detail of It Happened in November, Kani Alavi, mural, Berlin Wall

Community Questions About the Cultural Arts Funding Review Process

These are questions that were submitted by current Cultural Funding contractors, then compiled and edited by ACA staff for concision and elimination of duplicates.

To Cultural Arts Division Staff, MJR Partners and the City of Austin Arts Commission,

With appreciation for your work on the Cultural Funding Review Process so far, we, the undersigned, respectfully request that detailed, written answers to the following questions be provided to the arts community before any changes to the Cultural Arts program are implemented.

THE WHY - DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Will the data gathered during the Cultural Funding Review process be made public?
Will there be a detailed report linking the data collected to the proposed changes?
What business sectors besides non-profit arts and artists were consulted in the cultural review process?
Was the City Law Department consulted during this process, and if so, will its opinions be included in the final report?
Did the review process include investigation of how and why the current system came into being?
What research was conducted on other model programs and best practices?
Can any of these other models be used as templates for the current proposal that can show its potential?
How will the new model for equity integrate arts organizations from the LGBTQ+ and disability communities?
What is the reason for dropping the requirement that contractors be non-profits?
Was the transparency inherent in fiscal sponsorship considered?
What data suggested that fiscal sponsorship was a barrier to equity?
Were fiscally sponsored projects surveyed about their experience of fiscal sponsorship, its benefits and drawbacks?
Were the different fiscal sponsors evaluated to determine what services and support they provided to their sponsored projects?
Will there be a process to replace the vetting normally conducted through fiscal sponsorship?
Has there been an assessment on the impact that lower funding caps could have on jobs in the non-profit arts sector?
Has there been a measure of the number of jobs for artists and technicians of color created annually by diverse organizations that are not considered culturally specific?
What is the reason for funding only production expenses in the Elevate program?
Does the research recognize how a healthy arts ecosystem through the fostering of arts service and arts education inherently impacts the overall cultural vibrancy of a city that drives tourism?
Was there an investigation into how cultural contracts could provide a scaffold for growth that creates more sustainable organizations and increased living wage jobs in the local arts economy?
What are the long term goals that the funding program is looking to address in regards to supporting the growth of arts organizations?
How do the proposed changes address administrative challenges such as the length of time it takes contractors to receive payments, particularly those whose events occur early in the fiscal year?

THE WHAT - PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Who is defining equity/diversity and how are they defining it?
Is there a tangible equity goal in place?
What metrics will be used to measure the success of changes made to the cultural funding programs?
Will the diversity of the audiences served and artists and staff employed be considered when evaluating equity?
If leadership of a company determines the racial classification of an organization, who is considered ‘leadership’?
Where do the arts education organizations that were previously eligible for funding fit in under these new programs?
Where do the artists development organizations that were previously eligible for funding fit in under these new programs?
Where do the arts service organizations that were previously eligible for funding fit in under these new programs?
Will arts education, development and service organizations still have their funding tied to developing tourism through the requirement of events production?
Will an arts organization's longevity and/or past record be figured into their funding?
How are “productions” defined?
How will the content of productions affect their equity evaluation?
What is the timeline for implementing the Nexus program and how will it impact the FY21 Community Initiative grants?
Will Nexus contractors be liable for failures in execution or deliverables by their community partners?
Why is the Thrive program limited to ten organizations?
Will Thrive contract amounts be linked to budget history?
Will there be a limit on the number of times an organization can receive a Thrive contract?
Why are the funding amounts decoupled from the organization's budget in the Elevate program?
What business sectors will be eligible for Elevate contracts?
Will there be tiers in the Elevate program that facilitate organizational growth?
Can a music-oriented organization (or arts organization with music programming) apply to both Cultural Funding (whether Nexus, Elevate, or Thrive) and to the Live Music Fund?
Was a maximum budget limit considered, whereby large organizations over a specific budget size would not be eligible for cultural contracts, freeing up resources for culturally specific and emerging organizations?
Will operational expenses such as staff and facility costs be allowable within the new proposed programs?
Will the applications be made available in Spanish?
Will there be matching requirements? If so, in which programs and at what ratio?
What has the research shown in the potential barriers of matching requirements and how is this being addressed in the matching levels being set?
Will there be a cap on the maximum number of organizations served and/or the minimum amount granted and how will those two numbers be reconciled with each other?
Does the city have a proposal for how independent artists and small organizations get affordable liability insurance without having a fiscal sponsor that won’t add another barrier?
What is the reason for keeping the peer panel process only in the Elevate program?
How is the peer panel being retooled to address the issues that were raised at the listening sessions?
How will the goals of equity be maintained with the inclusion of a subjective panel?
How will the peer panels be involved in the decisions of equity?
What is the criteria by which peer panelists will be picked and how will it address problems seen in the past?
What training will the peer panel receive?
How can the artists have confidence that the peer panelists have basic knowledge of the discipline or category they are reviewing?
Will the peer panel present their findings in writing for the applicant’ review?
Will there be an appeals process to peer panel scores?
What resources will be available for organizations who score low in the new system?

THE HOW - EXECUTION AND RESULTS
Will the city assign applications to their corresponding program within the Cultural Arts grants programs?
Will previous contract amounts affect future funding amounts?
What metrics will be used to determine the overall success of the cultural review funding process?
What metrics will be used to determine the equity of the new versus old funding processes?
How will the City avoid further siloing the community while prioritizing organizations of color that work within their cultural sphere focusing on culturally specific work above organizations that seek to have a mix of representation?
Will only culturally specific work by artists of color be considered relevant to equity?
How will the increase in the number of cultural contracts be managed without causing increased administrative challenges?
Will the staff be expanded and will that cost be covered by HOT funds?
How will the city be evaluating economic vitality and fiscal responsibility in regards to the Cultural Arts Division grants?
What resources will be in place to assist arts organizations through this new process?
What resources will be in place to collect arts organizations’ feedback through this process?

Endorsed by:

Tish Sparks, Contrast Film Festival

Gabriel Ornelas, Cine Las Americas

Anuradha Naimpally, Austin Dance India

Dewy Brooks, ACA Board Chair

Tarique Sylvester, Deaf Austin Theatre

Monica Caivano, Esquina Tango

Elizabeth Beckham, artist

Ana Maria Maynard, Puerto Rican Cultural Center

Jacqui Cross, Austin Playhouse

AJ Garcia-Rameau, Ventana Ballet

Jasmine Willis, The NexCrew

Michael Garcia, artist

Jane Hervey, bbatx (#bossbabesATX)

Jeanette Hill, JWHill Productions

Talena Martinez, Austin Children’s Theater, Trouble Puppet Theater, The VORTEX, Glass Half Full Theatre

Kiran Dix, Pollyanna Theater

Olivia Chacon, A'lante Flamenco

Danielle Marrero, Chorus Austin

Taylor Flanagan, Shrewd Productions, Ground Floor Theatre, Penfold Theatre, Different Stages, Austin Shakespeare

Arunachala Nagarajan, India Fine Arts Inc

Kendra Dobson, 3240 Entertainment

Kelley McClure, artist

Karen Kocher, artist

Ann Zarate, Trinity Street Players

Denise Prince, artist

Kate Meehan, La Fenice / B. Iden Payne Awards Council

Brian Cheslik, Deaf Austin Theatre

Christina J Moore, ScriptWorks

Devin Alejandro-Wilder, artist

Sharron Anderson, ATX Theatre

Ryan Crowder, Penfold Theatre

David Jarrott, Jarrott Productions

Gary Thornsberry, Less Than Three

Jill Ramirez-Coronado, Serie Print Project

Natalie Merris, Virtual360Tours

Michelle Plunkett, artist

Stacie Freasier, artist

Melissa Vogt, The VORTEX

Romeo Navarro, artist

Shannon Grounds, Shrewd Productions

Krystle Cline, The VORTEX

Katie Moore, Mortified Austin

Judy Matetzschk-Campbell, Pollyanna Theatre Company

John Henderson

Max Langert, ScriptWorks

Bonnie Cullum, The VORTEX

Stephanie Hoffman, Music & Memory

Shawn Sides, rude mechs

Jonathan Muzacz, The Mosaic Workshop

Mike Lavigne

Rebecca Brindley, artist

Carol Hayman, Women Printmakers of Austin

Shannon Embry, artist

Yelena Konetchy, LVnTheLife, PBC

Rachel Steed, Last Act Theatre Company

Jessica Nero, Blue Lapis Light

Mattie Buzonas, artist

Melissa Knight, Batik by Design

Ethan Azarian, Blue Cow Studio

Jonelle Seitz, artist

Margaret Hoard, Austin Playhouse, Hyde Park Theatre

Susan Gayle Todd, Austin Scottish Rite Theater

Martha Ahern, Austin Chamber Ensemble

Helen Merino, The Gateway Theatre Project

Charlotte Bell, Travis Heights Art Trail

Sally Jacques, Blue Lapis Light

Will Douglas, Jarrott Productions

Steve Power

Lisa Scheps, Ground Floor Theatre

Mike Sullivan, TexasArtDog

Jan Seides, Jan Seides Music Studio

Elizabeth Doss, paper chairs

Nicole Oglesby, Heartland Theatre Collective

Julie Fiore, One Ounce Opera, Austin Opera

Norman Blumensaadt, Different Stages Theatre

Prakash Mohandas, Agni Foundation for the Arts

Malyssa Quiles, Shrewd Productions, New Manifest Theatre, The Vortex

Bethany Harbaugh, Pollyanna Theatre

Monique Dacheff, Artistic Education Company

John Cecil, Texas Comedies

Stephanie Carll, Present Company

Walter Laich, Central Texas Medical Orcjestra

Jan Phillips, Southwest Theatre Productions

Caroline Reck, artist

Winnie Hsia, Sky Candy

Fully free art collective

Jenny Lavery, Theatre en Bloc / Austin Creative Alliance

Karen Sneed, The Stage Austin

Sean Gaulager, Co-Lab Projects

Kyle Evans, Rolling Ryot

Chris Cowden, Women and Their Work

Rob Halverson, Grapes of Wrath 75 Project

Nicole Oglesby, Heartland Theatre Collective

Jan Phillips, Southwest Theatre Productions

Andrew Perry, Pollyanna Theatre Company

Marian Kansas, The Heartland Theatre Collective

Andy Crouch, The Hideout Theatre

Kareem Badr, The Hideout Theatre

Jeanne Claire van Ryzin, Sightlines

Laura Guli, Pollyanna Children's Theatre Board

Katie Green, Twin Alchemy Collective

Celia Hughes, Art Spark Texas

Bob Livingston, Bob Livingston Productions

John Riedie, Austin Creative Alliance

Alex Alford, Austin Shakespeare

Barna Kantor, dadaGeek

Jennifer Hart, Performa/Dance, Inc.

Asaf Ronen, The Institution Theater

Beau Paul, Different Stages, Jarrott Productions, City Theatre

Roy Janik, The Hideout Theatre

Acia Gray, Visions In Rhythm (DBA Tapestry Dance Company)

Debbie Kizer, Imagine Art

CJ Menge, Inside Out Steelband

Bill Ogden, musician

Kelsey Smith, Jarrott Productions

Marchette DuBois, musician

Margaret Walsh, Pollyanna Theatre

Tish Sparks, Contrast Film Festival

Renelle Bedell, ZACH Theatre

Sara Vanderbeek, DORF

Laura Walberg, Austin Playhouse

Will Cleveland, ColdTowne Theater

Joshua Green, Artus Co

Heloise Gold, Performer/Choreographer

Margaret Burke, Distribution Hall + The Contemporary Austin

Brian David Johnson, Cloud Tree Studios & Gallery

Candyce Rusk, ScriptWorks, individual artist

Dustin Wills, paper chairs

Lara Haddock, Austin Playhouse

Beth Burns, The Hidden Room Theatre

Eric Manche, DORF

Krissie Marty, Forklift Danceworks

Katherine Schroeder, Different Stages

Renee Barnett Drew, artist

Blake Addyson, Theatre en Bloc

Kyle Schmidt

Margaret Greenburg

Sarah Danko, actor

Meghan Shogan, Vault Stone Shop

Stacey Kaleh

Andy Berkovsky, The City Theatre Company

Lindsay Doleshal, En Route

Andee Kinzy, ImprovEd Arts

Natalie Garcia

Stephanie Todd, Jarrott Productions

Heba Toulan, Deaf Austin Theatre

Denise Hodgson, Jarrott Productions

Jessica Hovind, Variant Talent

Bridget Farr, En Route Productions

Jenny Hanna-Chambers, Theatre en Bloc

Amy Downing

Luanne Stovall, Austin Creative Alliance

Jessica Arjet, The Hideout Theater

Rommel Sulit, Street Corner Arts

Patti Neff-Tiven, Ground Floor Theatre

Melinda Parr, artist

Zac Crofford, Everything Industries, LLC