ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: Aug. 30, 1999
Author/Local: AN/6007

RTS No.0879

CC File No. 2051

Council: September 14, 1999

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:	1999 Cultural Project Grants: Second Deadline

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT Council approve the transfer of the unallocated $13,740 balance in the Operating grant category of the 1999 Cultural Grants budget to the Project grant category, bringing the total in the Project category to $31,740.

B. THAT Council approve 10 Project grants totalling $31,740, as listed in Table 1, source of funds to be the Cultural Grants budget.

Approval of the foregoing recommendations will leave no unallocated balance in the Operating and Project grant categories of the 1999 Cultural grants budget.

GENERAL MANAGER'S 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 February 3, 1987, and approved the current Cultural Grant categories (Operating, Project, Incentive, and Theatre Rental Grants) on December 14, 1989.

On November 22, 1994, Council approved a new two-step grant approval process whereby undisputed staff recommendations are approved first (and are the subject of this report), while applications under 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 16 Project Grant requests received for the June 17, 1999 deadline.

BACKGROUND

For the June 1999 Project grant deadline 18 applications were received, and two subsequently withdrew, leaving 16 requests totalling $95,620. The budget available to address these requests is $31,740, consisting of the unallocated $18,000 balance in the Project category, and $13,740 transferred from the Operating category. Budget levels for Operating and Project grant categories are initially established when grant budget ceilings are approved early in the year, and funds are transferred between these categories if necessary later in the year.

DISCUSSION

After reviewing the 16 Project grant requests, staff recommended 10 grants totalling $31,740, as listed in Table 1. No requests for reconsideration were received by the deadline after applicants were notified of these recommendations.

More detailed information about applicants, their projects, and staff recommendations, is presented in Appendix A, which consists of the front pages of the applications.

Table 1
Project Grants Recommendations

Organization	1999 Recommen.	1999 Request	1998 Grant
Artsite (Arts in Action)	$ 3,240	$ 5,000	-
Danstabat Performance Society	$ 4,500	$ 5,500	$4,500
Edmond Kilpatrick Dance	0	$ 6,000	-
Full Circle: First Nations Performance Society	$ 4,000	$ 5,000	-
Katherine Labelle Dance	$ 2,500	$ 5,000	-
Kinesis Dance Society	0	$ 2,500	-
Leaky Heaven Circus (Imag. Enclave Theat. Soc.)	0	$ 7,400	-
Opera Breve Vancouver	$ 500	$ 5,000	-
Our Lives Production (Green Thumb Theatre)	0	$ 5,660	-
Persimmons Theatre	0	$21,360	-
Seniors' Research Group of Chinese Opera	$ 1,000	$ 3,000	$1,000
SongRise Choral Society	$ 3,500	$ 5,000	-
Theatre M.O.M.	$ 5,000	$ 7,500	$4,000
W.A.V.E.S.(Women Animators of Van.)	0	$2,700	-
Westcoast Sacred Arts Society	$ 3,500	$ 5,000	-
Western Theatre Conspiracy Arts Society	$ 4,000	$ 4,000	-
Total	$31,740	$95,620

CONCLUSION

In previous years there has been one deadline for Project grants, at the same time as Operating grants. Additional Project grant requests have been addressed throughout the year on an ad hoc basis, if funds were available following the main Operating and Project grant reviews. The introduction of a formal second Project grant deadline this year has helped to streamline the Project grant process, and provided better access for small arts groups. Staff note that the change has been very well received by arts groups and has not resulted in a significant increase in the number of Project grants. Pending approval of the recommendations in this report, the total number of Project grants for 1999 will be 33, one more than last year.

NOTE FROM CLERK: ELECTRONIC COPY OF APPENDIX A IS NOT AVAILABLE - ON FILE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver