ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: July 7, 2000
Author/Local: AN/6007

RTS No.1547

CC File No. 2051

Council: July 25, 2000

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:	2000 Project Grants: Second Deadline

RECOMMENDATIONS

A. THAT within the 2000 Cultural Grants budget, Council approve the transfer of $21,000 from the Operating category and $6,000 from the Diversity Initiatives category to the Project Grants category, bringing the total Project Grants budget to $35,000.

B. THAT Council approve 12 Project Grants totalling $35,000, source of funds to be the 2000 Cultural Grants budget.

Approval of Recommendations A and B will leave no unallocated balance in the Operating and Project Grant categories of the Cultural Grants budget, and a balance of $54,000 in Diversity Initiatives.

COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of A and B.

POLICY

Council established the annual civic grants program in March 1978. City Council confirmed the criteria used in assessing Cultural Grant applications on Feb. 3, 1987, and approved the current Cultural Grant categories on Dec. 14, 1989.

On Nov. 22, 1994, Council approved a new two-step grant approval process whereby undisputed staff recommendations are approved first, while applicants requesting reconsideration are given a second review and are presented to Council at a later date.

Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE

This report presents staff recommendations on Project Grant requests received for the June 1, 2000 deadline.

BACKGROUND

Budget levels for Cultural Grant categories are initially established when the Cultural Grants budget ceiling is approved early in the year, before staff have completed their grant reviews. Funds may later be transferred between these categories, depending on budget demands in each category. For 2000, staff recommend the transfer of $21,000 from Operating and $6,000 from Diversity Initiatives, as detailed in Table 1.

Table 1
2000 Cultural Grants Budget - Cash Grants

Grant Category	Budget Originally Approved	Current Balance	Balance after Recom. Transfer
Projects	$90,000	$8,000	$35,000
Operating	$1,275,500	$21,000	$0
Diversity Initiatives	$60,000	$60,000	$54,000
Organizational Devel.	$20,000	$20,000	$20,000
Total	$1,445,500	$109,000	$109,000

Staff note that the reduction in the City budget Council approved for this year requires a $7,300 (.5%) decrease in the $1,445,500 budget originally approved for the four cash grant categories listed in Table 1. Staff propose to apply this decrease to the Organizational Development and Diversity Initiatives budgets, and will present specific recommendations in reports on these programs in the fall.

DISCUSSION

For the June 1^st Project Grant deadline, 18 applications totalling $117,625 were received, and one subsequently withdrew. Many strong applications were received in this round, demonstrating new energy and alternative approaches to the creation and presentation of art in our community.

Staff are recommending 12 grants totalling $35,000, as listed in Table 2. These recommendations are based on clearly articulated eligibility and evaluation criteria, including activity level in Vancouver, artistic merit, organizational competence, diversification of revenue sources, and financial need.The recommendations also reflect support for diversity, artistic innovation and community access. Detailed information about applicants, their projects, and staff recommendations, is presented in Appendix A, which consists of the front pages of the applications.

All applicants have been notified of the recommendations in writing, and given a July 21^st deadline for requesting reconsideration. Consideration of applicants requesting reconsideration is scheduled for the first City Services and Budgets Committee meeting following the summer recess, on September 14^th.

Table 2
Project Grant Recommendations

Applicant	Requested	Recommended
Blinding Light Cinema	$30,000	$2,500
Britannia Secondary School Support Society	$2,500	withdrew
Dancers Dancing Dance Society	$2,500	$2,500
Dancestabat Performance Society	$5,000	$4,500
Epicentre Theatre	$5,000	$0
Flamenco Rosario	$4,500	$0
Kinesis Dance	$2,500	$0
NeWorld Theatre Society	$6,000	$4,000
Pangaea Arts Society	$10,000	$0
plan B dance productions	$4,500	$3,000
Radix Theatre Society	$4,000	$0
Seniors' Research Groups of Chinese Opera	$3,625	$1,000
Still, In Motion Dance	$1,000	$1,000
Theatre MOM	$9,500	$5,000
Dance Centre project - supplemental grant	$10,000	$3,000
Western Gold Theatre	$6,000	$2,500
Western Theatre Conspiracy Arts Society	$6,000	$3,000
Yorick Theatre Society	$5,000	$3,000
Total	$117,625	$35,000

CONCLUSION

This is the last report on Project Grants for the year 2000. Reports on other Cultural Grant programs, Arts Partners in Organizational Development, Diversity Initiatives (second deadline) and the 2000/2001 Theatre Rental Grants, will be presented to Council in the fall. Pending approval of the current recommendations, there will be no unallocated balance in the Operating and Project categories of the 2000 Cultural Grants budget.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver