Monica has undergone numerous changes since each of these programs was adopted. These changes are reflected in the community priorities expressed in Creative Capital: Culture, Community, Vision -the City's long-range cultural plan adopted by the City Council in February 2007. The Creative Capital plan presents three comprehensive strategies for fulfilling the community's cultural vision: • Celebrating Innovation -Santa Monica's extraordinary concentration of creative individuals and the associated opportunities for innovative cultural partnerships ensure the city a unique niche within the cultural ecology of the Los Angeles region and offer remarkable options for marketing and programming. • Increasing Cultural Participation -Throughout the planning process, residents emphasized their desire for greater access to a wide variety of cultural programs for all ages. • Enhancing Sustainability -The retention, development and reuse of cultural facilities and the development and strengthening of nonprofit cultural institutions, accompanied by funding and leadership development programs that strengthen the city's nonprofit cultural institutions, are essential to ensuring a stable future for the arts in Santa Monica. Following unanimous adoption of Creative Capital, the City's Cultural Affairs Division sought mechanisms to put the plan's recommendations in place The attached consultant report, An Arts, Culture and Heritage Funding Program Supporting the City 2 Of Santa Monica & Our Residents (Attachment I), was prepared by Jerry Yoshitomi of Meaning Matters and responds to the current environment and community needs. This report takes the recommendations in Creative Capital regarding cultural funding (Attachment II) as a starting point and combines them with community feedback and the consultants' knowledge of best practices. Discussion Report Recommendations The consultant report presents .specific methods for expanding and restructuring the way the City funds cultural programs. It considers the most effective ways to provide funding to non-profit cultural organizations for both ongoing organizational support and for specific programs and projects. It further considers, for the first time, support to individual artists. Further, it aims to enhance sustainability within the cultural community by recommending the creation of grant funding categories that, in total, equal or exceed funds currently available and providing the tools that will help strengthen the organizational capacity of local cultural institutions. The proposed new categories would not diminish existing grants but would be put in place as funding becomes available increasing the amount of support currently available to arts and cultural programs in the City of Santa Monica. The report advises that the City undertake the following tasks: • Create an artist fellowship program that rewards and honors local artists for their innovation and contributions to Santa Monica's creative community; Institute a Youth Arts Grant Program to support out-of-school projects and programs for young people; • Create an additional grant category, Heritage Organization Grants; • Increase funding available for programs and project support; Strengthen the organizational capacity of local cultural agencies with additional funding for operational needs; and 3 • Provide support to unique one-time and recurring cultural and heritage programs otherwise unavailable in Santa Monica. Phased Implementation Completing a cultural funding analysis at this time is an important response to community interest and the adopted cultural plan, even though the complete restructuring of the City's cultural funding programs as outlined in the consultant's recommendations will need to be phased in over several years. The consultant's recommendations provide a clear framework and priorities for expenditures as resources become available. They also provide a structure that helps to ensure that the City's investment in cultural funding is clearly targeted and supports the goals and outcomes identified in the cultural plan. Some of the recommended changes are administrative in nature and can be put in place fairly simply; however, full implementation will require the identification of new funding and an increase in associated staff resources. In order to begin to implement the consultant's recommendations, staff proposes to do the following in the next fiscal year. This would, in essence implement the first three recommendations of the consultant's report (noted above). • Extend the existing Organizational Support Grants to existing grant recipients for two years • Restructure the existing Community Arts grant program and funds into a program to specifically address Cultural Participation and creating a distinct Heritage category. Establish two new grant programs in FY 08-09, if resources can be identified, that would provide fellowships for individual artists and that would specifically target opportunities for Santa Monica's children and youth, up to 21. 4 1. Organizational Support Grants: Current (FY07-08) Organizational Support Grants were selected through a competitive process in 2007 with aone-year funding term. The goal was to reorganize the cultural funding programs during FY 2007-08 and initiate a new competitive grant funding process to begin in FY 2008-09. Given the level of funding that a new competitive, restructured process called for in this report would require staff proposes to extend core funding to existing grantees for two years, based on the current FY 2007-08 funding levels and program plans. During the next two years staff will seek to identify additional funding sources to support this expansion, such as revenues from the Developer Cultural Arts Requirement. The City would then open a competitive application process for grant funding by February 2010 for the next funding cycle that would reflect the new organizational support grant categories as outlined in the report, to begin in FY 2010-11. 2. New grants categories for existing funds Beginning in the summer of 2008, the Cultural Affairs Division will restructure the existing cultural funding available for Community Arts grants into the new categories defined in the report: Arts, Heritage and Latino programming. The grant program will be re-named to emphasize the focus on cultural participation identified in the Creative Capital plan. 3. New grants programs In the event that additional funding is identified for implementation of the priority categories of youth arts and artist fellowships, those new grant opportunities will be made available for the first time in FY 07/08. Public Outreach Consultants gathered data from two well attended workshops, one focusing on the topic of individual artist fellowships on December 7 at the 18th Street Arts Center and the other on December 12 at the Ken Edwards Center regarding grants to cultural agencies. 5 Commission Action This report was presented to the Santa Monica Arts Commission on December 17, 2007 where additional public comment along with that of the Commission was solicited by the consultant and staff. The Commission voted unanimously to strongly support the consultant's report. Financial Impacts & Budget Actions The consultant's report recommends a total increase of $150,000 to $350,000 in grant funding over the next several years. Implementation of the Youth Arts and Artist Fellowship programs would require an increase in funding of $85,000. One potential funding source is future revenue from the City's Developer Cultural Art Requirement which should start generating funds in FY 2008-09. Staff will return for City Council approval with specific allocation recommendations in the FY 2008-09 Proposed Budget and in subsequent years as new City and other resources become available and the various new cultural funding programs can be phased in. Prepared by: Jessica Cusick, Cultural Affairs Manager Approved: Forwarded to Council: Barbara Stinchfield LEI'. IE Director, Community and Cultural City Services Department 6 Attachment I AN ARTS, CULTURE AND HERITAGE FUNDING PROGRAM SUPPORTING THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA' & OUR RESIDENTS Prepared for: City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division of the Community and Cultural Services Department Prepared by: Jerry Yoshitomi, Meaning Matters, Project Lead Tomas Benitez Kerry Adams Hapner Eric Wallner December 2007 INTRODUCTION Through a yearlong process of research and dialogue involving over two hundred community members, Santa Monica crafted a collective vision for the future, Creative Capital: Culture, Community and Vision. This plan for Santa Monica's continued cultural development is considered national model for the quality of research, the level of participant involvement and the well-crafted and specifically directed recommendations. The following recommendations on the Arts, Culture and Heritage Funding Programs are intended to more specifically describe methods and categories of funding for the collective vision reflected in Creative Capital. These recommendations further reflect input received in forums with constituent groups on November 7, 2007 and November 16, 2007. From Creative Capital: Santa Monica's residents share a vision for their community that interweaves the arts, cultural activities, entertainment and education throughout their lives, work, cityscape and neighborhoods. They view culture as an inseparable component of what makes Santa Monica exceptional, desirable and economically competitive. And they seek to integrate culture more thoroughly into the fabric of the community. Residents value Santa Monica as asmall-scale, informal, personal, engaged community that is fully committed to the values of sustainability. They appreciate the beauty of its natural setting and believe that Santa Monica's extraordinary creativity flows in part from this environment. Many also consider this cultural ecosystem to be threatened by real estate pressures and a lack of focus, and seek to retain and nurture its creative people and resources. They desire a local cultural community that is diverse and easily accessible. Santa Monica's cultural community envisions the arts and culture as an integral component of civic life, incorporated into the values, policies and daily activities of the city. Culture is therefore central to supporting sustainability-an 1 organic part of the community, not separate from it-enriching and supporting Santa Monica's civic life. The Creative Capital Plan undertaken by the City's Community and Cultural Services Department presents three comprehensive strategies for fulfilling the community's cultural vision: • Celebrating Innovation -from the development of new cultural trends and aesthetics to creative adaptation of traditional culture, reinterpretation of classics and the invention of new methods of presenting culture Increasing Cultural Participation -greater access to a wide variety of cultural programs for all ages and backgrounds, utilizing public spaces Enhancing Sustainability2 -the retention, development and reuse of cultural facilities and the development and strengthening of nonprofit cultural institutions From Santa Monica's Creative Capital Plan z The philosophy of sustainability is holistic, going beyond environmentalism and encompassing the arts and culture. Santa Monica's plan embodies this broad vision of sustainability in its principles, which for example, connect environmental quality with economic health, human dignity and social equity. Also, community awareness, responsibility, participation and education are regarded as key elements of a sustainable community. These principles are widely shared by the field of the arts and culture. In fact, sustainability is already linked to arts and culture in Santa Monica through its public art program and the annual Santa Monica Festival. For example, the Festival includes the theme of sustainability and is a collaborative effort between the Cultural Affairs Division and the Environmental Programs Division. This collaboration has evolved over time and in 2007 the Festival is planned as a zero-waste event. There is a desire for greater collaboration and integration of the arts and culture into sustainability efforts. 2 THE INTRINSIC AND PUBLIC BENEFITS OF THE ARTS Arts and cultural experiences provoke and transform individuals, catalyzing personal emotional, physical, cognitive, and social responses and change. Excitement, empathy, confidence, awe, as well as heightened analytical and creative thinking skills are among a few of the intrinsic, or personal, benefits of arts participation. Creative Capital research described the value and importance Santa Monicans have for participation in the arts. These recommendations are intended to provide increased funding so that more Santa Monicans can participate in the rich experiences created by Santa Monica artists and arts organizations. The aggregate of individuals' transformative experiences causes a public impact, often referred to as "instrumental," which serves to achieve a public goal or objective. The public benefits of the arts range from social capital, civic engagement, positive economic impact, enhanced built environment, an educated community, increased public safety, and civic pride. These public benefits directly address the vision of Creative Capital Plan and other relevant municipal plans and objectives. For example, a participant in the individual artist focus group session convened for this project described her experience at a recent Sacred Music Festival event held on the beach in Santa Monica. With a sense of awe, she described her experience as "connecting with Native American culture and the natural elements." Collectively, arts experiences such as these reverberate into the public realm, promoting social capital, environmental stewardship, and intercultural understanding.3 s Measuring the transformational impact of arts experiences and thus their public value is an increasing area of interest for public and private funders. Aligning cultural funding programs with the public value framework is emerging as a preferred approach to measuring the public impact of arts experiences in an era of increasing accountability and pertormance metrics within the public sector. Documenting public value often begins with revealing personal value, or the experience of the individual participant. Nationally and internationally, arts organization and artists are developing tools to collect data from audiences or participants about their intrinsic experiences, their meanings and transformative effects. Measuring the aggregate of the effects of arts participation becomes a sound indicator of the public impact of the arts and ultimately a healthy community. 3 PROPOSED ARTS, CULTURE AND HERITAGE SUPPORT PROGRAM The proposed Arts, Culture and Heritage Support Program would build its values and priorities directly from the strategies outlined in the Creative Capital Plan, working across Santa Monica's vibrant communities of individual artists, nonprofit and community-based arts organizations, and creative economy businesses. This program would address the needs as identified by the plan. It seeks to stimulate and maximize opportunities for growth and synergy, promoting collaboration and fresh ideas, as well as document the personal benefits and public value of the arts to Santa Monica. Diversity is a valued and vital element to the shared vision for the community presented in the Creative Capital Plan. We strive to achieve diversity, defined by ethnicity, age, economic status, lifestyle, sexuality and gender, in all our arts and cultural funding opportunities. Diverse access and participation4 is at the core of our strategic vision: Innovation, Cultural Participation, and Sustainability. It is expected that the Cultural Affairs Division, the Arts Commission and all applicant organizations and artists encourage and value diversity, as well as provide leadership and initiatives that will ensure diversity in the arts, culture and heritage of our city. This will result in: • An expanded and innovative cultural presence throughout the city Broader and more diverse audiences as well as more inclusive cultural participation • A stronger, more sustainable matrix of cultural groups, organizations and institutions which represent diverse constituencies, audiences, leadership, artists and programming The proposed Arts, Culture and Heritage Funding System would: "Gathering Evidence of Diversity. The application process & final report can confirm the benefits of diversity, including: • statistical profile information about board leadership, staff, artists, volunteers and audiences; • audience surveys including data collecting, anecdotes, photographs of audiences, • multi-lingual dissemination of promotional materials • endorsement from collaborating institutions which serve specific audiences • demonstration of organizational initiatives that value & integrate diversity into core operations 4 • Align with the Creative Capital Plan and other relevant City plans5 • Use 215 Century technology to build and support the systems • Increase efficiencies by deploying singular inputs to achieve multiple results o Place selected application information on an online directory o Use panelist comments to inform technical assistance and capacity building; panelists might serve as speakers/trainers. o Form anetwork/learning community of applicants from each discipline • Encourage partnerships with other public and non-profit organizations' • Draw from the Urban Institute's Investing in Creativity ReportB to understand the importance of marketing, validation, networks, material supports, information and professional development to artists and arts organizations.9 • Gather evidence of the private benefits and public value for the people and City of Santa Monica, substantiating the need for increased private and public support.10 • Use logic model methodology to evaluate all grants programs as well as to collect evidence of the public value created the program and its constituents~~ s For example, consistent with recommendations in the Creative Capital Plan, event might be planned at times/locations that would decrease automobile vehicle emissions. s Submissions would be digital files, uploaded by applicants; panelists would review images/videos on high definition screens/projectors; announcements of awards would be linked to webpages of applicant works. ~ Capitalize on the extraordinary concentration of creative people and resources by fostering communication and leveraging partnerships for innovative cultural programming. e Jackson, Maria Rosario, Urban Institute, while the report addresses the needs of independent artists, much can be applied to arts organizations and arts businesses. Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LING) http://www.lincnet.net/ LING Strategies of Support: Material Supports; Spaces in which to live, create and presenUexhibit; Insurance -health, business, retirement; Loans/Grants; Markets; Training; Networks; Validation/Recognition; and Information Systems. 9 For example, grant applicants (not just recipients) cohorts might be convened to encourage networking, mentoring and professional development. t0 For example, youth arts program results would be documented online, thereby encouraging families, friends and potential donors to view evidence of success and make contributions to support future ~rograms. A logic model for the program could be created to articulate its goals, desired outcomes, and measures of change. The logic model would then form the basis for data collection and analysis. 5 RECOMMENDED ARTS, CULTURE AND HERITAGE SUPPORT PROGRAM CATEGORIES In Creative Capital, Santa Monicans expressed the need for increased opportunities to participate in the arts. The following funding categories and the recommended increase in funds available are a direct response to this expressed need. It is intended that the new categories create funds that in total equal or exceed funds currently available. It is not intended to decrease amounts available to currently funded, well functioning, impacfful programs and organizations. The proposed new categories (Youth Arts, New Opportunities and Artist Fellowships) would only be put into place when new funds are available. 1.0 Arts Organization Grants Arts Organization grants would be for visual arts organizations, art museums, theatre companies, dance companies, music organizations, literary organizations, multi- disciplinary arts projects, etc. 1.1 Program and Project Support -Arts -Maximum Award of $10,000 Goal: Provide support for an arts program or project that would increase participation in fhe arts. Projects supported might include artists' fees, exhibition expenses, commissions, oral histories, facility and equipment rental, etc. Included would be continuing the annual 'set-aside' of funds designated for Latino co-arts projects. 1 to 1 Cash Match Required 1.2 Operational Support 1 -Arts -Maximum Award of $15,000 Per Year Goal: Strengthen the organizational capacity of arts organizations to encourage sustainability and further growth and development. Projects supported might include part-time staff, technical assistance and training, development of a strategic, development or marketing plan. This category would be for organizations seeking to enhance capacity, but who do not yet have a clear multi-year 6 plan of action for capacity development. 1.3 Operational Support 2 -Arts -Maximum Award of $30,000 Per Year for up to Three Years Goal: Strengthen the organizational capacity of arts organizations to encourage sustainability and further growth and development, leading to permanent administrative staff, larger budgets, and increased participation in the arts. For groups who have defined a clear path for multi-year organizational development. Projects supported in might include staffing, technical assistance and training, development of a strategic, development or marketing plan and other long-term capacity development. 1.4 Operational Support 3 -Arts -Multi Year -Maximum Award of $60,000 Per Year for Three years Goal: Predictable, renewable programming and operating support for Santa Monica's highest functioning Arts Organizations. Additional Eligibility and Review Criteria for Operational Support Grants: • Strategic plan (or a timeline and budget in place to develop one) • Paid professional staff • Income over $250,000 in each of the preceding three years • Alignment to the Creative Capital Plan and other relevant Santa Monica City plans • No accumulated deficit • Demonstrated public participation and public value • Success in Diversity • Innovation in their field 2.0 Heritage Organization Grants Heritage Organization grants would be for history, historic preservation, traditional culture and heritage organizations. 2.1 Program and Project Support -Heritage -Maximum Award of $10,000 Goal: Provide support for a heritage program or project that would increase participation in the history, traditions and cultures of Santa Monica. Projects supported might include fees, exhibition expenses, commissions, oral histories, facility and equipment rental, etc. 1 to 1 Cash Match Required 2.2 Operational Support 1 -Heritage -Maximum Award of $15,000 Per Year Goal: Strengthen the organizational capacity of heritage organizations to encourage sustainability and further growth and development. Projects supported might include part-time staff, technical assistance and .training, development of a strategic, development or marketing plan. This category would be for organizations seeking to enhance capacity, but who do not yet have a clear multi-year plan of action for capacity development. 2.3 Operational Support 2 -Heritage -Maximum Award of $30,000 Per Year for up to Three Years Goal: Strengthen the organizational capacity of heritage organizations to encourage sustainability and further growth and development, leading to permanent administrative staff, larger budgets, and increased participation in Santa Monica's history, traditions and cultures. For groups who have defined a clear path for multi-year organizational development. Projects supported might include staffing, technical assistance and training, development of a strategic, development or marketing plan and other long-term capacity development. 2.4 Operational Support 3 -Heritage -Multi Year -Maximum Award of $60,000 Per Year for Three Years Goal: Predictable, renewable programming and operating support for Santa Monica's highest functioning Heritage Organizations. Additional Eligibility and Review Criteria for Operational Support Grants: • Strategic plan (or a timeline and budget in place to develop one) s Paid professional staff Income over $250,000 in each of the preceding three years • Alignment to the Creative Capital Plan and other relevant City. of Santa Monica plans No accumulated deficit • Demonstrated public participation and public value • Success in diversity Innovation in their field 3.0 Youth Arts Grants -Maximum Award of $7 500 -Proposed Available Funding For Category in 2008-09 is $35,000 -Eighty-nine percent of Santa Monicans believe that the arts and culture scene makes the city a better place to raise their children. Goal: Ensure access to high quality arts education activities for all Santa Monica children through project-based partnerships among arts organizations & community- based groups serving youth. Proposed projects should include paid, professional artists & engage children & youth in stimulating, interactive and enriching cultural experiences. Applications would not be limited to arts organizations. Projects must be in locations other than school facilities. 4.0 Proposed Opportunities Grants. - Proposed Available Funding For Category in 2008-09 is $10,000 -Maximum Grants TBD Goal: support unique, one-time, otherwise unavailable opportunities for presenting arts and heritage experiences not otherwise available to Santa Monicans. This may include festivals, installations, parades, or performances in non-traditional and/or culturally specific settings. By definition, applicants in this category would not be current grantees of any other Cultural Affairs grant program. Organizations in this category are not required to have 501 C3 status nor be based within the City of Santa Monica. Applicant organizations must establish strong partnerships (could be a with non-arts organization or with other city agency) with Santa Monica based groups. Initial Requests would be submitted on a one page letter of intent. 9 RECOMMENDED ORGANIZATIONAL AND PROJECT GRANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES All categories would use established public grantmaking protocols including: • Open and accessible application process, including a broad publicity of program availability Selection by a panel of peer reviewers -separate panels for each category • Standard grantee reporting requirements (such as interim and final reports) No grant funds may be used for the payment of any debt, debt interest or deficit reduction; any fines and penalties; building or remodeling of facilities, furniture or fixtures; lobbying any public agency or office; placement of grant funds into trust, endowment or contingency funds; expenses for projects that have already been completed. • In total support through all sources, the City of Santa Monica cannot provide more than 25% of an organization's operating budget (including cash and in-kind services). Separate Peer Review Panels for Arts and Heritage Applications: It is recommended that separate panels be convened for Arts and Heritage applications. This would allow for a more specialized panel of experts in their respective area, a more effective adjudication process and more cohesive identification of long term needs. Each panel would adjudicate applications for Projects, Capacity Development and Multi- Year Organization Support in their respective category (Arts/Heritage). Number of Applications from Each Organization: Santa Monica based arts and heritage organizations would be eligible to submit one Capacity Development or Operating Support application, plus up to a total of two Project, Latino Co-Arts or Youth Arts applications. (No more than three applications per organization per year). Depending on how the application is formatted, it would be possible to have an organization submit -three applications on one form. The organizational background and history would remain the same and there would be 10 separate locations to enter the application for each of the three categories. It would also be possible for an arts organization to submit an application for a heritage project (and vice versa). Proposed Criteria for Categories 1, 2, 3 and 4: • Excellence and merit • Organizational and fiscal capacity • Public participation and public value and willingness to gather data on both • Accessibility and diversity12 • Celebrating innovation • Enhancing sustainability • Collaboration and partnerships • Impact of requested support • No one organization can a total amount greater than 25% of their operating budget in the last fiscal year (both in cash and in-kind) Eligibility Requirements for Categories 1, 2 and 3: • Non-profit 501(c)3 status as an arts or heritage organization • Permanent location for at least five13 years within the City of Santa Monica • Documented services to those who live or work in Santa Monica • Be in compliance with the Americans for Disabilities Act and operate so as not to discriminate on the basis of race, religion,. gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability Have satisfied the requirements of any previously awarded grants from the City 'Z Gathering Evidence of Diversity -the application process & final report can confirm the benefits of diversity, including: • statistical profile information about board leadership, staff, artists, volunteers and audiences; • audience surveys including data collecting, anecdotes, photographs of audiences, multi-lingual dissemination of promotional materials • endorsement from collaborating institutidns which serve specific audiences • demonstration of organizational initiatives that value & integrate diversity into core operations 13 This clause is intended to demonstrate commitment to the arts in Santa Monica. The specific number of years can be reduced, yet still retain the intention. 11 of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division, including completion of a final report • Maintain an ongoing liability insurance policy with a minimum of $2 million aggregate, $1 million per occurrence general liability coverage 5.0 Proposed Individual Artists Fellowships for Creative Santa Monicans Santa Monica has perhaps the highest concentration of creative individuals in the United States, in terms of both residents and employment. However, we do not currently have an individual artists fellowship program. Goals: • To recognize and honor the achievements of Santa Monica artists • To broadly promote the work of Santa, Monica artists • To increase the creation of innovative new work • To provide Santa Monicans access to and engagement with these artists' and their work In order to be as inclusive and relevant as possible, the fellowships should be available to artists in all disciplines and across all career levels (from emerging to late-career). Toward this end, funding could be given in two categories: Lifetime Artist Innovators and Cutting Edge/Recent Artist Innovators.14 5.1 Lifetime Artist Innovators -Two Grants Per Cycle -Awards of $7,500 5.2 Cutting Edge/Recent Artist Innovators -Seven Grants Per Cycle -Awards of $5 000 An artist is eligible to receive one of each award in their lifetime.15 RECOMMENDED ARTIST FELLOWSHIP POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 74 From Creative Capital Plan: The term, "innovation," in this context is broadly defined to include invention, the incremental development of new ideas, creativity over a sustained time period, and innovation in reference to diverse standards of excellence and achievement. Innovation in Santa Monica has included the artistic avant-garde and the development of new cultural trends and aesthetics. It also means the creative adaptation of traditional cultural ideas, reinterpretation of classics, and the invention of new methods of supporting and presenting culture. 15 This clause is intended to encourage as many artists as possible to receive awards. In the future, however, as the frequency and the number of awards increases, this might be amended. 12 Rotating Disciplines: In order to most effectively focus on the needs of artists in a discipline as well as to most effectively adjudicate the process, it's recommended that different disciplines would be rotated each year. For example, afour-year rotation might be: • Year 1: Visual Artists • Year 2: Performing Artists -Choreographers, Composers, and Playwrights • Year 3: Literature • Year 4: Folk and Traditional Artists and New Media (would require convening two different panels) The final determination will be made following a census of the artists in Santa Monica. Eligibility: The program would be open to any self-defined professional, generative artist (it is recommended that interpretive artists not be eligible) who has maintained a legal residence or permanent studio space in the City of Santa Monica for at least fives years prior to the application deadline. Application could be by nomination (self-nomination is acceptable), forms would be available online and applicants' materials would be uploaded to a central website". Peer Review Panel: For the first round, applications and artistic samples would be viewed online by a peer panel of artists, curators and arts professionals with local, national and international perspectives. The top twenty finalists would then be further reviewed and selected by panelists in an `in-person' panel meeting. Selection Criteria: Selection criteria could focus on creative work that demonstrates "innovation" and high artistic merit, as well as potential impact on the Santa Monica community. Depending 16 This clause is intended to demonstrate commitment to the arts in Santa Monica. The specific number of years can be reduced, yet still retain the intention. "Submissions would be digital files, uploaded by applicants; panelists would review images/videos on high definition screens/projectors; announcements of awards would be linked to webpages of applicant works. 13 on the degree of public involvement desired, finalists for the award could be presented to the public (most practically online) for public input or commentary. Public Accessibility: To enhance the impact on Santa Monica and its residents, each artist selected for funding would be asked to devise a culminating event or project designed to create interaction and dialogue between the artist, their work and the community. For a poet, these might range from the creation/distribution of an anthology to poetry posters on the sides of buses. These might be done in conjunction with an independent literary press. In the visual arts, partnerships to exhibit or present artists' work, where appropriate, could be sought with local nonprofit organizations such as the 18th Street Arts Center or the Santa Monica Museum of Art. In each case, funds made available by the Cultural Affairs Division would provide partner organizations with funds for marketing and disseminating the work of the recipient artists. Technical Assistance: All applicants nominated for the program (as well as grantees) would be eligible and encouraged to participate in a series of workshops, networking opportunities, online galleries and capacity building activities designed to help artists create sustainable careers in their respective disciplines. An additional support to applicant artists might be inclusion in the Center for Cultural Innovation's Benefit Opportunities for Artists Program -once per lifetime; http://cciarts.org/artistservices.htm. 14 EVIDENCE OF IMPACT Currently, the City of Santa Monica grant program requires cultural and heritage organizations to submit documentation on the audience size, demographics, and outreach strategies. While this data is key to understanding Santa Monica's cultural ecosystem, experiential documentation enables the City of Santa Monica to understand the full impact of its cultural organization on its citizens and visitors. Benefits of Collecting and Revealing Public Value: • Reflects the effect the arts have on people, their relationships with others and to the City of Santa Monica • Measures impact of public participation in the arts relative to adopted City of Santa Monica goals, informing strategies in the areas of innovation, participation, and sustainability • Reveals the public impact to civic leadership, residents, funders, partners, and other stakeholders • Promotes culture of accountability • Fosters dialogue between the arts community. and participants • Provides data on the motivations of arts participants, informing marketing, programming and outreach strategies to build participation in the arts Encourages innovation in the policies and practices of cultural organizations and artists with the goal to sustain those practices to build participation • Art organizations and artists may use collected data to leverage additional public and private funding Recommendations: 1. Measuring Public Value Through Participation It is recommended that the Cultural Affairs Division collaborate with its grantees to collect evidence on the public value of the arts. This recommendation includes developing tools to effectively measure intrinsic/qualitative experiences in addition to the current practice of collecting quantitative data on economic impact, audience size, and 15 organizational and audience demographics. Collecting evidence through survey or another mutually agreeable format tool is recommended. Grantees will be responsible for collecting participant data and submitting it to the Cultural Affairs Division or sending to their participants a common survey form, as developed by the Cultural Affairs. A beta test survey has been deployed and can be tested as part of this recommendation. http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zg i?p=W EB2278DJ567SD 2. Dissemination of synthesized collected data to grantees In response to providing the documentation, it is recommended that grantees receive the compiled and synthesized data for their organization and for the entire grantee pool. The distribution of collected public value data amongst the pool of grantees enables organizations and artists to perform analysis of their community impact relative to other artists, arts organization, and agencies. This practice can lead to an exchange of best practices amongst artists and organizations in addition to strengthening the arts community as a sector that contributes to community goals. Suggested Strategies for Implementation: 1. Based on their mission, program structure, or practice, grantees may be offered the option to determine the best method to collect data- in addition to the data being collected. For example, a theater company may choose to survey audiences on the impact of viewing a performance. However, a grantee working in the area of arts education may find it appropriate to collect evidence from students, their parents, or their teachers on the impact of their participation in the program or project. Individual artists may collect data in a different context, whether from collectors, audience members, or peers. 2. Gathering of "public value evidence" at the participant level can be achieved using a variety of tools including: in house audience surveys, online surveys, blogs, yelp.com or other online social networking sites, participant surveys, or through nontraditional outreach efforts such as public art projects. 16 3. To report or reveal the public impact of the arts and cultural funding program as well as measure change, it is recommended that the Cultural Affairs Division create a database of collected evidence to demonstrate ,a return on public investment. This database may serve to complement the forthcoming new format of the California Cultural Data Project, in which the Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division will participate. 17 RECOMMENDED PHASING AND RESOURCES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPOSED ARTS,. CULTURE AND HERITAGE SUPPORT PROGRAM PhasinglTimeline: Even without new funding in place, it's recommended that the suggested new panel configuration -one for arts and one for heritage - be put into place. Practices can be refined as new funds are identified and deployed It is recommended (due to the City's commitment to youth), that the Youth Arts Program be the first to be implemented. Secondly, due to the high number of practicing artists in Santa Monica, it's recommended that the Artist Fellowship Program be a priority for implementation. Attached below is one scenario of a three-year phasing plan. Staffing: The proposed new grants categories and anticipated number of new applicants suggest a potential increase in the number of grant applications, particularly by individual artists, by as much as 200%. While a small number of new applicants (for example for the Youth Arts Program and Opportunities) might be accommodated by current staff levels, any other of the recommended categories will require an increase in staff requirements. Recommended Program Funding Levels: Categories ~ Maximum Notes ; Award 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Programs/Projects 1.1 & 2.1 $10,000 Cash Match Required $80,000 $90,000 $100,000 Operational Support 1 _. 1.2 & 2.2 $15,000 $30,000 $60,0001 $90,000 Operational Support 2 1.3 & 2.3 $30,000] ---- $60,000 $105,000 - $140,000 -- Operational Support 3_. Youth Arts 1.4 & 2.4 3.0 T $60 OOOi $7,500 Ftrst Pricri€~;Y©r Naw Funds ~ $200,000 ~-- $35;04Q:' $225,000 $42,500 ___$2_50,000 $50,000 _ Opportunities 4.0 TBDJ $10,000 C$12,000 $15,000 Lifetime Innovators - SM ! Artists 5.1 _ $7,500 Second Priority for New Funds $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 Cutting Edge/Recent Innovators - SM Artists _ 5.2 $5,000 Second Priority for New Funds $35,000 $35,000 $35,000 Culminating Projects 5.3i $1,500 Second Priority for New Funds $15,000 _ _ $15,000 $15,000 i ~~-~~~ $480,000 $599,500 $710,000 18 APPENDIX November 7, 2007 Individual Artist Public Value Workshop and Grant Focus Group Meeting Participants: Margaret Molloy Eric Wallner Bruria Finkel Trine Wejp Olseon Elwood Risk Angela Johnson Lynn Bronstein Raymond Fernandez Tia Tuenge Patrisha Thompson Dan Kwong Maggie Palomo Brian Moss Christopher Casanova Shelly Dale Corwin Kathlean Gahagan Diane Wright Nadia Reed Judith Davies Chris DeCarlo Bernadette Fox Alex Donis Myung Lee Louise Marler Suchi Branfman Jackie Nach Alex Hyde-white Steven Wolkoff Phranc Rachael McCampbell November 16, 2007 Art, Culture, and Heritage Organization Public Value Workshop and Grant Focus Group Meeting Participants: 19 Jan Williamson 18th Street Arts Center Tobi Smith California Heritage Museum Paulina Sahagun Celebration Arts Donna Sternberg Donna Sternberg & Dancers Leo Garcia Highways Fred Heinrich Inner City Filmmakers Laverne Ross Juneteenth Andrew Barrett Weiss Powerhouse Andrea Engstrom Santa Monica Historical Society Museum Ho Nguyen Santa Monica Historical Society Museum Asuka Hisa Santa Monica Museum of Art Lisa Melandri Santa Monica Museum of Art Evelyn Rudie Santa Monica Playhouse Chris DeCarlo Santa Monica Playhouse Serena Dolinsky Santa Monica Playhouse Nat Trives Santa Monica Symphony Leilani Chan TeAda Dick Hutman Verdi Chorus Tom Redler Verdi Chorus Meryl Friedman Virginia Avenue Project Carol Lemlein Santa Monica Conservancy Patrick Scott Jacaranda Cindi Young Musica Angelica December 17 Arts Commission Meeting Public Comments: Names to be provided by City of Santa Monica zo Attachment II Creative Capital: Culture, Community, Vision Cultural Funding Recommendations 1. Work to increase the total amount of the City's Cultural Funding program budget towards a benchmark of 10% of the total operating budgets of Santa Monica's arts organizations. 2. Create new cultural support opportunities as follows: Expand and restructure the current Cultural/Arts Organization Support Grant Program to ensure separate review of arts applicants and cultural heritage applicants, and implement procedural refinements. n Create an Artists Fellowship Program to support and recognize Santa Monica's individual artists. Create an organizational capacity building and technical assistance program to encourage appropriate institutionalization of Santa Monica's nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. Create an Opportunity Grants Program to allow the City to respond to unusual and short-term arts and cultural project opportunities. Create a Capital Grants Program to assist nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in meeting their facility needs, and to encourage capacity building. 3. Explore options to best reflect and support Santa Monica's cultural diversity through cultural funding. 4. Explore ways to enhance community access to cultural funding programs, while improving administrative effectiveness, through such tools as e-granting, on-line data collection, and collective insurance for grantees. 1 DD TO a °8 JAN 2 2 2008 Sonia Ramos From: Harriet Beck [harrietbeck@earthlink.net] Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 4:48 PM To: Council Mailbox Subject: An Open Letter to the City Council and the People of Santa Monica Several months ago I attended a wonderful program at the Miles Memorial Playhouse presented by a local dance group, Donna Sternberg and Dancers. What an inspiring performance! But this was only one bit of the vibrant arts groups we are fortunate to share in Santa Monica. DS&D is one of many treasures of our city. For those of you whomay not know, the Santa Monica Arts Commission recently concluded the development of a long-range cultural plan for Santa Monica called Creative Capital. This Tuesday at City Ha11, the implentation of this program will be considered for funding. The Arts Commission is urging the City Council to allocate funds for the full implemention of the consultant report recommendations for the coming fiscal year. We need to increase funding for the arts so that more people can participate in the cultural activities of our city. Creative Capitalis a long-range arts program, but so"far the ONLY one without allocated resources. Other long-range plans, such as the Open Space Element and the Sustainable City Plan have this funding as well as staf £, which our Cultural Affairs Division (only 4.5 staff positions!) is lacking. City Council, you have a responsibility to this city. We are known world-wide as an arts destination, and we need to foster this, especially in these times of coming belt- tightening. We need resources and re-organization of our grant categories including a Youth Arts Program, an Artist Fellowship Program to help local artists, an Organizational Support Program to support groups such as Donna Sternberg and Dancers, and an Opportunities Program to continue innovative cultural programming. YOU HAVE APPROVED CREATIVE CAPITAL. NOW YOU NEED TO IMPLEMENT IT! To those of you who are not Council members, you need to know: * that OVER 40°s of our adult population makes a living in arts-related fields * that artits, one of our most prized groups, are leaving Santa Monica because it's getting too expensive to live and work here * that Los Angeles, Ventura, and other cities have successful artist grants programs * students who participate in the arts do better on standardized test no matter what their socio-economic status So--what can you do? Come to City Hall on Tuesday, January 22, to show your support for the arts in Santa Monica! See you there. For our Future, HARA BECK PARENT, ARTS EDUCATOR, AND ARTS COMMISSIONER 1 JaNZa AAn ~rA limit age 1 of 1 JC\I` '~ LCC& Sonia Ramos From: bam909@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 1:31 PM To: Council Mailbox Subject: In regards to item 86 on tonight's agenda To Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division-- I came to Downbeat 720 in the spring of my freshman year of high school. The host of the program, Joe Hernandez-Kolski likes to joke that the first regular participant of Downbeat, my friend, Sanyu, always sat in the back when she first started to come. As for me, I'm not sure where I initially sat, though I do remember being struck with a sense of nervousness at first. I was a timid poet, having recently done my first public reading in a high school club at lunchtime, where I barely mustered the courage to lead a 3-stanza, 12-line poem in front of a few of my peers. Downbeat 720 seemed like the big leagues to me. And it was. There were featured poets every week, a DJ named Jedi onstage spinning an impressive collection of hip hop, and Joe, entertainer extraordinaire. It was a magnetic event. I loved the intimacy of the space, and the excitement of the show. It was even cooler having somewhere to go on a Tuesday night during the school week--especially at a time when my afternoons and evenings seemed to be falling into a monotonous routine of homework, dinner and sleep. I relished the opportunity to share my work because the atmosphere that Joe, Jedi, Justin and Chris had created was incredibly comfortable and supportive. At the time, I was struggling to find a niche on my high school's campus, and Downbeat 720 helped fill that void. The Miles Memorial Playhouse, every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, became a second home for me. It was a separate world apart from myschool friends, my classmates, my family and my adolescent fears. Sure, I had the poetry club at lunchtime, but it didn't have a stage and a mic. At Downbeat, I was made to feel like my work mattered. I developed confidence in my performance skills, thanks in no small part to Joe, my first mentor. I had never been one to seek out advice, but Joe provided guidance in a subtle way. He coaxed us all out of our stage fright, showed us what fun it was to captivate an audience, and never ever let us give excuses for our work. Soon, my nervous energy gave way to a more animated. performance style. I memorized poems, competed in poetry slams, and found the nerve to perform at bigger venues surrounded by crowds of strangers. But Downbeat was always home base. Even now, having been a veteran for more than 2 years, I get excited when I get Joe's emails about the next show. Each event promises more inspiration and new talent. I try to visit every time I come home for break. Sometimes, I relent to Joe's requests and get up onstage for old time's sake. Yet the biggest pleasure is seeing how much Downbeat has grown in size and reach since I graduated high school. What used to be a small, but devoted gathering from Santa Monica High, has now turned into a lively crowd from all over the Westside and beyond. In recent years, I have thrown my own poetry events and open-mics at college, but nothing compares to the 4 years I spent sharing my innermost thoughts at the Miles. I do like playing host though, because now I better understand the magic. What makes Downbeat 720 such a successful vehicle for students is the sense that what we have to say matters. Not only is it inspiring to write and perform, we have the capacity to inspire each other-host and student alike. Sincerely, Kristina von Hoffmann Santa Monica High `OS More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail! v22i2oos sj;ai~l ? %CC8 ~T~B-'14 Reference Amendments to Contract Nos. 8769 (CCS) through 8772 (CCS) and 8774 (CCS) through 8780 (ccs).