Specifics asks include: Maintain the granting levels to directly support the nonprofit arts and culture organizations and artists funded through Grants for the Arts, Arts Commission, and the Mayor's Office of Community Development. We urge you to work with the relevant departments to fill any gaps, ensuring that the grants distributed to the community maintain the same levels as those in the previous fiscal year.
Support fiscal policies with equity in mind. While reimbursable grant models may be suitable for service contracts and larger organizations, they often do not align with the financial structures of many cultural organizations, especially smaller and emerging organizations, which frequently must incur upfront costs to produce events. This policy will be implemented on July 1, 2025, without community dialogue or data collection on the impact it will have on this sector. We urge a more flexible and informed approach to contract reform for the arts sector.
Funding for downtown arts should not come at the expense of supporting neighborhood cultural arts. Neighborhood arts and cultural programs drive the neighborhood's small business economy and commercial corridors. Visitors are drawn to the City for its cultural diversity, which is reflected in the various unique neighborhoods.
(sourced from Ani Rivera, Executive Director of Galería de la Raza) |
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