Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director, Office of Cultural Affairs

SUBJECT:

2000 Advance Instalments: Cultural Operating Grants

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

POLICY

On December 14, 1989, City Council approved the provision of advance instalments for Cultural Operating grants to applicants that meet specific criteria. As approved in 1989, and amended by Council on February 5, 1998, the three basic criteria for receipt of advance instalments are:

· The applicant has received a Cultural Operating grant for at least three consecutive years.

· The applicant’s Operating grant in the previous year was over $7,500.

·
An initial review of an organization’s current application indicates no critical concerns about the applicant’s finances, organizational stability or overall performance in the past year.

On February 1, 1996, Council established the basis for calculating advance instalments for Cultural grants as 40% of an applicant’s previous Operating grant.

Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE

This report recommends that advance instalments on Cultural Operating grants be continued as in past years, and that payments representing 40% of each of the 43 eligible applicants’ 1999 grant be made, for a total of $424,960.

BACKGROUND

Advance instalments for the Cultural Operating grants category were introduced in 1990 to alleviate the cash flow problems that many arts organizations experience at the beginning of the calendar year, when they are in mid-season, but when government and foundation grant budgets have not yet been approved. Before that only a few large cultural organizations, mostly in the “Other” grants category, were given advances on their operating grants.

Council approved advance instalments for the large cultural institutions in the “Other”grant category on Dec. 16, 1999. Recommendations for advance instalments on Cultural Operating grants are usually presented to Council in January, following a preliminary review of grant applications received at the beginning of December.

DISCUSSION

The Operating Grants budget ceiling approved for last year was $1,262,140. For 2000, Operating grant requests totalling $1,547,500 from 85 groups have been received. Following a review of these applications in relation to advance instalment criteria, 43 Operating grant applicants are recommended for advances amounting to $424,960, as listed in Table 1.

TABLE 1: Recommendations

Organization

1999 Grant

2000 Advance

Alliance for Arts & Culture (Van. Cultural Alliance)

39,000

15,600

Arts Club of Vancouver Theatre Soc.

75,000

30,000

Artspeak Gallery Soc.

9,000

3,600

Axis Theatre Soc.

11,500

4,600

Ballet B.C. (Pacific Ballet B.C. Soc.)

80,000

32,000

Bard on the Beach Theatre Soc.

9,500

3,800

Can. Craft Museum Assn.

24,000

9,600

Can. Music Centre - B.C.

11,000

4,400

Carousel Theatre Soc.

19,000

7,600

Chamber Music Festival (Van. Recital Soc.)

10,000

4,000

Children's Arts Umbrella

15,000

6,000

Children's Festival (CIAYA)

116,400

46,560

Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Soc.

15,000

6,000

Coastal Jazz and Blues Soc.

10,000

4,000

Contemporary Art Gallery Soc.

38,000

15,200

DanceArts Vancouver Soc.

27,000

10,800

Early Music Vancouver (Van. Soc. for Early Music)

15,000

6,000

EDAM Performing Arts Soc.

9,000

3,600

Firehall Theatre Soc.

35,000

14,000

Green Thumb Players Soc.

30,000

12,000

Grunt Gallery - Visible Arts Soc.

8,500

3,400

Headlines Theatre (Theatre for Living Soc.)

11,500

4,600

Kokoro Dance Theatre Soc.

10,000

4,000

Moving Images Distribution Soc.

9,000

3,600

Or Gallery Soc.

9,000

3,600

Pacific Cinémathèque Pacifique

19,500

7,800

Pink Ink Theatre Productions Assn.

8,500

3,400

Playwrights Theatre Centre

15,000

6,000

Public Dreams Soc.

12,500

5,000

Satellite Video Exchange Soc.

15,500

6,200

Touchstone Theatre Soc.

20,000

8,000

Van. Cantata Soc.

14,000

5,600

Van. Co-operative Radio (Community Radio Edn. Soc.)

8,000

3,200

Van. Dance Centre Soc.

15,000

6,000

Van. East Cultural Centre

67,000

26,800

Van. Folk Music Festival Soc.

55,000

22,000

Van. Fringe Festival (First Van. Theatrespace Soc.)

32,000

12,800

Van. Intl. Film Festival Soc.

17,500

7,000

Van. Intl. Writers Festival Soc.

20,000

8,000

Van. New Music Soc.

23,000

9,200

Van. Symphony Soc.

46,000

18,400

Van. Youth Theatre Soc.

10,000

4,000

Western Front Soc.

17,500

7,000

Total

1,062,400

424,960

CONCLUSION

The Operating grant advance instalments recommended in this report represent 33% of last year’s Operating grants budget. As in previous years, following Council’s decision, all recipients will be notified in writing that approval of an advance payment does not represent a commitment for additional funds, which will depend on further staff evaluation and on the Cultural grants budget level established by Council for 2000.

* * * * *


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