Title
FY21 Cultural Affairs Outside Agency Funding (B)
This item requests that the City Commission approve the funding recommendation of the Gainesville Cultural Affairs Board for the Outside Agency cultural grants program.
Explanation
The Gainesville Cultural Affairs Board evaluates Outside Agency grant applications, assessing each application for its ability to meet criteria specified in the City’s Cultural Master Plan, including arts and cultural accessibility, education, and audience development.
A public scoring workshop was conducted on July 22, 2020, to review applications and score agencies for funding. Applications were received from fourteen agencies this year and all were recommended for funding for the two-year grant cycle. Evaluation of applicants takes into consideration the City's Cultural Master Plan, the applicants' fiscal and artistic history, verification of 501(c)(3) status as a not-for-profit agency, and how well the agency's application meets specific criteria outlined in the grant guidelines, such as audience development, project management and program merit. Prior to submitting their applications, all applicants are provided with a complete copy of evaluative criteria. Applicants must score 75 points or better to be eligible for funding.
Grant award amounts are calculated utilizing a formula that incorporates the applicants score and available funds, similar to granting procedures of the State's Division of Cultural Affairs. Applicants' requests and award amounts are based on a tiered funding system for small, medium and large agencies, with request caps based on agencies' last closed fiscal year expenditures budget. This results in awards more closely aligned with each agency's operational needs.
The recommended agency awards are specified in the attachment entitled, “Gainesville Cultural Affairs Board Funding Recommendations for FY21 Outside Agency Grants”.
The attachment includes two scenarios for FY21 funding. The first includes the recommended increment doubling the historical funding of $56, 979 to $113,958 in FY21. The second scenario awards the historical amount of $56,979 for FY21.
Fiscal Note
The historic funding level for the Outside Agency grant program is $56,979 per year for each year of the two-year grant cycle. It has been recommended this amount double in the first year of the two-year cycle. Award recommendation options are based on historic funding level, subject to final budget deliberations and allocations in the budget process; should the funding level increase in the first year of the two-year cycle, agency grant awards will be increased proportionately to ensure the total award amounts meets the total amount available for the Outside Agency grant program.
Recommendation
The City Commission approve the FY21 Outside Agency cultural grant awards as recommended by the Gainesville Cultural Affairs Board, contingent upon adoption of the final FY21 City of Gainesville budget.