ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: January 12, 1999
Author/Local: A. Niwinski/6007
RTS No. 00408

CC File No. 2051

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs in consultation with the Comptroller of Budgets
SUBJECT:	1999 Advance Instalments: Cultural Operating Grants

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council approve advance instalments for Cultural Operating grants in the amount of $415,960 to the 45 organizations listed in Table 1, source of funds to be the 1999 Cultural Grants Budget.

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 specified 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 at least $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, with payments to 45 organizations representing 40% of each applicant’s 1998 grant and totalling $415,960.

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 Jan. 5, 1999. Recommendations for Cultural Operating grant instalments are usually presented to Council in late January/early February, following a preliminary review of grant applications received at the beginning of December, in the context of the criteria for advance instalments.

DISCUSSION

The Operating Grants budget ceiling approved for 1998 was $1,286,615. For 1999, 88 Operating grant requests totalling $1,684,000 have been received. Following a review of these applications in relation to advance instalment criteria, 45 Operating grant applicants are recommended for advances amounting to $415,960, as listed in Table 1, following.

Table 1

1999 Advance Instalments for Cultural Grants

Organization	1998 Grant	1999 Advance
Arts Club of Vancouver	75,000	30,000
Artspeak Gallery	9,000	3,600
Axis Theatre Soc.	11,500	4,600
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	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	38,000	15,200
DanceArts Vancouver	27,000	10,800
Early Music Vancouver	15,000	6,000
EDAM Performing Arts Soc.	9,000	3,600
Firehall Theatre Soc.	33,000	13,200
Fringe Festival	32,000	12,800
Green Thumb Theatre	30,000	12,000
Grunt Gallery - Visible Arts Soc.	8,500	3,400
Headlines Theatre (Theatre for Living Soc.)	11,500	4,600
Karen Jamieson Dance Soc.	17,000	6,800
Kokoro Dance Theatre Soc.	10,000	4,000
Moving Images Distribution Soc.	9,000	3,600
Or Gallery Soc.	9,000	3,600
Pacific Cinematheque Pacifique	19,500	7,800
Pink Ink Theatre Productions	9,000	3,600
Pitt Gallery (Unit/Pitt)	8,000	3,200
Organization	1998 Grant	1999 Advance
Playwrights' Theatre Centre	15,000	6,000
Powell Street Festival Soc.	9,000	3,600
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	8,000	3,200
Van. Cultural Alliance	39,000	15,600
Van. Dance Centre Soc.	15,000	6,000
Van. East Cultural Centre	67,000	26,800
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 Society	10,000	4,000
Western Front Soc.	17,500	7,000
Total 1999 Advance instalments	45 organizations	$415,960

CONCLUSION

The advance instalments recommended in this report represent 32% of the 1998 Cultural Operating grants budget ceiling. 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 1999. Staff believe that approval of the instalments in advance of Council’s establishment of the 1999 grants budget will help to mitigate the cash flow problems that might arise from the unexpected delay in approving grants budgets this year.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver