ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: March 13, 2000
Author/Local: A. Niwinski/6007
RTS No. 01339

CC File No. 2051

Council: March 28, 2000

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:	2000 Cultural Grants: Operating and Project Grant Allocations

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council approve 78 Operating Grants amounting to $1,254,500 and 27 Project Grants amounting to $82,000, as listed in Appendix A, for a total of $1,336,500, including conditions on grants where noted. Source of funds to be the 2000 Cultural Grants budget.

COMMENTS

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

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.

SUMMARY

As listed in Appendix A, this report recommends approval of 105 Operating and Project grants totalling $1,336,500. All recommendations include any advance installments already approved by Council. No requests for reconsideration of Cultural grants were received this year.

In addition, a package including grant criteria, the application form, and the front pages of all applications with staff recommendations was sent to each City Council member in advance.

PURPOSE

This report presents recommendations for 113 Cultural Grant Operating and Project applications reviewed by staff.

BACKGROUND

This year, following the withdrawal of one applicant, 28 Project grant and 85 Operating requests totalling $1,728,000 were received. Project grants are designed to support the activities of arts groups that work on a project by project basis, as well as one-time initiatives. Operating grants are designed to help the city's more established non-profit arts and cultural organizations achieve the financial stability they need to develop and maintain quality programming. To qualify for operating funding, an applicant must have received a civic cultural grant for at least the past two years, and have a track record of competent management, artistic achievement, and ongoing activities in the community. Grants in both categories are available for a wide range of artistic activities based in different cultural traditions.

Following the review of these applications, staff concluded that seven applicants in the Operating category would be more appropriately addressed in Projects, either because they continue to work on a project by project basis, or because they do not have a long or stable track record of civic funding. In total, staff have recommended approval of 78 Operating grants and 27 Project grants, amounting to $1,336,500, with an unallocated balance of $21,000 in the Operating and $8,000 in the Project categories.

Applicants were notified of these recommendations in writing, and none requested reconsideration.

DISCUSSION

A summary of staff recommendations for all 113 applicants, together with the unallocated balance in the adjusted Operating and Project budgets is provided in Table 1, following.

Table 1

Funding Recommendations for Operating and Project Grants

	Requested	Recommended	Unallocated Balance
Operating	$1,523,000	$1,254,500	$21,000
Project	$205,000	$82,000	$8,000
Totals	$1,728,000	$1,336,500	$29,000

Criteria

Staff recommendations are based on clearly articulated eligibility and evaluation criteria, including: activity level in Vancouver, artistic merit, organizational competence, diversification of revenue sources, financial need, accessibility to the broader community, and contributions to the health of the cultural sector as a whole. While no automatic inflationary adjustment have been proposed, increases as well as decreases have been recommended. As in the past, a number of grant recommendations to smaller and developing organizations have been made, focussing on support for diversity, artistic innovation, and community access.

A summary of the recommendations in this report compared to those in previous years is provided in Table 2, following.

Table 2

Overview of Recommendations
for Operating and Project Grants

	2000	1999	1998	1997	1996
Total No. of Groups	113*	131	132	136	143
Not recommended	8	22	25	29	24
Recommended:	105	109	107	107	119
Decreased	13	9	8	9	8
Held at same level	49	70	59	65	60
Increased	33	15	29	19	36
New or not funded last year	10	15	11	14	15

* First Project deadline only.

CONCLUSION

This report is the main report on Operating and Project grants scheduled for 2000. A report covering applications received for the second Project grant deadline will be presented to Council in late July. Reports on other Cultural Grant programs, including Diversity Initiatives, Arts Partners in Organizational Development and 2000/2001 Theatre Rental grants, which are the primary source of civic support for regular users of the Civic Theatres, will be presented later in the year.

- - - - -

APPENDIX A

City of Vancouver Cultural Grants 2000
Operating and Project Applications, Alphabetical List

			(Column 1)	(Column 2)	(Column 3)	(Column 4)
	Organization Name	Grant	2000	2000	1999	1999 Other
		Type	Recomm.	Request	Grant	Civic Support
1	Aboriginal Art and Culture Celebration Soc.	PR	4,000	10,000	4,000
2	Alliance for Arts & Culture Soc. (formerly Van. Cultural Alliance)	OP*	40,000	40,000	39,000	VS
3	Artropolis (A. T. Eight Artropolis Soc.)	PR	7,500	10,000
4	Arts Club of Vancouver Theatre Soc.	OP*	85,000	100,000	75,000	VS
5	Artspeak Gallery Soc.	OP*	10,000	11,000	9,000
6	Astrid Dance Soc.	PR	4,500	8,000	4,000
7	Axis Theatre Soc.	OP*	12,500	15,000	11,500
8	B.C. Book Prizes (West Coast Book Prize Soc.)	OP	3,500	5,000	3,500
9	Ballet B.C. (Pacific Ballet B.C. Soc.)	OP*	80,000	90,000	80,000	TR $61,650
10	Bard on the Beach Theatre Soc.	OP*	9,500	15,000	9,500	VS
11	Barking Sphinx Performance Soc.	PR	0	1,000
12	Battery Opera Peforming Arts Soc.	PR	2,000	5,000	2,000
13	Boca Del Lupo Theatre Soc.	PR	2,500	5,000
14	Burney Ensemble Soc.	PR	1,000	2,000
15	Can. Craft Museum Assn.	OP*	24,000	27,000	24,000	VS
16	Can. Music Centre - B.C.	OP*	11,000	12,000	11,000
17	Carousel Theatre Soc.	OP*	21,000	25,000	19,000
18	Centre Culturel Francophone de Vancouver	PR	3,000	5,000	2,500
19	Chamber Music Festival (Van. Recital Soc.)	OP*	10,000	10,000	10,000
20	Children's Arts Umbrella	OP*	15,000	20,000	15,000
21	Children's Festival (Can. Institute of the Arts for Young Audiences)	OP*	116,500	121,000	116,400	VS
22	Chinese Cultural Centre of Van. (Theatre Group)	PR	3,000	5,000	4,000	CAP $50,000; VS
23	Chor Leoni Men's Choir	OP	1,500	3,000	1,000	BAX $4,100
24	Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Soc.	OP*	15,000	20,000	15,000	VS
25	Coastal Jazz and Blues Soc.	OP*	10,000	30,000	10,000	TR $7,300
26	Contemporary Art Gallery Soc.	OP*	38,000	38,000	38,000
27	DanceArts Vancouver Soc.	OP*	27,000	30,000	27,000
28	Dancing on the Edge Festival Soc.	OP	6,500	6,500	6,000
29	Dragon Boat Festival (Can. Intl. Dragon Boat Festival Soc.)	OP	5,000	10,000	5,000
30	Early Music Vancouver (Van. Soc. for Early Music)	OP*	15,000	17,000	15,000	OD $1,000; VS
31	EDAM Performing Arts Soc.	OP*	10,000	11,000	9,000
32	Edgewise ElectroLit Centre Soc.	PR	1,000	5,000	1,000
33	Electric Company Theatre Soc.	PR	6,000	10,000	5,000
34	Elektra Women's Choir	OP	2,000	2,000	2,000
35	Federation of B.C. Writers	OP	2,500	5,000	2,500
36	Felix Culpa (Grinning Dragon Theatre Soc.)	PR	3,500	6,000	2,000
37	Firehall Theatre Soc.	OP*	37,000	38,000	35,000	DI $10,000; VS
38	Green Thumb Players Soc.	OP*	30,000	32,000	30,000
39	Grunt Gallery - Visible Arts Soc.	OP*	9,000	12,000	8,500
40	Hard Rubber New Music Soc.	PR	2,500	3,000	2,000
41	Headlines Theatre (Theatre for Living Soc.)	OP*	11,500	13,000	11,500
42	Hispanic Community Centre Soc. of BC	PR	0	20,000
43	Holy Body Tattoo Soc.	OP	9,000	14,000	7,000
44	India Music Soc.	OP	2,500	5,000	3,000
45	Intertribal PowWow Committee (Assn. of Neighbourhood Houses of Greater Van.-Cedar Cottage N.H.)	PR	1,500	2,000	1,500
46	Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards Soc.	PR	0	4,000
47	Joe Ink Performance Soc.	PR	6,000	9,000	5,000
48	JumpStart Performance Soc.	OP**	4,000	8,000	6,000
49	Karen Jamieson Dance Soc.	OP	7,000	13,500	13,500
50	Katari Taiko Drum Group Assn.	OP	2,500	2,500	2,500
51	Kokoro Dance Theatre Soc.	OP*	10,000	15,000	10,000
	+ one-time supplemental grant				1,500
52	Latino Theatre Group (VIEW, The Performing Arts Soc.)	PR	2,500	5,000
53	Little Chamber Music Series That Could Soc.	OP	1,500	1,500	1,500
54	Lola MacLaughlin Dance Soc.	OP	7,500	7,500	6,500
55	MainDance Projects Soc.	OP	4,000	5,000	4,000
56	Malaspina Printmakers Soc.	OP	4,000	5,000	4,000
57	Mascall Dance Soc.	OP	7,500	10,000	7,500	OD $1,000
58	Modern Baroque Opera Soc.	OP	5,500	9,000	4,000
59	Mortal Coil Performance Soc.	PR	3,000	8,000
60	Moving Images Distribution Soc.	OP*	9,000	10,000	9,000
61	Music in the Morning Concert Soc.	OP	6,500	10,000	6,500	OD $500; TR $5,700
	+ one-time supplemental grant		1,000	3,000
62	Native Daughters of B.C., Post No. 1	OP	3,500	6,000	3,500	VS
63	New Orchestra Workshop Soc.	OP	2,500	4,000	2,500
64	New Performance Works Soc.	PR	0	2,000	0
65	Norman Rothstein Theatre (Westside Theatre Soc.)	PR	4,500	5,000	4,500	VS
66	Or Gallery Soc.	OP*	9,000	10,000	9,000
67	Pacific Baroque Orchestra Soc.	OP	3,000	5,000	3,000	OD $1,500
68	Pacific Cinémathèque Pacifique	OP*	20,500	22,000	19,500	OD $250; VS
69	Pacific Theatre (First Pacific Theatre Soc.)	OP	2,500	10,000	1,000	VS
70	Palme's Performing Soc.	PR	1,000	3,500
71	Pink Ink Theatre Productions Assn.	OP*	8,000	12,000	8,500
72	Pitt Gallery (Unit/Pitt Soc. for Arts and Critical Awareness)	OP	7,500	10,000	7,500
73	Playwrights Theatre Centre	OP*	15,000	15,000	15,000
74	Powell Street Festival Soc.	OP	4,000	6,000	9,000	OD $2,000; VS
75	Public Dreams Soc.	OP*	12,500	20,000	12,500	VS
76	Rogue Folk Club (Folk Alliance 2001)	PR	2,500	10,000
77	Ruby Slippers Productions Soc.	OP	7,000	8,000	6,500
78	Rumble Productions Soc.	OP	7,000	7,500	6,000	DI $8,000
79	Satellite Video Exchange Soc.	OP*	16,000	17,000	15,500
80	SMcK Dance Soc.	PR	0	3,000
81	Soc. for A Celebration of Women Composers	PR	500	1,000
82	Spring Break Theatre Festival (Van. Professional Theatre Alliance)	PR	0	4,000	3,500
83	Standing Wave	OP	1,500	2,500	1,500
84	Summer Pops Youth Orchestra	PR	0	5,000
85	Théâtre la Seizième	OP	6,500	12,000	6,000
86	Theatre Terrific Soc.	OP	6,000	10,000	6,000	VS
87	Touchstone Theatre Soc.	OP*	20,000	20,000	20,000
88	Uzume Taiko Drum Group Soc.	OP	7,500	12,000	7,000	BAX $3,950
89	Van. Access Artist Run Centre	PR	2,000	5,000	2,000
90	Van. Asian Heritage Festival Month Soc.	PR	5,000	16,000	3,000
91	Van. Cantata Soc.	OP*	12,000	15,000	14,000
92	Van. Chinese Instrumental Music Soc.	PR	1,000	2,000
93	Van. Co-operative Radio (Community Radio Edn. Soc.)	OP*	8,000	12,000	8,000	CAP $75,000
94	Van. Dance Centre Soc.	OP*	18,000	18,000	15,000
95	Van. East Cultural Centre	OP*	69,000	70,000	67,000	VS
96	Van. Folk Music Festival Soc.	OP*	55,000	55,000	55,000	OD $3,000; VS
97	Van. Fringe Festival (First Van. Theatrespace Soc.)	OP*	31,500	38,000	32,000
98	Van. Intl. Comedy Festival Soc.	OP	7,500	10,000	7,500
99	Van. Intl. Film Festival Soc.	OP*	17,500	25,000	17,500
100	Van. Intl. Writers Festival Soc.	OP*	20,000	22,000	20,000	OD $150
101	Van. Moving Theatre Soc.	PR	2,500	4,000	2,000
102	Van. New Music Soc.	OP*	23,000	25,000	23,000	BAX $5,925
	+ one-time supplemental grant				1,500
103	Van. Opera Assn.	OP	14,000	50,000	14,000	TR $292,850
104	Van. Pro Musica (Pro Musica Soc. of Van.)	OP	1,500	2,000	1,500
105	Van. Soc. of Storytelling	OP	4,000	6,500	4,000
106	Van. Summer Festival Soc.	PR	3,500	7,500	4,000
107	Van. Symphony Soc.	OP*	46,000	55,000	46,000	FIN $100,000; TR $597,738
108	Van. Youth Theatre Soc.	OP*	8,000	10,000	10,000	OD $1,000
109	Vetta Chamber Music and Recital Soc.	OP	2,500	3,000	2,500
110	Western Front Soc.	OP*	18,000	20,000	17,500
111	Wild Excursions Productions Soc.	PR	3,500	6,000	5,000
112	Word on the Street Festival (Van. Book & Magazine Fair Soc.)	PR	0	3,000	0
113	World of Children's Choirs	PR	2,500	5,000
	Totals		1,336,500	1,728,000	1,297,400

** Conditional grant:

Jumpstart Performance Soc.
Given the reduced level of eligible activity that Jumpstart is planning for the coming year, a decreased grant of $4,000 is recommended. The grant is SUBJECT TO confirmation of the resources to proceed with the development of 2 Tantes.

* * * * *

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver