City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: DECEMBER 7, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of Acceptance of Arts Project Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for Creative Neighborhoods Grant Program.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Consideration of Acceptance of Arts Project Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for Creative Neighborhoods Grant Program.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Authorize the acceptance of $30,000 in grant funds which are part of the Arts Project grant from the National Endowment for the Arts;
(2) Designate the Office of the Arts, division of the Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities as the official local arts agency in the City thereby having the authority to subgrant funds on behalf of the City of Alexandria; and,
(3) Authorize the City Manager and staff to execute the necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: Annually, the Office of the Arts, a division of the Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Department identifies opportunities and strategies to implement the City Council approved Arts and Culture Master Plan (“Plan”). The goals outlined in the Plan are to achieve equity, inclusion and access for arts, cultural, and creative endeavors; facilitate opportunities for innovation and collaboration; support and foster a sustainable and diverse community of the arts; be a convener and facilitator for artistic and cultural expression, and raise community awareness of the Office as it continues to evolve as a leading agency.
Each year, staff actively works to identify grant-funded opportunities to support the Plan’s goals and leverage city resources specifically to implement art programs that would also align with the City’s equity initiatives supported by the All Alexandria Resolution.
Annually, the National Endowment for the Arts invites arts organizations throughout the country to submit applications through their Arts Project Grant Program. The Office of the Arts submitted an application to support a Creative Neighborhood Grant Program in Alexandria to bring arts programs and events to traditionally underserved areas in the city.
DISCUSSION: On November 8, 2021, the Office of the Arts learned that the City of Alexandria has been invited to accept a $30,000 grant to implement the Creative Neighborhood Grant Program (CNGP) - a new grant program that will fund visual and performing artists and cultural organizations in three Alexandria neighborhoods: Arlandria, Parker-Gray, and the West End that are deeply rooted in the cultural life of the City.
Framed through the lenses of diversity, equity, and inclusion, the overarching goal of the program is to preserve and embrace the indigenous heritage, traditions, customs, beliefs and rituals of cultures or ethnic groups through the funding of cultural programs. Art programs funded by the grant will provide broad access to diverse cultural programs, leading to long-term equitable support of diverse communities in the City. The key principle of diversity will guide the program by defining diversity broadly to include gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, age, culture, socio-economic status, geographic background, faith/religion, sexual orientation, profession, and ability.
The Office of the Arts 40-year history of granting has traditionally focused on local “institutional” arts organizations. This program will serve Arlandria, Parker-Gray and the West End neighborhoods that do not have equitable access to City-funded arts program and will provide a more equitable redistribution of City resources by granting at least $60,000 for arts programs. between January and December 2022.
Key collaborating partner organizations who have agreed to help with the implementation of the program are the City’s Race and Social Equity Officer, Casa Chirilagua, Alexandria Redevelopment Housing Authority, the West End Business Association, the Alexandria City Public School’s Department of Teaching, Learning and Leadership - Fine Arts Office, and ACT for Alexandria. They were selected because they have close working relationships with community members in the neighborhoods the program will serve. They will provide guidance in the development of the program, encourage participation in the arts programming, assist with providing training for artists and arts organizations, and after the program has ended, help review the impacts of the program and identify opportunities to possibly sustain the program.
To ensure that the integrity of the program reflects the interests and needs of the targeted neighborhoods, the grant will provide funding for a bi-lingual program manager to be contracted to oversee the program and provide ongoing support to grantees, partners, and participants.
As part of the requirements from the National Endowment for the Arts requirements, the Office of the Arts need to be identified by the City as the official local arts agency thereby having the ability to subgrant funds on behalf of the City of Alexandria. Approval of the attached resolution will provide the Office of the Arts with this authority.
FISCAL IMPACT: The National Endowment for the Arts Art Project grant award requires a one-to-one cash match. The Office of the Arts intends to use already appropriated city funds for the cash match and other expenses relating to this grant award.
ATTACHMENT: Resolution: Office of the Arts - Local Arts Agency Designation for the City
of Alexandria, VA
STAFF:
Debra Collins, Deputy City Manager
Ian Greaves, Comptroller, Finance Office, Accounting Division
James Spengler, Director, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities
Diane Ruggiero, Deputy Director, Director, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities
Cheryl Anne Colton, Regional Program Director, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities