Vancouver City Council |
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: May 13, 2003
Author/Local: L. von Fersen604-871-6005
RTS No.03317
CC File No. 2151Council: May 27, 2003:
TO:
Vancouver City Council
FROM:
Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:
2003 Celebration Grant Recommendations, Spring Deadline
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council approve grants totalling $37,500 to 13 organizations for Celebration Grant projects listed in Table 1, source of funds to be the 2003 celebration grants program budget.
B. THAT Council request staff report back on the recommendation of the program advisory committee to review the impact of police and engineering costs on organizations eligible in the Major Parades component of the Celebration Grants program.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager RECOMMENDS A, B and C.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council approved creation of a "Celebration" grants category for community-based festivals, celebrations and major parades in October, 2002.
Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.
PURPOSE
This report recommends grants for 13 Celebration Grant projects, discusses the selection process used, lists the results of the evaluation process, and appends a description of all applications and the program guidelines.
BACKGROUND
In October 2002, Cultural Affairs presented the "City Support for Festivals and Celebrations - Policy Review and Recommendations" report, which noted that various ethno-cultural and distinctive neighbourhood celebrations contributed to cultural diversity and built a sense of community, yet these events were beyond the scope of existing civic support programs. Council addressed this gap by approving a "Celebration" grants program for three types of community-based events: festivals, one-day celebrations, and major parades with significant cultural components. Celebration grants target support to the cost of program enrichment, city-wide publicity and operational expertise of these organizations.
Following Council approval of $ 75,000 in the 2003 Grants Budget Ceiling report, application deadlines for this year were set for March 31 and September 15, and $37,500 provided for each cycle. The deadline dates for next year may be adjusted.
Information was provided to the community through a variety of channels, including a press release and web page, printed brochures, paid ads (The Courier), a mailing targeted to the ethno-cultural community, and broad distribution of the brochure to community centres, libraries, and neighbourhood houses. Staff also hosted an evening information meeting and met with a number of prospective applicants.
Twenty applications were received at the March deadline, one organization subsequently withdrew. The 19 remaining organizations requested a total of $99,320. The applications were first screened for eligibility and then reviewed for any major site or technical issues by a staff team from the Films and Special Events Office, Park Board and Cultural Affairs. Applicants had an opportunity to resolve any major concerns before the grant allocation meeting. This screening precedes the formal application process for events through the Park Board or FEST Committee, which will be completed before grants are disbursed.
The applications were then evaluated by a five-member program advisory committee of individuals familiar with community-based special events, supported by OCA staff. The panellists rated the applications for the best fit between applications and the Celebration grant program goals and criteria. This report reflects the consensus of the committee members. The program advisory committee members were:
Sidney Sawyer
Manager, Community Programs, VanCity Community Foundation
Elliot Neck
Events production manager; Public Dreams, fireworks and parades; Kensington Cedar Cottage CityPlan Neighbourhood Visions C'tee.
Nancy Li
Multicultural consultant; facilitator - Chinatown Revitalization; ESL instructor.
Miko Hoffman
General Manager, Powell Street Festival
Bob Eberle
Associate Professor, Dept. of Theatre UBC; advisor - Park Board Neighbourhood Matching Fund; volunteer - DTES Community Play; Ex-Children's Festival production manager.
DISCUSSION
Grants are recommended to 13 applicants, with priority given to projects that:
· identified unique opportunities for the public in their event programming;
· demonstrated strong community support and involvement;
· presented a clear and viable site plan and budget.During the evaluation process, the program advisory committee noted that the applications naturally fell into two groupings; larger events likely to have a city-wide audience, and a group of smaller events primarily targeted to specific audiences or neighbourhoods. This scale of activity is reflected in the size of the grants recommended.
The committee commented on the difficulty of accommodating major parades in this program, noting that by definition, parades are held on streets, automatically incurring costs for police and engineering services. While the committee was able to recommend funds for program enhancement and outreach for one parade, it expressed concern about the inherent cost of police and engineering services for applicants holding major parades, and recommended further examination of ways and means to improve their situation.
Grants are recommended to the non-profit societies listed in Table 1. Appendix A is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Appendix B contains the program guidelines and criteria.
Table 1: Recommended Projects
Community Organization
Requested
Recommended
Chinese Cultural Centre
Mid-autumn festival in Chinatown$5,000
$2,500
CRAB - Water for Life Society
July 1st music and food event at Portside Park1,500
1,500
Environmental Youth Alliance
Youth-driven celebration in Victory Square3,000
2,500
Hastings Park Conservancy Society
July 1st celebration of the greening of the park5,000
4,000
Latinos in Action
3rd Latin Summerfest at Trout Lake park2,500
2,500
Mt. Pleasant Neighbourhood House
Community festival on Guelph Park2,000
1,500
Polish Friendship (Zgoda) Society
New street component for annual harvest festival5,000
1,500
Joyce Station Area Planning Association
Renfrew Ravine - Moon procession and festival10,000
6,000
Secret Lantern Society
Winter lantern procession around False Creek5,000
4,000
South Asian Family Association
Cross-cultural festival based on traditional Punjabi gathering for newly-married women5,000
3,000
Van. Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society
Cultural festival on the 40th anniversary of VAFC4,000
1,500
Vancouver Pride Society
To enable more community participation in the annual parade and festival10,000
6,000
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House
Wales Street Heritage Day4,000
1,000
TOTALS
$62,000
$ 37,500
Table 2: Not recommended Projects
Community Organization
Requested
Recommended
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation
Event on Granville Island for car-free day10,000
0
Chinese Freemasons of Vancouver
Parade marking 140th anniversary8,000
0
Downtown Eastside Residents Association
Festival and free food at Portside Park marking DERA's 30th anniversary10,000
0
Eastside Family Place
Family dance programs at Grandview Park2,320
0
Little Mountain Neighbourhood House
11th annual Community Day, Riley Park CC1,500
0
Vancouver Wooden Boat Society
16th annual wooden boat festival, Granville Isl.5,500
0
TOTALS
$37,320
0
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Approval of the recommendations in Table 1 leaves $ 37,500 remaining for the fall cycle of Celebration Grant requests.
CONCLUSION
The Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs notes that the newly-launched Celebration Grants program has generated a good response in first round. A pattern of requests from several larger events, likely to attract a city-wide audience, and a group of more community-specific celebrations has emerged. The Director recommends approval of the 13 grant requests prioritized by the program advisory committee and listed in Table 1. Concerns by the committee about the inherent cost of city services to applicants in the major parade category warrant further examination and report back to Council is recommended.
APPENDIX A
Celebration Grants
Front pages of applications
Office of Cultural Affairs
City of Vancouver
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