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CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
October 17, 2003 | |
Author: |
Lorenz von Fersen | |
Phone No.: |
604.871.6005 | |
RTS No.: |
03698 | |
CC File No.: |
2051 | |
Meeting Date: |
November 6, 2003 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets |
FROM: |
Director, Office of Cultural Affairs |
SUBJECT: |
2003 Celebration Grant Recommendations, Fall Deadline |
RECOMMENDATION
A. That Council approve grants totalling up to $38,000 to seven organizations for Celebration grant projects listed in tables 1 and 2, source of funds to be the 2003 Celebration grants program budget.
B. That Council approve the use of City streets for First Night Vancouver, scheduled for Dec. 31, 2003, subject to the event successfully meeting the detailed FEST Committee requirements.
C. That Council approve a grant of $16,000 to the Celebrate Vancouver Society for the First Night Celebration, subject to successfully meeting the detailed FEST Committee requirements.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager recommends APPROVAL of A, B and C.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council approved creation of the Celebration grants program for community-based festivals, celebrations and parades in October 2002. In July 2003 Council approved establishment of a new "Service grants" component of the program, which may provide up to 50% of the cost of City services incurred by major parades.
Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.
PURPOSE
This report recommends grants to seven community organizations, discusses the evaluation and selection process used, and appends a description of all applications and the program guidelines. The report further recommends Council approval for the use of City streets and a grant to hold the First Night celebration on Dec. 31, 2003 subject to the applicant meeting FEST Committee requirements.
BACKGROUND
Council established the Celebration grants program as a means of assisting community-based cultural festivals, celebrations and parades. These events offer entertainment and contribute to a sense of community among residents of diverse cultures, ages and interests. Two forms of assistance are provided by the program:
Cash grants: targets costs of enhancing cultural programs, delivering city-wide publicity, and engaging operational expertise.
Service grants: targets City service costs (police and engineering) of major parades.
The first round of grants was approved in May 2003, with a total of $37,500 being provided to 13 organizations. Eleven of these events have now taken place successfully, one was cancelled and $1,500 was returned, and one is scheduled for December of this year.
In advance of the September 15, 2003 fall deadline, brochures were widely distributed to community agencies and organizations, and ads were placed in the Vancouver Courier and Georgia Straight. These invited the public to an evening information meeting and directed readers to the web site featuring the grant guidelines. Nine applications were received, requesting a total of $54,000. This is a lower level of demand than the spring round (19 applications, requesting $99,327) and reflects the lower number of events held between November and April versus the spring round, which covers events from May through October.
In recognition of this seasonal variation, staff will increase the proportion of funding available at the spring deadline.
Applications were then screened for technical issues or site requirements by staff from Cultural Affairs, Park Board and Engineering. This screening precedes the formal application process required by Park Board or the FEST Committee before any grants are disbursed. There were no major technical issues requiring revisions to the proposals.
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 submissions for the best fit between the applications and the Celebration grant program goals and criteria. This report reflects the consensus of the committee members. The members were:
Sidney Sawyer |
Manager, Community Programs, VanCity Community Foundation |
Wayde Compton |
Author, editor, performance poet |
Bob Eberle |
Associate Prof., Theatre Dept., UBC; advisor - Park Board`s Neighbourhood Matching fund; volunteer - DTES Community Play;
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Sukhi Grewal |
Community Health nurse, S.E. Vancouver; organizer of "Savan Mela" celebration funded by grant program in spring round |
Nancy Li |
Multicultural consultant; facilitator - Chinatown Revitalization, ESL instructor |
DISCUSSION
Celebration Grants
Funding is recommended to seven applicants, with priority given to projects that:
· identified unique opportunities for the public provided by the event programme;
· demonstrated strong community support and involvement;
· presented a clear event plan and budget;
· demonstrated that the event met the definition of a major parade.
Cash grant requests from not-for-profit societies are listed in Table 1. A total of $39,000 was available to meet these requests. Appendix A contains the front pages of all applications, and is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Appendix B contains the program guidelines and criteria.
Table 1: Cash grant recommendations
Cash grants: Community Organization |
Requested |
Recommended |
Black History and Cultural Society |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
Brazilian Community Association |
5,000 |
1,500 |
Carol Ships Parade of Lights Society |
5,000 |
0 |
Centre of Integration for African Immigrants |
5,000 |
4,000 |
East Side Cultural Crawl Society |
4,000 |
4,000 |
Evergreen (Earth Day event) |
5,000 |
3,500 |
Khalsa Diwan Society - Vaisakhi parade program |
5,000 |
5,000 |
Vancouver Multicultural Society |
10,000 |
0 |
TOTAL |
$44,000 |
$23,000 |
Approval of recommendations in Table 1 will leave an unallocated balance of $16,000.
Table 2: Service grant recommendations
Service grant requests from not-for-profit societies are listed in Table 2. A total of $16,980 was available to meet these requests. Recommended amounts are the maximum contribution available. The grant is capped at 50% of City service costs. The City contribution may therefore be lower than the maximum shown.
Service grants: Community Organization |
Requested |
Recommended |
Chinese Benevolent Society of Vancouver for police and engineering costs of Chinese New Year's Parade |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
Khalsa Diwan Society for police and engineering costs of Vaisakhi Parade |
10,000 |
10,000 |
Total Service grants |
$15,000 |
$15,000 |
Approval of recommendations in Table 2 will leave an unallocated balance of $1,980.
First Night
After concluding the application review and recommendation process, the program advisory committee considered a request by the Celebrate Vancouver Society for assistance to hold a First Night celebration in the Library Square area on December 31, 2003.
First Night has been held in a variety of Vancouver locations since the mid-eighties. For a number of years it was held in various theatres and churches in downtown Vancouver, with the finale centred on the square fronting the Vancouver Art Gallery. A combination of financial losses due to snowfall, rising costs of crowd control, and no subsidy available for police costs resulted in the organizers cancelling the event in 1991.
A new Society revived the event for the millennium New Year, holding it in an enclosed area south of Science World. The event was well attended but poor weather contributed to a deficit, causing the Society to suspend operations. CMHC/Granville Island then took on the event in 2001 and 2002. While attendance was good in both years, CMHC was the principal financial backer and its management chose not to renew the commitment to First Night on Granville Island this year.
In hindsight, it is clear that First Night has always been popular with the public, in part because it occupies a natural date on which many people expect to celebrate. It has also attracted audiences because of the variety of entertainment choices offered in one location, its relatively modest entrance price, and its usually safe and alcohol-free setting. However, the event has always had difficulty balancing the revenues from attendance and sponsorships with the high costs of security and the risk of lowered income due to poor weather.
The Celebrate Vancouver Society is proposing to hold First Night on Library Square, including events in the Promenade of the Central Library, on the CBC Plaza, and both the 700-block Hamilton and Cambie streets. The entire site would be fenced and the entrances controlled by professional security staff. The organizers do not propose closing Georgia or Robson streets. While these arrangements are still subject to FEST Committee review and approval, the crowd control measures and the relatively small scale of the site suggests that a balance between good attendance and manageable security costs may be attainable. The projected budget for the event is in the range of $235,000.
The Celebration grant advisory committee reviewed the proposed event program for First Night and, noting that it is alcohol free and offers a variety of family-oriented arts activities, recommended City support for this year's event. Staff recommend that the $16,000 of unallocated Cash grants remaining in the Celebration grant program be re-allocated to First Night. This re-allocation does not imply that Celebration grants program would be the source of any future support for this event or establish a funding level for any future support.
Since the proposal to hold the event in the Library Square area arose only very recently, Engineering and Police have not had the opportunity examine the proposal through the regular FEST committee process. Approval to hold the event on the proposed site, and approval of the grant, is therefore recommended subject to the Celebrate Vancouver Society's success in meeting FEST requirements, including provision of a deposit for police and engineering services in advance of the event.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
If Recommendations A, B, and C are approved, there would be no unallocated balance remaining in the Cash grant component of the 2003 Celebration grant program, and an unallocated balance of $1,980 remaining in the Services component of the program. If Recommendation C is not approved, an unallocated balance of $17,980 will remain.
CONCLUSION
The Director, Office of Cultural Affairs recommends approval of Recommendations A, B, and C. Approval of the recommendations will strengthen several events held during Black History month and improve the capability of two of Vancouver's major parades. To date the Celebration grants program has been very well received in the community and resulted in a number of new events and increased attendance at previously-held celebrations. The advisory committee process has added insight to the value these events have in their community contexts and has contributed to a set of carefully balanced recommendations. Staff continue to adapt the program in response to the experiences gained in this year. Support for a First Night celebrations is also recommended, noting that this event fills a niche in Vancouver's calendar of celebrations and that this proposal has the potential for growth if successful in its new site.
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