ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: December 20, 1999
Author/Local: AN/6007
RTS No. 01180

CC File No. 2051

Council: January 11, 2000

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:	2000 Advance Instalments: Cultural Operating Grants

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council approve advance instalments for Cultural Operating grants in the amount of $424,960 to the 43 organizations listed in Table 1, source of funds to be the 2000 Cultural Grants Budget.

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.

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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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver