TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: David Morrison, Interim County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Jesus Tijero, Board of Supervisors Staff Assistant II
SUBJECT: Amend Napa County Arts & Culture Advisory Committee Grant Guidelines
RECOMMENDATION
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Interim County Executive Officer requests approval of the Napa County Arts & Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC) amended grant guidelines for the FY 2023-24 grant award cycle.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of the Arts & Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC) is to conduct and oversee a grant program. The committee’s goal is to grow and promote arts and cultural offerings in Napa County for residents and visitors, include more diversity of cultures and voices in the arts, and foster more collaboration among Napa’s arts groups, as reflected in Napa County’s Community Cultural Plan. The committee met at their regular meeting on October 24, 2022 to discuss the grant guidelines. The committee is proposing the following changes, which can be found under the 2023-2024 Grant Guidelines document attached to this agenda item. The funding amount available for the Fiscal Year 2023-24 grant cycle will be known in January 2023.
Major Changes to the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Grant Guidelines Include:
Funding Categories - Removed the COVID-19 relief subcategory that was previously offered to provide organizations with a path for survival, sustainability and recovery.
Multiple Grant Requests - Applicants may apply for a maximum of two subcategories from the previously mentioned funding subcategories.
Maximum Grant Requests - Maximum grant requests will be based on an average of the organization’s annual operating budget from the last two years - Fiscal Year 2021-22 and Fiscal Year 2022-23 or calendar years 2021 and 2022. In addition, the maximum request amount by budget category has been increased back to pre-pandemic funding levels.
Collaborative Requests - Re-introduce the opportunity for two or more organizations to partner on a request, specifically under the Special Programs & Projects subcategory.
Special Programs & Projects Subcategory - This includes removing the requirement for a new or existing project with innovation to instead focus on projects that support the overall priorities of the grant program including: community benefit, strengthening arts and culture, and promoting diversity.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
No |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Collaborative and Engaged Community |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
In November 2004, Napa County voters approved an increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). This is the tax rate charged to visitors renting hotel and motel rooms in the unincorporated county. The increase, from 10.5% to 12%, took effect on January 1, 2005, and was not dedicated to any specific purpose, thus requiring only a majority vote to pass. In Fiscal Year 2005-06, although the revenue generated by the additional 1.5% TOT rate is fully discretionary, the Board determined that the additional revenue could be invested in projects or programs that were a Board priority. This has become known as the Special Projects Fund (SPF).
On January 23, 2018, the Board reauthorized the SPF for another five-year cycle through Fiscal Year 2022-23. The Board also amended the focus (core principles) of SPF expenditures and created a new SPF allocation formula:
60% - Parks and Open Space
20% - Affordable Housing Programs for hospitality workers
20% - Arts and Culture Programs or Services
Of the 20% SPF arts and culture allocation, 20% of that amount is now annually allocated to Arts Council Napa Valley for operating expenses, and the remaining 80% annually distributed through a competitive grant process to arts and culture organizations in Napa County. The funding amount available for the Fiscal Year 2022-23 grant cycle will be known in January 2022.
GRANT GUIDELINES:
The purpose of the Arts & Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC) is to conduct and oversee a grant program. The goal is to grow and promote arts and cultural offerings in Napa County for residents and visitors, include more diversity of cultures and voices in the arts, and foster more collaboration among Napa’s arts groups, as reflected in Napa County’s Community Cultural Plan.
The Committee met at their regular meeting on October 24, 2022 to discuss the grant guidelines and is now proposing the following changes, which can be found under the 2023-2024 Grant Guidelines document attached to this agenda item.
Major changes to the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Grant Guidelines include:
Funding Categories - Removed the COVID-19 relief subcategory that was previously offered to provide organizations with a path for survival, sustainability and recovery. The remaining subcategories include Capacity Building, Special Programs & Projects and Capital Improvement as well as the Leadership & Professional Development category.
Multiple Grant Requests - Applicants may apply for a maximum of two subcategories from the previously mentioned funding subcategories. An additional request for Leadership & Professional Development and a collaborative grant request may also be submitted and does not count towards the request limit previously mentioned.
Maximum Grant Requests - Maximum grant requests will be based on an average of the organization’s annual operating budget from the last two years - Fiscal Year 2021-22 and Fiscal Year 2022-23 or calendar years 2021 and 2022. In addition, the maximum request amount by budget category has been increased back to pre-pandemic funding levels due to an expected increase in grant funds as compared to last year. Now a small organization with a budget size up to $100,000 may apply for up to $7,500; a mid-sized organization (budget size between $100,000 - $500,000) may apply for up to $17,500; and a large organization (budget size above $500,000) may apply for up to $27,500.
Collaborative Requests - Re-introduce the opportunity for two or more organizations to partner on a request, specifically under the Special Programs & Projects subcategory. The maximum award amount will be $20,000 regardless of budget size and no more than $10,000 per participating organization. Collaborative requests will require approval from staff prior to applying.
Special Programs & Projects Subcategory - In previous years, this subcategory provided funds for new programs and projects as well as supported the innovation for existing programs and projects. However, the Committee has expressed that in previous grant cycles significant time was spent discussing whether an existing project was innovative enough but would prefer the focus be on the impact of the project or program regardless of whether it is new or existing. Therefore, the Committee proposed removing the requirement for a new or existing project with innovation to instead focus on projects that support the overall priorities of the grant program including community benefit, strengthening arts and culture, and promoting diversity.